Page 47 of Symphony for Lies (Tangled Truths #2)
She reacted instantly, holding the fake gun up. The same one Amelia used while she rescued me.
But Rita didn’t know that.
“Move a damn muscle, and I’ll put a bullet between your eyes.”
Rita thrashed and tried to bite me, but Stacy was faster. Her fist smashed into the bitch’s jaw with a sharp, satisfying crack.
“You fucking bitch!”
Rita choked on a pained gasp.
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.
“Watson loved his first daughter. But not his twins. Rita was torn between wanting her father’s approval and his recognition.
She thought I had taken it from her. That I stole something that should’ve been hers because I reminded Mr. Watson of his first daughter…
In Rita’s mind, she had to prove that she was better than me.
“The loss of so many people… so many innocent animals… all of it, for something pointless. For worthless recognition.”
Layla pressed a hand over her face.“What? She did all of it just for attention? And why didn’t she target Ella, too?”
“Well… yeah… she thought she could impress him. He had trained some of the killers in Steel Valley, so she wanted to prove she was just as artistic as them. As for Tristan and Ella, Rita wanted to paint them as the killers. She hates wealthy people… And death was too easy…”
“That’s fucking… intense…” Tiana muttered.
“It wasn’t about Ella and Tristan personally. It was about what they represented. Plus, both had a connection to Mr. Watson. ”
Stacy shook her head. “And this whole time, I thought Ella was behind it.”
“Mr. Watson hesitated to kill me,” Amelia stated after a while.
“He murmured an apology, but I still don’t understand it.
I never thought he would do something so cruel to me.
He said he wanted to test me. The labyrinth was his final composition.
A farewell performance for him and Rita, and a twisted, silent performance to see if I deserved to live.
But when he attacked me in the labyrinth, he suddenly apologized after seeing my blood. It was really creepy.”
I squeezed her hand in comfort.
“I’m sorry, guys. I never meant to put myself in danger.”
The girls broke.Tears streamed down their faces as they bent down and gently hugged her.
“You’re never doing this again!”
Their voices were sharp and scolding but brimming with love.
I allowed myself a small smile. They wouldn’t have to worry; I would never let her do something so reckless again.
Her friends left reluctantly when visiting hours ended.
And finally, we were alone.
I wanted nothing more than to pull her into my arms, to hold her so tight that she could never be taken from me again. But for the moment, I simply held her hand.
And that was enough.
“Thank you, Zane. I heard you play,” Her lips curved into a faint smile. “It guided me, and it gave me comfort and strength.”
The heart monitor beeped a little faster. My own heart fell into rhythm with it.
“I only made it out because of you.”
She lifted my hand and kissed my skin softly.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
I moved to slide into bed beside her, wrapping my arms around her body and pulling her close.
She inhaled sharply.
“A simple thank you isn’t enough. You know that.”
Her fingers clenched weakly around my shirt, and she nodded.
“Then say what I want to hear.”
Her eyes sparkled in the dim light. “I love you.”
I smirked slightly. “Not that.”
“I’m yours?”
“Exactly.”
I leaned in, letting my lips brush against hers. “I’m yours. And you’re mine. Forever, Amelia.”
Her body melted against me.
Her lips parted against my skin, and she spoke a single word,
“Forever.”
The End