Chapter 232

Seeing her expression, Abigail knew that Wyatt must have gone. Tears welled up in her eyes, and Abigail closed them tightly. The memories of her time with Wyatt played through her mind like a film reel. Every moment they’d shared came flooding back.

Abigail rarely cried in front of the Gibson family, but now, lying motionless in the hospital bed, tears streamed down her face in waves. The only sound in the ward was her sobbing. Bianca sat beside her, wiping away her own tears.

“Wyatt’s health was already poor. The bookshelf crushed his back, and he inhaled too much smoke. He passed away at three thirty this morning.”

Abigail’s sobs grew louder. She had lost the old man who used to hold her hand and guide her through every street and alley. She had always known Wyatt would leave her someday, but she’d imagined it would be peacefully, in his bed, after a long and joyful life.

“Abby, the doctor said you’ve damaged your vocal cords. You shouldn’t cry like this,” Bianca said, still wiping her own tears as she moved closer to the bedside.

Abigail turned to look at her, hatred burning in her eyes. If they had turned themselves in earlier, if they had gotten Daniella arrested sooner, none of this would have happened. Last night, she’d thought other members of the Gibson family were involved. But when she saw that only Christian and Daniella were missing, she knew the truth.

“I hate you all.” Abigail forced out each word with difficulty, her damaged voice barely a whisper. “I’ll hate you all forever.”

Tears filled Bianca’s eyes as she stood in the hospital room. Sebastian rushed in with James and Warren close behind. The moment they entered, they saw Abigail sobbing uncontrollably, her tears streaming down her face without end. James quickly pulled out his handkerchief and handed it to Sebastian, who gently wiped away Abigail’s tears while she continued to cry, wave after wave of grief washing over her.

They had all heard the news that Wyatt had passed away last night. Gabriel had managed to keep it from the media until this morning, when reports of the massive fire at Gibson Villa finally broke around eight o’clock. Sebastian hadn’t quite believed it at first, not until James and Warren sent him video footage showing the exact location of Gibson Villa, reduced to ashes.

His heart sank as he remembered his promise to Abigail just last night. They had planned to visit the police station together this morning. Now here she was, lost in her grief, while he tried helplessly to comfort her. James and Warren exchanged glances and quietly gestured for Bianca to step outside. They had barely left the room when they saw Ralph approaching down the hallway, accompanied by Stephen, whose eyes were red and swollen from crying.

Overnight, Gabriel had aged years. His hair was streaked with gray, his face etched with exhaustion, and stubble covered his jaw.

Ralph didn’t bother greeting James and Warren. He said directly to Gabriel, "Daniella fled the country last night and is safe now. You know as well as I do that once someone reaches that country, it’s nearly impossible to bring them back."

“That bastard Christian!” Gabriel cursed, then suddenly clutched his chest as violent coughs wracked his body.

Stephen moved to help him, but Gabriel shoved him away. Wyatt was dead. The Gibson family had come to an end. Gabriel had been a failure his entire life. He couldn’t run the company properly, and his family was in ruins.

Years ago, Wyatt had told him to handle Daniella properly when Abby returned. He should have sent Daniella abroad then, set her up with her own life. But Gabriel had been greedy. He’d thought marrying off both daughters would maximize benefits for the Gibson family. His incompetence and greed had destroyed everything.

Gabriel collapsed to his knees, pounding his fist against the floor. “I should have listened to Dad. When we decided to bring Abby back, I should have sent Daniella abroad right then. Give her a new identity, a fresh start. None of this would have happened.”

His voice broke. “The Gibson family is gone. The company has no one to run it. Dad is dead.” The words ended in uncontrollable sobs. Even though Wyatt resented him and harbored complaints, the man was still his only father. Despite the company drowning in debt because of him, Wyatt had fought with everything he had to save it.

Bianca knelt beside them, sobbing quietly. Stephen looked away as tears streamed down his face. In just one night, their family had lost everything–their home was gone.

James and Warren found a quiet corner in the hospital to talk.

“What do you think will happen to Abby?” James asked, worried she might never recover after watching her cry her heart out in the hospital room.

Warren remained calm. “Right now, we need to focus on catching Daniella and Christian. We should have been more careful when Seb told us last night that Abby had evidence.”

“Who would have thought the Gibson family had a traitor among them? The eldest son helping their adopted daughter commit arson and murder–it’s unthinkable.” As a law-abiding citizen, James couldn’t fathom how Daniella could be so ruthless.

“Fifteen years in prison–she’ll never survive that,” Warren said with a heavy sigh. “Poor Mr. Wyatt Gibson.”

“Christian might have helped her escape Gibson Villa, but we need to find out who’s really behind all this. Whoever it is has stayed hidden this whole time,” James said, focusing on Daniella’s case. He continued, “She used Christian’s phone to contact someone, but she was very careful about it.”