CHAPTER 4 – “The Ring Belonged to Another Victim… And Richard’s Mother Finally Broke Her Silence.”
The courtroom remained frozen.
No one could stop staring at the second wedding ring resting in Evelyn's palm.
The name engraved inside wasn't hers.
It read:
"Clara Hawthorne – Forever Loved."
The judge frowned.
"Who is Clara?"
Richard's face drained of every trace of color.
Before he could answer, an elderly woman slowly stood from the back row.
It was Eleanor Hawthorne—Richard's own mother.
For six months, she had defended her son in every television interview, insisting he was an innocent husband devastated by tragedy.
Now, tears streamed down her face.
"I know who Clara was," she whispered.
The courtroom erupted with murmurs.
Richard slammed his fist on the table.
"Mother... don't say another word."
But Eleanor ignored him.
"Clara was Richard's first wife."
The room fell into complete silence.
"Twenty years ago, she disappeared during a boating accident. Everyone believed it was a terrible tragedy... just like Evelyn."
A chill swept across the courtroom.
Eleanor slowly removed an old leather diary from her handbag.
"I've carried this for twenty years because I was too afraid to face the truth."
The prosecutor opened the diary.
Every page documented Richard's violent temper, his obsession with money, and Clara's desperate plans to leave him.
The final entry stopped everyone cold.
If anything happens to me... Richard did it.
Richard exploded.
"You forged that!"
"No," Eleanor replied, her voice breaking. "I destroyed the original police report because I wanted to protect my son."
Gasps echoed through the courtroom.
"I told myself I was saving my family..."
She looked at Lily.
"But all I did was create another victim."
At that exact moment, Agent Cole received a phone call.
He answered quietly.
Seconds later, he looked toward the judge.
"We've just completed a search of Richard Hawthorne's lakeside estate."
"What did you find?" the judge asked.
Agent Cole took a deep breath.
"A hidden underground vault."
The courtroom leaned forward.
"Inside the vault were confidential company records... millions of dollars in cash..."
He paused.
"...and human remains."
A woman in the gallery screamed.
Richard collapsed into his chair.
His hands shook uncontrollably.
Then Agent Cole delivered the sentence no one expected.
"The forensic team believes the remains belong to Clara Hawthorne."
Eleanor covered her mouth in horror.
"I spent twenty years protecting a monster..."
Richard suddenly laughed.
Not a nervous laugh.
A cold...
Empty...
Terrifying laugh.
"You think you've won?"
He slowly looked at Evelyn.
"You've only uncovered the beginning."
The courtroom doors burst open.
A detective rushed inside holding a sealed evidence box.
"Judge!"
"We found another file hidden inside the vault."
The detective opened the box.
Inside was a stack of photographs.
Every single one showed children.
Dozens of them.
Different names.
Different cities.
But one thing connected every picture.
On the back of each photo, Richard had written the same chilling sentence in black ink:
"Next heir."
The courtroom realized with horror...
Evelyn had never been Richard's only target.
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And Lily...
Was never supposed to be his last.
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