Chapter 12 - Echoes of Gunfire
The gunshot cracked through the cavernous library, sending wood splinters flying from the antique desk behind Mark. He lunged forward before Erica could fire a second shot, grabbing her wrist and slamming it against the edge of the oak table.
The revolver clattered across the floor. Erica screamed like a cornered animal, raking her nails across Mark’s cheek, drawing crimson streaks down his skin. “You gave everything to her! A nobody from the gutter!”
Mark pinned her against the bookshelf, twisting her arms behind her back until she gasped in pain. “She gave me honesty. Something you never had.”
Two estate guards burst through the broken terrace doors, swiftly pinning Erica face-down against the rug and snapping heavy steel cuffs onto her wrists. She wriggled violently, spewing venomous laughter through her disheveled blonde hair. “Check your hospital cameras, cousin! You think I came here alone?”
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Mark’s stomach dropped into an icy abyss. He yanked his phone from his coat, checking the live security feed of Elena’s private room.
The screen showed two masked men subduing the hospital guards, wheeling an empty gurney down the back fire escape. Elena was gone.
