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“And then she stopped breathing. I was too late to save her, even though I ran to her rescue from my hiding place, where I had been watching her and her mother. I screamed her name and ran to her, but there was nothing I could do. I yelled and screamed, but her killer stood cold as stone and simply stared at her dead body in the water, where she had been held down. Then she asked me to help her push the body out to sea. I couldn’t believe what she was saying, what she was asking me to do.”

I looked up from Marcus’s letter at the woman standing before me. I continued reading.

“And then she told me to say it was me. At first, I refused, but Aunt Beatrice can be very persuasive, and she promised me that since I was a minor, I wouldn’t get a long punishment, and once I got out, my mother would still be alive since the family would pay for all her surgeries and treatment. There was nothing I could do; there was no way to bring Isla back anyway. And finally, I accepted. I was crushed and broken, but at least this way, my mom would live. Aunt Beatrice was also the one who paid for me to come back to the island this weekend. She wanted me to point at Victoria and say she was the one who paid me back then. Aunt Beatrice killed Mark, too, and wanted it to look like it was her sister’s doing. I can’t live with myself any longer, having taken part in this. That’s why I must say goodbye. There is nothing left for me here on this earth.”

I folded the paper again with a deep sigh. “He signed it, Marcus Cole. That’s all it says, but that’s enough.”

“It was you? You killed both of my children?” the scream came from Victoria, standing next to her sister. “Why? WHY?”

“I wanted them out of the way if you really want to know," Beatrice spat. "Just like I want you out of the picture. Our father is dying. If I got rid of your children and had you framed for murder, all the inheritance would be mine. It's that straightforward. I made sure to bring Javier or Emilio with me here, as I told him to call himself, so you wouldn’t know who he really was. I knew he could testify to how you made sure he was thrown off the island back then, how you threatened Isla. Marcus would say you murdered Isla and paid him to take the fall. All suspicion would fall on you. I wouldn’t even have to kill you. You’d be gone for the rest of your life.”

Victoria gasped for air and placed a hand on her heaving chest. “You… you murdered my children for money?”

“As if you didn’t want her out of the way,” Beatrice said. “She brought shame on you and almost revealed your deep, dark secret. Why don’t we talk about that then? Huh? How you found out that Javier was really the son of your secret lover? You knew that he was also the real father of Isla? You were pregnant when you got married, but never told anyone. Except for me. Luckily for you, Isla looked more like you with the blond hair and fair skin, but it never could hide the fact that Javier and Isla were, in fact, half-siblings, and that was why they could never be together. That’s why you desperately tried to separate them. She brought shame on you, and you wanted her gone. If I hadn’t killed her, you’d have to reveal your secret to her.”

“I wanted her sent away. To leave the island, not die,” Victoria said, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Oh, don’t give me that. You were relieved when she was gone.”

“You’re delusional. I can’t believe this.”

Beatrice's eyes glinted with a dangerous intensity as she reached for an old knife hanging on the wall, her fingers curling around the handle with deliberate slowness. She pressed the cold blade against Victoria's throat, her voice cutting through the stunned silence of the room.

"Nobody move, or she dies!" Beatrice hissed, her words sharp and deadly.

Frozen in horror, the crowd exchanged panicked glances, unable to tear their eyes away from the terrifying scene unfolding before them.

Just when it seemed all hope had faded, Olivia, with a determined look, darted forward from the shadows, her feet barely making a sound on the wooden floor.

"Not today, Beatrice!" she shouted, her voice resolute as she hurled herself at Beatrice, knocking her off balance. They both tumbled to the ground in a flurry of limbs, the knife clattering harmlessly across the floor.

I sprang into action, adrenaline surging as I joined Olivia, helping to pin Beatrice down.

"Stay still, Beatrice! It's over!" I commanded, my voice firm despite the chaos.

At that precise moment, the door burst open with a resounding crash, and paramedics and police officers flooded into the room, their presence a reassuring sight.

"Everyone stand back!" one of the officers ordered, his voice authoritative as they quickly moved to secure the scene. We let go of Beatrice, who rose to her feet.

As the chaos subsided, the room fell into an eerie silence, and Victoria's eyes locked onto the knife lying on the ground, its blade glinting menacingly under the dim light. She let out a shaky breath.

"I will have my revenge for my children. They will not die in vain," she whispered to herself, her voice quivering with raw emotion and steely resolve. Clutching the knife with a white-knuckled grip, she turned to face her sister. With fierce determination burning in her eyes, Victoria lunged forward, the blade slicing through the air as she attacked her sister, driven by a torrent of grief and betrayal.

Beatrice, caught off guard by Victoria's sudden attack, stumbled back, her eyes widening in terror. "Victoria, stop!" she cried, trying to defend herself against the relentless onslaught.

Olivia and I exchanged panicked glances, unsure of what to do. We knew Victoria was driven by grief, but if we didn't intervene, Beatrice could lose her life.

"No!" I shouted, lunging forward to grab Victoria's wrists, desperately trying to pry the knife away from her. She lunged again and slipped out of my grip. The knife cut into Beatrice’s shoulder, and she let out a scream. I screamed, then grabbed her again and pulled her away.

"Stop it, Victoria! This won’t solve anything!"

She fought against my grip with all her might, her eyes wild and unrecognizable. "I won't rest until I see justice for my children!" she screamed, her voice echoing through the room.

As the police officers swarmed in to subdue Victoria, Beatrice collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air.

I watched as Victoria was forcibly dragged away by the police officers, her cries for justice dying down to nothing more than a distant echo. The weight of the situation hit me like a ton of bricks, and I sank to my knees, burying my face in my hands to muffle my sobs. My heart ached for the family torn apart by deceit and betrayal. Olivia rushed to my side and hugged me tight.

As the paramedics attended to Beatrice's wounds and the police took her away and began their investigation, a silent understanding passed between my daughter and me.

We were forever changed by this dark story, but at least we still had one another, and for now, that was all we needed.