Page 84 of See Me After Class

"Oh, it's more than a book," I said, savoring the triumph in her flinch. "It's a reckoning. A testament to the lives you shattered, the families you tore apart."

She scoffed, but the sound lacked its usual conviction. "Trivial details, my dear. Collateral damage in the pursuit of something grander."

"Grander?" I spat, disgust curling my lip. "You call stealing children grander? You call manipulating families, condemning them to live hollow lives, grander?"

Her eyes narrowed. "They were better off, those children. They went to richer homes, you understand? They got to live far more cushy lives, surrounded by comforts their birth parents could never give them!"

My blood ran cold. This woman, this monster disguised as a guardian, truly believed her own twisted logic. My resolve hardened like a shield against her warped morality.

"And what of the parents? The mothers left to grieve phantom deaths, the fathers robbed of their children's laughter? Did you spare them a thought in your grand scheme?"

She shrugged, a gesture of chilling indifference. "Collateral damage, I repeat. A small price for art."

Art. She still clung to that delusion, draping it around her shoulders like a tattered cloak. I wanted to scream, to shake heruntil her lies crumbled, but I knew a different weapon would be more effective.

"The book, Ms. Wainwright," I said, my voice dropping to a level that sent shivers down her spine. "It resonated. More than I ever imagined."

I watched her eyes widen, the fear finally naked and unveiled. "What… what do you mean?"

"Parents came forward," I said, each word a hammer blow. "Parents you told the same lie, those who also 'lost' their babies at birth. Who, thanks to John's network and his connections, have been reunited with their children."

Her face blanched, blood draining from her lips. "No… it's… impossible…"

"Not at all," I said, a cruel smile twisting my lips. "Your grand masterpiece? Unraveling thread by thread. Families restored, children embraced. And you, Ms. Wainwright, will spend the rest of your days in this tomb, surrounded by the ghosts of your cruelty, haunted by the love you so fiercely denied others."

I rose, the final blow poised. "Oswald would have hated your truth. And now, the whole world knows you're a monster."

Pity, a bitter aftertaste, coated my tongue. But I swallowed it down, savoring the justice that stained my lips. As I turned to leave, her voice, brittle and broken, stopped me.

"Dessie… did you find… your family?"

I did not grace her with a reply because sadness shook me to my core. I walked out of the institute, clutching a small purse as tightly as I could. A Ferrari waited for me. Leon lounged in the driver's seat.

"You okay?" he asked as I climbed into the car.

"Fine," I mumbled. "I just needed to see her one last time."

"You don't need to justify anything."

Leon drove us back to the Institute, where I would soon begin working as a part-time lecturer.

At about half-past two, John summoned me to his office. When I got there, Viktor and Leon were also inside, standing with unmistakable glee on their features.

I closed the door behind me. "What is it, you guys?"

"I just got a phone call from a woman named Margaret Manson," John positively gushed.

"Who is she?"

"Well, we need to be careful since you're quite famous now, and I don't want to get anyone's hopes up. But, I think we have cause to believe we have found your mother."

Thank you for reading Dessie’s story. I hope you enjoyed it.

Great news! You can binge read the entire WHY CHOOSE HAREMLAND SERIES HERE.

NAUGHTY LESSONS (PREVIEW)

DESCRIPTION

---