Chapter 529 Gone
And death…
Finished.
Death left nothing but silence in its wake.
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway, each step growing louder as they closed in. Rebecca appeared in the doorway, breathless and shaken, her face drained of color. She was running away earlier.
Her voice cracked the air, trembling with fear. “Preston! Tell me… tell me Mom’s okay! Please, tell me she’s alright!”
Her desperate plea only lit the fire already raging inside Preston. His eyes blazed as he snapped at her. “Where the hell were you? While Mom was fighting for her life, you vanished to do God knows what!”
The words carved into her like knives. She shook her head over and over, tears brimming in her eyes. “I didn’t… I swear I didn’t. Preston, please, just tell me what happened to Mom!”
Preston’s grief twisted into rage. His voice thundered through the room. “She’s gone! Mom is dead!”
The force of his shout struck Rebecca like a physical blow. Her body stiffened, her breath caught, and the world seemed to collapse around her.
“No… that isn’t true. When I left her, she was fine. She was fine! She can’t be gone. She can’t be gone like this!”
Her denial cracked into hysteria, her voice rising higher with every word. “You’re wrong! You’re lying! Stop lying to me!”
“Rebecca!”
Preston’s fury snapped loose. He raised his hand, about to strike her across the face.
But before the blow could land, Dominic lunged forward. He grabbed hold of Preston’s arm and forced it back down.
“Enough, Preston! Stop this now! You need to calm down!”
Dominic’s voice cut through the storm. “Even if Rebecca had stayed, what could she have done? That collapse was massive. It would’ve killed her too. Do you really want your sister’s body lying next to your mom’s?”
Preston thrashed against Dominic’s grip, but before he could break free, a doctor rushed in and plunged a needle into his arm.
The sedative worked fast, draining the fury from his veins. His breathing slowed, the wildness fading from his eyes.
When his gaze fell on Rebecca, kneeling on the floor, her sobs tearing through her body, shame struck him harder than any blow ever could.
Rebecca wasn’t the one going mad; he was.
He buried his face in his hands, his voice hoarse and broken.
“I’m sorry… I lost myself. The pain—it’s eating me alive. I shouldn’t have lashed out at you. I didn’t mean it. I’m so damn sorry.”
Rebecca lifted her tear-stained face, her voice raw and fractured. “No… you were right. If I hadn’t run, if I’d gone in with Mom, maybe I could’ve stopped her. Maybe if I’d slowed her down, even for a second, she’d still be alive. I should’ve given my life for hers.”
Her sobs tore into jagged gasps. Her eyes rolled back, and her body went limp as she collapsed onto the floor.
Chaos exploded in the room as the doctors scrambled to carry her away.
Preston could only watch, hollow and powerless, every ounce of strength drained from him.
All he could do was tell the doctor to treat Rebecca immediately.
Dominic stayed at his side, refusing to leave him alone in the wreckage of grief.
And that was when he noticed something strange.
“Preston,” Dominic said carefully, “with something this tragic, why hasn’t your father shown up yet?”
The moment the word “father” left his lips, Preston’s weakened body trembled with rage.
Not even the sedative could stop that fury.
The rage made him cough violently.
“My father? Do you think he ever cared about Mom? Loved her?” His voice cracked, then rose, shaking with fury. “The moment it happened, all he cared about was running to explain himself to my grandfather, running to protect his damn business at the plaza."
“Even when I texted him that Mom was dead, he didn’t bother to reply. To him, money, status, and reputation come first."
“His wife, his kids—we’re nothing. Nothing but pawns he can throw away when it suits him.”
Dominic’s eyes widened at the raw bitterness pouring out of Preston.
After a long pause, Dominic pressed his lips together, struggling to find words.
“Preston… I’m sure your father is coming. He must be shattered. Daphne was his wife. They were married for decades. No man could feel nothing after losing someone like her.”
Preston let out a hollow laugh, muffled against his palms.
“Dominic, I know you’re just trying to make me feel better. But you don’t understand my father. This is exactly who he is. If it weren’t for my grandfather holding him back with his eyes and ears all around the city, he’d already have filled this city with mistresses, fathered more kids, and used them against me like chess pieces. He would not hesitate to use them to take power for himself. That’s the man you’re talking about.”
Dominic’s grip tightened on Preston’s shoulders. “Stop. Don’t let your mind eat itself alive. Daphne is gone, and if she could see you now, she’d never want you destroyed by grief and rage.”
Preston spoke again. “Do you know what Mom told me once? She envied Blair. She admitted it. Because Blair found a man who loved her for life, a man who gave everything for her. Russell never failed her. That’s what love was meant to be. On the outside, Mom and Blair’s lives looked the same. They both married rich men. But behind closed doors, it couldn’t have been more different. My mom was always scared of my father. If she upset him, he’d hit her. He’d hit her right in front of me and Rebecca.”
Dominic’s hands slowly slipped from his shoulders, his face shadowed with despair.