C194 They were Murdered

In that memory Alicia was sitting on the study floor, scribbling with coloured pencils while Mark worked behind his desk. The beautiful woman walked over carrying a tray. She smiled lovingly. "You two are exactly alike." Mark laughed. "She gets her stubbornness from you." The woman shook her head playfully. "No." "She got it from her father." Little Alicia giggled before throwing herself into the woman's embrace. The memory disappeared.

Alicia staggered backward. I immediately rushed forward and supported her shoulders. "Alicia..." She looked completely lost. She slowly turned toward Mark. Her eyes were filled with confusion... Pain... Longing... And years of unanswered questions. "Dad..." Her voice cracked. "You never..." "...you never told me anything about my mother." Mark closed his eyes. The tears he had been holding back finally escaped. His voice became hoarse. "I couldn't."

Every word sounded painfully heavy. "You were only three years old." "You were too young to understand." "I wanted you to grow up smiling..." "...instead of carrying hatred." Georgia quietly stepped forward. She gently held Alicia's hand. "My child..." "Your mother's name was Gabriella." Alicia repeated softly, "...Gabriella..." Georgia nodded. "She was one of the kindest women I've ever known." "She loved this family." "She loved your father." "And above everything else..." "She loved you."

Fresh tears rolled down Alicia's cheeks. Georgia continued, "Your Aunt Malice adored you too." "You followed both of them everywhere." "You refused to sleep unless one of them carried you." Peter's eyes had become red. "They protected this family together." He looked toward the photographs hanging on the wall. "But..." "...we failed to protect them." Alicia's heart pounded. "What..." "What happened to them?" The room became silent once again.

Mark lowered his head. "I told everyone..." "...that they died in an accident." His voice trembled. "Because..." "...I couldn't bear telling you the truth." Peter slowly clenched his fists. "It wasn't an accident." "They were murdered." The words struck Alicia like lightning. "M... murdered?" Peter nodded slowly. "For years..." "I convinced myself that nothing could be done." "I buried the case." "I buried my own grief."

He looked toward the old family photographs. "But no father..." "...should ever bury justice." His voice broke. "I almost forgot." "My daughter..." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry I failed you." He wiped away another tear. "I should have fought harder." "I should have searched until the very end." "I should have found whoever took you away." He paused. Then looked toward Gabriella's photograph. "And..." "...I should have done the same for you." The room froze.

Alicia slowly turned toward him. "...Both?" Peter nodded weakly. "Yes." "My daughter Malice..." "...and your mother, Gabriella." "They both died that day." Alicia stared blankly. The words echoed endlessly inside her mind. My mother... Murdered... My aunt... Murdered... Everything she had believed throughout her life... Had just collapsed. Her breathing became heavier. She pressed both hands against her head. "...No..." "...No..."

Her memories continued returning. Her mother's smile... Her voice... The warmth of her embrace... The scent of her perfume... Everything came flooding back all at once. She suddenly cried out, "Ahhh..." "My head..." "My stomach..." "It hurts..." I quickly caught her before she could fall. "Alicia!" She gripped my arm tightly. Her face had turned completely pale. Sweat formed across her forehead. "I..." "It hurts..." She suddenly bent forward.

The next second... A dark red stain slowly spread across the front of her dress. Time stopped. I stared at it. Unable to believe what I was seeing. "...Blood?" Georgia screamed. "Mark!" Mark's face turned deathly white. "Alicia!" Without hesitation he rushed forward and lifted his daughter into his arms. "My child!" "Stay awake!" "Don't close your eyes!" Alicia weakly held onto his jacket. "D...Dad..." "I'm..." "...sorry..." "No!"

Mark shouted desperately. "Don't say that!" "You're going to be fine!" He turned and sprinted toward the door. "Get the car ready!" "Now!" The entire mansion erupted into panic. Servants hurried in every direction. Peter grabbed his walking stick before shouting, "Call the family doctor!" "No!" He immediately changed his mind. "Forget that!" "We're going to the hospital!" I snapped back to reality and rushed after Mark. "Alicia!"

She had already become frighteningly weak. Mark didn't slow down for a single second. He raced down the staircase while calling for the driver. Outside... The luxury sedan was already waiting. Mark carefully placed Alicia inside before climbing in beside her. He held her hand tightly. "You'll be alright." "You hear me?" "You'll be alright." Peter, Georgia and I hurried toward another vehicle.

Peter looked at the driver with an urgency I had never seen before. "Drive!" "Follow Mark's car!" "Don't lose sight of them!" "Yes, sir!" The tyres screeched loudly against the driveway. Within seconds... Both vehicles sped out of the Mooney residence. Their destination... The hospital. None of us spoke. Each passing second felt like an eternity. All I could do was stare ahead... Silently praying... That my wife... Would survive.

The drive to the hospital felt endless. No one spoke. Not a single word. Inside the car, the silence was suffocating. Every pair of eyes remained fixed on the black Range Rover speeding ahead of us. Its taillights were the only thing keeping hope alive. I clenched my fists so tightly that my knuckles turned white. Beside me, Peter stared silently through the windshield. His usually commanding expression had completely disappeared. Georgia quietly wiped away tears that refused to stop falling.

No one knew what condition Alicia was in. No one dared imagine the worst. We simply prayed. For her to be safe. Inside Mark's Range Rover... The atmosphere was even heavier. Mark sat in the back seat with Alicia resting against his chest. Her face had become frighteningly pale. She had already lost consciousness.

One of her hands hung limply by her side while the other rested on her stomach. Mark gently brushed a few loose strands of hair away from her face. "My child..." "Stay with me." "You promised me you'd always smile." "You can't leave your father now." His voice cracked. He had already lost too much. He couldn't bear losing his daughter too.