7
The sharp, searing pain left Peyton trembling and sobbing, but Evelyn only smiled.
“This is my fault,” Evelyn murmured. “I shouldn’t have listened to your father.
But don’t worry, darling. Mommy will protect you now.
Play something beautiful for me, hmm?”
She gently placed Peyton’s hands back on the piano.
The black–and–white keys looked like mourning colors under the dim light.
The Final Scandal
The next time I heard about Peyton, it was on the evening news.
She had strangled Evelyn in a fit of rage after being forced to play the piano for weeks.
Trapped in the dark room with the corpse, Peyton spent nearly two weeks alone. By the time police found her–thanks to an anonymous tip- she was a ghost of her former self.
In the same investigation, the police rescued a sixteen–year–old girl from the Sinclair family’s basement.
The girl, mentally unstable and malnourished, was identified through DNA tests as the Sinclairs‘ biological daughter–the same daughter who had supposedly died years ago.
It turned out that Evelyn had locked her away for years, forcing her to watch videos of Peyton’s glamorous life as “the perfect daughter.”
“If only you had listened to Mommy,” Evelyn would whisper to the girl repeatedly.
In the end, Evelyn met her end at Peyton’s hands.
Simon Sinclair didn’t escape justice either.
The same anonymous tip brought to light years of shady business dealings and corruption.
The once–proud CEO was arrested and faced multiple charges, ensuring he would spend the rest of his life in prison.
As police led Peyton away, she caught sight of Simon and lunged at him, biting off part of his ear in a fit of rage.
“You idiot!” she screamed. “Why didn’t you listen to me?
Why did you kick me out of the family? I still have evidence of your corruption–I’ll make sure you die in prison with me!”
Her words proved prophetic.
Simon was sentenced to life in prison, while Peyton was convicted of murder and executed a month later.
My New Future
By the time all of this unfolded, I had already taken my college entrance exams.
Gwen convinced me to go on a vacation to celebrate.
We traveled across the country, visiting mountains and oceans, soaking in the beauty of the world.
For the first time, the haunting memory of screeching car wheels no longer had power over me.
I received my acceptance letter from Ashwick University during the trip.
2:49 PM
<
But don’t worry, darling. Mommy will protect you now.
Play something beautiful for me, hmm?”
She gently placed Peyton’s hands back on the piano.
}
The black–and–white keys looked like mourning colors under the dim light.
The Final Scandal
The next time I heard about Peyton, it was on the evening news.
She had strangled Evelyn in a fit of rage after being forced to play the piano for weeks.
Trapped in the dark room with the corpse, Peyton spent nearly two weeks alone. By the time police found her–thanks to an anonymous tip- she was a ghost of her former self.
In the same investigation, the police rescued a sixteen–year–old girl from the Sinclair family’s basement.
The girl, mentally unstable and malnourished, was identified through DNA tests as the Sinclairs‘ biological daughter–the same daughter who had supposedly died years ago.
It turned out that Evelyn had locked her away for years, forcing her to watch videos of Peyton’s glamorous life as “the perfect daughter.”
“If only you had listened to Mommy,” Evelyn would whisper to the girl repeatedly.
In the end, Evelyn met her end at Peyton’s hands.
Simon Sinclair didn’t escape justice either.
The same anonymous tip brought to light years of shady business dealings and corruption.
The once–proud CEO was arrested and faced multiple charges, ensuring he would spend the rest of his life in prison.
As police led Peyton away, she caught sight of Simon and lunged at him, biting off part of his ear in a fit of rage.
“You idiot!” she screamed. “Why didn’t you listen to me?
Why did you kick me out of the family? I still have evidence of your corruption–I’ll make sure you die in prison with me!”
Her words proved prophetic.
Simon was sentenced to life in prison, while Peyton was convicted of murder and executed a month later.
My New Future
By the time all of this unfolded, I had already taken my college entrance exams.
Gwen convinced me to go on a vacation to celebrate.
We traveled across the country, visiting mountains and oceans, soaking in the beauty of the world.
For the first time, the haunting memory of screeching car wheels no longer had power over me.
I received my acceptance letter from Ashwick University during the trip.
On the day of Peyton’s execution, I boarded a plane toward my bright future.
Everything ahead of me was full of light.
END
