Chapter 308: Do a Barrel Roll

Yeah, I could see where Anna picked up her scare tactics from. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Threats of suicide. Anna pulled this one too many times. I got sick of it. Sheila was doing the same thing, so I had to compare the actresses. Force of habit, sorry. Adam wasn’t as composed as I was. His face was etched with worry. “Sheila, get down from there. What are you thinking?”

“Why should I? You don’t trust me. If you’re going to accuse me, maybe I’d be better off dead.”

I spoke without hesitation, my tone steady. “Alright, jump then. Don’t let me stop you. Do a barrel roll if you can.”

The room went still. All eyes were on me, but I kept my expression neutral. “Come on, it’s just the second floor. Not like you’re actually going to die. Paralyzed from the waist down, maybe. That’s actually better; I won’t have to worry about you running off.”

Sheila and Adam both glared at me, shocked by my words. “What did you just say?” Sheila asked, her voice tight with anger.

A frown furrowed Adam’s brows. “That’s not very kind, Zory.”

“That’s always the case with the truth. I merely said I didn’t want Sheila caring for Ms. Sander. Now she’s threatening to jump. Anyone might think I had something to do with this. I see now. Since Sheila’s so determined, maybe we should just let her go through with it.”

“Zoey, what on earth are you saying?” Sheila’s voice was strained, the tension in the air thick.

I folded my arms, never breaking my gaze from Sheila. “Don’t worry, Sheila. You don’t have children, and there’s a doctor in the house. He can fix you right up if you break something.”

“Don’t you dare—”

“Come on, Sheila, don’t back out now. You talk about suicide so much, I’m starting to think you don’t want to go through with it. If I were you, I’d just jump and get it over with. That way, I won’t have to hear about it anymore.”

Truthfully, a part of me almost wanted her to jump. Let her feel just a fraction of what Carter had gone through.

Adam shot me a look. “Zoey, stop. Are you trying to push her into it?”

He moved toward Sheila, trying to calm her down. Sheila screamed, “Stay away from me! If you come any closer, I’ll jump!”

“Okay, okay. I won’t come any closer. Just calm down.”

As Adam tried to reason with her, I walked past them, making sure to taunt Sheila. “Go ahead. Jump. I dare you. Don’t just talk about it. I’ll lose all respect for you if you don’t.”

Sheila had nowhere to go. She wasn’t really planning to jump—she was just trying to scare Adam. Men can be so gullible, falling for the same act over and over. The second floor wasn’t that high, maybe ten feet at most, and there was ice below. She would definitely get hurt, but it wouldn’t be fatal. Sheila was on the edge, literally and figuratively. I could see the doubt in her eyes.

I walked right up to her and looked up. “So, what’s it going to be? Are you going to jump?”

“Zoey, you’ve crossed a line.”

She stepped closer to the edge, but before she could go further, Adam grabbed her legs. “Please, don’t do this.”

Sheila, still playing the role, bent down and slapped him across the head. “This is your fault! I told you not to doubt me. Why are you holding onto me? Just let me die!”

“Stop this right now. I’ll take you back in.”

“I am not throwing a tantrum! I’ll—” Sheila screeched.

Just then, something unexpected happened. The surface was slick with ice, and Sheila was standing too close to the edge. Adam managed to catch her by the calf. As they struggled, Sheila exaggerated her movements, going too far to make it seem realistic. She lost her balance and began to tilt backward. Adam probably thought it was all just a stunt. He didn’t think she would actually fall.

But fall she did.

“Sheila!”

I stood frozen, shocked. Was this really happening? Only moments ago, I’d thought it might be fine if she fell, but now—was this real? Gee, am I in a telenovela or something?

Adam stretched over the edge, leaning as far as he could, but he missed. I heard his shout followed by the sickening thud of her hitting the ground below.

“Sheila!” Adam’s face went pale. He glared at me. “Are you happy now?”

Without waiting for my response, he bolted downstairs. I glanced over the railing. Sheila had landed on her back. I couldn’t help but wonder if she had broken something.

I didn’t say a word to Adam, but truth be told, I felt a sense of satisfaction. I wasn’t sure of Sheila’s role in the organization, but if she was involved, she was my enemy. Silas might have been the one to stab me in the back, but there were others, hidden in the shadows, doing the same. I didn’t need to show kindness to those who opposed me. Did Adam expect me to applaud her performance? “Great job, Sheila,” I wasn’t about to say.

Watching Sheila on the ground, her face upturned, as Adam lifted her into his arms and she cried out in pain, I felt a twisted sense of satisfaction. This was how things should end. This was the kind of ending that was fitting. She brought this on herself. What else had she expected? Life has a funny way of balancing the scales for people like her.

With Sheila out of the way, I turned my attention to Anna. Her eyes locked with mine, fear evident in them. “What do you want from me?” she asked, her voice wavering.

“Anna, help me out here. Do you really want Silas and your child to die for nothing?” I was straightforward, with no distractions from Sheila now.

“If you keep hiding the truth, you’ll be the next one to die. Your life isn’t worth much, but are you willing to let Silas die in vain?”

Every time I mentioned Silas, Anna’s breath hitched. She clutched the bedsheets as if trying to hold herself together. Her internal battle was clear. She was torn between doing what was right and the fear of what might happen if she did.

“The Boltons are Silas’s family,” I whispered to Anna, my voice steady and soft. “If he had survived, the Boltons would look after him. Adam spoke to the doctor about skin grafts, and Jeffrey insisted he get the best treatment. He shouldn’t have died. He was so young—his life was just beginning. He hadn’t even gotten married or had children…”

I let the words sink in, like a snake slowly weaving its way into her thoughts.

“Anna, tell the truth. Reveal what you know and avenge Silas.”

“No, please, don’t make me do this,” she cried, clutching her head in distress. “I don’t know anything. I swear, I don’t know a thing.”

Her cries brought the doctor into the room. “Ma’am, Ms. Sander is highly agitated. She needs rest,” the doctor said, his tone gentle.

I watched as Anna shrank into the corner, her body tense. It was clear that prying anything from her wouldn’t be easy.

“You should rest,” I said softly. “If you remember anything, you can reach out to me.” For now, I had to leave. If I pushed her too hard, Anna might crack, and I couldn’t afford that.

Downstairs, Sheila was being examined. Adam stood by, his face filled with worry. “How is my wife?” he asked, his voice tight.

“Mr. Bolton, the diagnosis depends on the CT scan. It’s hard to say for sure, but when Mrs. Bolton fell, she landed on her backside. We suspect there’s damage to her spine, her tailbone, and possibly her legs.”

“What does that mean? What’s the worst-case scenario?” Adam pressed, his voice strained.

The doctor hesitated, then spoke carefully. “At best, she could lose control of her bladder and bowels. At worst, she may be paralyzed.”

Paralyzed? It worked in my favor. Carter had been hurt in a car crash. Though I didn’t know the full extent of his suffering, I was certain he’d endured a lot. If Sheila had a hand in the crash, her potential paralysis felt like the universe’s way of making things right.

I glanced at the sky for a moment, a silent acknowledgment of the cosmic balance. Maybe Selene was watching over us from the great beyond. This could be her way of serving justice. People who hurt others should face the consequences. No one should escape justice.