Page 178 of The Echo of Forever

I hadn’t expected him to wait. Demetrius Cannon wasn’t a man who put off what needed to be done, especially when it came to protecting what was his.

But some childish part of me had hoped he’d at least wake me before going to kill his aunt. I wanted to watch, wanted to hear what she had to say for herself.

Not wanting to disturb Oliver or Solei for the bunker’s location, I went to the security house after cleaning up and redressing. As I neared the entrance, two guards straightened their postures.

“Mrs. Cannon,” the taller one acknowledged, his expression carefully blank.

“I need to get inside,” I said, not bothering with pleasantries.

The man shook his head slightly.

“Mr. Cannon said no one is allowed in.”

I felt irritation flaring in my chest, but I checked my temper and reminded myself I was new here. And that they were only following orders.

Right as I was about to lightly demand they get the fuck out of my way, they touched their ears and exchanged glances. Then, the shorter one reached back to open the door for me. His lips were quirked in a small smile as I slid past them. A few guards sat at stations on the inside, but none looked up as I entered.

At the far end of the room, a larger screen displayed a live feed with Demetrius on the other end, his back to the camera as he knelt in front of his aunt.

Her head was covered with what looked like a cloth bag, and her body slumped forward slightly.

I moved closer to the screen, transfixed by the scene. Even through the digital barrier, I could feel the intensity emanating from my husband’s stillness. He wasn’t speaking, wasn’t moving, just watching her and waiting.

For what, I wasn’t sure. Perhaps he was simply giving her time to understand what was happening, to feel the weight of her betrayal pressing down on her with each passing second.

“Why’d you have to make me break G’s heart?” he finally asked, his voice so soft the microphone barely picked it up.

He snatched the bag from her head, and Velma blinked rapidly, her eyes adjusting to the light before widening as they focused on Demetrius. She began struggling and trying to speak, but the gag in her mouth muffled what I assumed were pleas or explanations.

Demetrius watched her for what felt like an eternity, his expression unreadable from the camera angle. Then, he reached out and removed the gag from her mouth.

Velma gasped, drawing in a deep breath before speaking rapidly. “What is this about? Demetrius, please, whatever you think I’ve done—”

He stood, turning away from her and toward the camera. His eyes seemed to look directly into mine, as if he could sense my presence on the other side of the feed. The sadness there, the silent apology, broke my heart. He was blaming himself for this situation, for what her betrayal meant for the family and for us, when I didn’t blame him at all.

“You know me, Auntie,” he said, turning to face her again. “You know I would never bring you down here without reason. Tell me why you hurt my wife? Why did you go and do the one thing I could never forgive you for?”

Velma shook her head frantically, tears already forming in her eyes. “I didn’t know. I didn’t know, Demetrius.”

His posture stiffened slightly as he processed what she’d said.

“You didn’t know what?” he asked, his voice dangerously quiet.

“I didn’t know Forever was your wife,” she replied, her eyes pleading with him to understand. “I just did what I was told, like I’ve always done.”

Demetrius began pacing in front of her, mumbling something to himself that the microphone didn’t catch before stopping abruptly.

“Like you’ve always done,” he repeated. “How long since you’ve been betraying this family?”

Velma’s face gave way to her deceit. She strained against the ropes, trying to create distance between herself and Demetrius. The legs of the chair scraped louder against the concrete floor the more she moved.

“Demetrius, you cannot do this. I’m your family,” she pleaded, her voice breaking on the last word.

He moved toward her with predatory grace, kneeling again and pressing the barrel of his gun under her chin, forcing her head back.

I leaned closer to the screen, not wanting to miss a word.

“My family would never hurt my wife and make her lose a baby we never got to talk about. A baby she doesn’t remember, auntie.” His voice cracked slightly, his control slipping for just a moment. “Do you know how devastating that is? How devastated I know she is, even when she doesn’t show it. I can’t, for the life of me, understand why you would do this. And for Solomon?”