Chapter 8 - The Price of TreasonThe boat bounced violently over the dark waves, speeding blindly through the heavy fog at fifty knots. Hadrian and Helena wrestled fiercely on the slick floor of the cockpit.
Helena, fueled by adrenaline and rage, drew a combat knife, slashing wildly at Hadrian’s face. Hadrian blocked the blade with his forearm, feeling the cold steel cut deep into his sleeve, but he didn't let go. He forced her wrist against the gunwale, squeezing until she cried out and dropped the knife.
"You ruined everything!" Helena screamed, striking him across the face with her free hand. "We could have ruled everything! You were supposed to be dead six months ago!"
Hadrian paused, his eyes narrowing through the pain. "What did you say?"
Helena laughed bitterly, blood staining her white teeth. "The accident in Dubai? The brake failure on your car? That was me, Hadrian! I tried to kill you so I could claim the guardianship of Vance Tech through Sorrel! But you survived! You always survive!"
The truth settled in Hadrian’s chest like liquid lead. She hadn't just abandoned them; she had actively tried to murder him, leaving their daughter as an orphan to be manipulated by monsters like Vanessa.
"You're not a mother," Hadrian said, his voice dropping to a icy register that chilled the air between them. "You're a parasite."
He slammed his fist down into the throttle, pushing the boat to its absolute limit, aiming it directly at the towering concrete pillars of the harbor bridge looming in the fog ahead.
"What are you doing?!" Helena shrieked, looking ahead at the impending collision. "Are you insane?! We're going to crash!"
"The drive dies here, Helena," Hadrian said quietly. He grabbed the heavy briefcase holding the defense keys and strapped it to his belt. "And so does the memory of the woman I used to love."
Helena scrambled backward in terror, reaching for the wheel, but Hadrian grabbed her, locking his arms around her to prevent her from altering the course.
"Let me go! Hadrian, please! I love you!" she screamed as the massive concrete pillar materialized out of the darkness right in front of them.
May you like
"No," Hadrian whispered in her ear. "You don't."
At the absolute last second, Hadrian kicked off the stern of the boat, hurling himself backward into the churning, freezing water of the harbor just as the vessel slammed into the solid concrete at full speed.
