Chapter 6 - A House of Cards
By sunrise, the Willow Creek estate had transformed from a wedding paradise into a luxurious prison. The heavy iron gates were padlocked. The remaining staff had been dismissed early with generous severance checks.
Elise was confined to the guest bedroom on the second floor. The door was locked from the outside. She sat on the edge of the velvet armchair, still wearing her ruined wedding dress. She felt entirely hollowed out, a ghost trapped in a nightmare she couldn't wake up from.
Downstairs, Martha confronted Damien in the kitchen.
"You went too far, Damien," Martha said, her voice shaking as she poured a cup of black coffee. "Even if she is guilty, taking her hostage is a felony. We need to hand this over to the police."
"The police did nothing for five years, Mother," Damien snapped, his eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep. "They closed Maya's case. If I hand Elise over now, she’ll hire a slick lawyer, claim temporary insanity, and get probation. I want justice."
"This isn't justice, it's vengeance!" Martha pleaded. "You're acting like a monster. The boy I raised would never look at a woman the way you looked at Elise last night."
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Damien slammed his fist onto the marble countertop. "The boy you raised died the night Maya did. I am going to the city today. I am going to search her apartment. If I find out she made up this twin sister to escape the blame, I will destroy her."
As Damien stormed out of the kitchen, Thomas watched from the hallway shadows, a faint, sinister smile playing on his lips.
