Chapter 19 - The Final Confrontation
Claire knew where Victoria was.
The old vineyard.
The place where it had all started.
She drove alone.
She entered the main building.
It was dark and dusty.
It had been abandoned for years.
---
"Victoria!" she called out. "I'm here. Let her go."
Victoria stepped out of the shadows.
She looked older.
She looked broken.
But her eyes were still filled with hatred.
"Claire," she said.
"Victoria, where is Grace?"
"She's safe. For now."
"What do you want?"
"I want you to suffer the way I suffered. I want you to feel what I felt."
"Victoria, please. I'm begging you. Let her go."
"Begging? That's pathetic."
"Victoria, I'll do anything."
"Then kill yourself. That's what I want. I want you to die by your own hand."
"Victoria, that's insane."
"No, it's not. It's justice."
---
At that moment, the police burst through the doors.
They had been following Claire.
"Put your hands up!" they shouted.
Victoria raised a gun.
"Say goodbye to your daughter!"
She fired.
Claire screamed.
But the bullet missed.
---
A second shot rang out.
This one didn't miss.
Victoria fell to the ground.
A bullet hole in her chest.
---
Grace was found in the back room.
She was unharmed.
She was crying.
Claire held her tightly.
May you like
"You're safe," she whispered. "You're safe now."
---
