Page 175 of Symphony for Lies

Perfect.

I slammed her to the ground, pinning her beneath me. She writhed like a demon. Cursing and crying.

But she had no chance.

“Tiana!” Stacy shouted, “Call the goddamn cops!”

I exhaled shakily, chest heaving. My muscles burned.

But I wouldn’t let go. Not until I knew it was over.

Police officers stormed into the hospital, their voices sharp and commanding as they took control. They tore Rita away from me, forcing her to the ground with brutal efficiency, wrenching her arms behind her back and snapping the cuffs onto her wrists.

She fought. Kicked. Screamed. Spat.

But it didn’t matter anymore.

It was over.

Stacy and I gave our statements, and the officers secured the weapon.

I was exhausted.

Every muscle in my body ached, every nerve frayed to its limit.

Spencer showed up, right on time to miss all of the action.

His forehead was still smeared with dried blood, and his jacket sleeve was torn, but he grinned as he clapped a hand against my shoulder.“Holy shit, Cole. We actually did it! The guy I took down earlier was Jeffrey! The goddamn janitor. Watson blew himself to hell. But we won’t be sure until we find the body.”

I didn’t care.

I only cared about Amelia.

The nurses had pushed a bed beside Amelia’s, and I lay beside her, our hands intertwined.

With certainty, we both knew that it was truly over.

No more riddles. No more killers. No nightmares lurking in the shadows.

It was over.

Whatever the future held, a chapter had closed.

“So… was Rita actually Watson’s daughter?” Layla asked.

Or so I thought.

Yet here I was, still listening to unnecessary talk.

“Yeah,” Amelia sighed. “She told me herself.”

She rubbed a hand across her forehead.“I figured it out from the handwriting. There was a pattern in the notes. It reminded me of Rita’s scrawl. And then everything clicked… The way she was acting. The note she gave me. It all lined up. Things went missing in our clinic, and the timing matched Rita’s movements. I was too foolish to notice, though. And then I remembered Mr. Watson was back in town… I texted Spencer when I realized Watson and Rita might be working together. But Jeff? I didn’t see him coming.”

Silence.

“It happened in a second. Jeff showed up at my door and said he had a recording, something I needed to see. I didn’t think twice.” Her lips trembled slightly. “They were all there. Watson was Ella’s and Rita’s biological father. They were twins from an affair. The Aria family kept Ella. And Rita was raised by Jeff.”

There was heaviness in her gaze. A sadness.Even after everything, Amelia still had the capacity to pity.

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