Chapter 40: Let’s End This
Emma's hands trembled slightly as she gripped the edge of the couch. "So, what do we do? If Jake's asking someone to follow me and Vanessa's pulling stunts like this... what if he—"
"Don't," Alex interrupted, his voice firm yet calm. "Don't let them scare you. I won't let anything happen to you, Em. I promise," he said, and Emma looked at him.
His words were steady, but Emma could see the tension in his jaw. He meant it.
She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "Okay. So what do we do? I don't think Jake is ever going to stop unless we act fast," she said, and Alex nodded in agreement.
"I've been thinking about that. I have enough evidence now. I think it's time to tell Claire everything," he said thoughtfully.
Emma froze at his words, her brows furrowed. "Everything? Even about Jake... what he did to me?" she asked, just to be sure, and Alex nodded.
"Yes," Alex said, his voice softening. "But only if you're ready. I can't move forward without you. If I show her what Jake and Vanessa did, she would easily believe what he did to you, too."
Emma looked down at her hands, her mind racing. What if things didn't go as planned? What if this isn't enough to stop Jake? Claire was his family member, so maybe she should trust him to know what was best and how to handle them.
After a moment, she glanced up. "Why didn't you just tell Claire about your suspicions before? Why wait to gather evidence?" she asked, casting a curious gaze across to him, and he went to sit back down.
He leaned back slightly, a tired look crossing his face. "Because I've been here before," he admitted. "When I was first adopted into the family, Margaret never accepted me. She always tried to sabotage me. And instead of accusing her, I learned to gather proof. It was the only way to make them see the truth without putting Dad or Claire in a position where they had to pick sides."
Emma stared at him, her chest tightening. "You did that because you didn't want to cause problems for them? You didn't want them to think an adoptive child was causing issues for everyone?" she asked softly, and Alex nodded.