Chapter 8 - Vanessa Realized She Had Been Used
Vanessa left the cliff with Daniel.
Not because she still trusted him.
Because she was terrified.
For the first ten minutes in the car, Daniel said nothing.
No tears.
No calls.
No attempt to summon help.
Vanessa finally whispered:
“You wanted that.”
Daniel kept driving.
“You wanted Claire to fall.”
Silence.
“You wanted Lily to fall too.”
He finally looked at her.
“You need to calm down.”
That sentence frightened Vanessa more than shouting would have.
“You used me.”
Daniel gave a humorless smile.
“You did exactly what I knew you would do.”
Vanessa felt sick.
For months Daniel had told her Claire was stealing from Lily.
Trying to destroy their marriage.
Turning Lily against them.
He fed Vanessa’s jealousy.
Her anger.
Her insecurity.
And then brought all of it to a cliff.
Vanessa had believed she was helping Daniel win a custody war.
Now she understood she had become the perfect person to blame.
The unstable second wife.
The jealous stepmother.
The woman witnesses had seen gripping Lily.
Daniel could say he arrived too late.
He could watch Vanessa take the fall.
And if Claire and Lily died—
Daniel would inherit control over everything left behind.
At the next traffic slowdown, Vanessa jumped from the car and ran.
For the first time, she was not running from Claire.
May you like
She was running from Daniel.
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