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The tea in Ethan’s cup was still warm, but a sudden, violent chill swept through the grand study. Down at the base of the staircase—the exact spot where thirty years ago Olivia lay bleeding while Derek and his father laughed—little Leo stopped playing with his wooden train / Chapter 6 / 25

Chapter 6 - THE CONFESSION AT THE BASE OF THE STAIRS

Ethan raised the gun, his hands shaking uncontrollable, targeting the woman he had loved more than life itself. "Who are you?" he choked out. Olivia didn't run. She stepped over Derek's body, her voice smooth, calm, and utterly devoid of the soft warmth she had worn for three decades. "I am the daughter of Arthur Vance—the man your father and Derek ruined, bankrupting my family and driving my mother to the grave," she revealed, her eyes gleaming with ancient malice. "I didn't fall down those stairs, Ethan. I threw myself down. I knew your weak, heroic heart would choose me over your own bloodline forever if I played the tragic victim."

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