Page 151 of When Hearts Surrender

He scoffs. “Do you know why she was at Central Park that night? I bet you didn’t know. Yourgrandfatherwas vile. He used her and broke her heart. He told her he didn’t love her. My sweet sister was devastated when your grandfather turned her down and she ran away from the estate. He should’ve pursued her—I begged him to go after her. He knew it was dangerous for a woman to be out by herself at night. But he did nothing, and because of that, I lost my sister.”

Morris steps toward me, his eyes welling with unshed tears. “I’m seventy-five years old, but my life ended at fifteen when Ruth died. My parents were heartbroken after her death and killed themselves shortly afterward. And do you know what your grandfather did?”

He throws his head back and laughs, the sound brittle. “He ‘kept me on’ like I should be grateful for him being so callous, for him murdering my entire family. Then he had the audacity to fall in love with another woman.”

“Oh my God, he’s crazy,” Belle whispers behind me. Her breathing catches and I work the porcelain shard harder in my palm, feeling it cut into the thick rope.

“How could he fall in love and live a happy life when my sister never got a chance to do the same? How could your grandfather live his life asif my world didn’t end? While he wasn’t the one to plunge the knife into my sister’s chest, he might as well have been the one to do it!” Morris blows out a deep breath, his nostrils flaring. “Do you know she was defiled before she was gutted?”

His gun shakes, the barrel aimed at my chest. “I identified her body because my parents couldn’t bring themselves to go to the morgue. I saw all the cuts and bruises on her face and body as the coroner told me what happened. How she was battered, used in the worst ways and laid on the ground fortwo hoursbefore she bled to death.”

Morris pants, clearly out of breath from his unhinged tirade, his pale face now flushed. “Two hours, all alone! So no, I couldn’t let your grandfather live his merry life with his wife, a woman he ‘loved.’ And conveniently, your family is rumored to be cursed.”

He barks out another crazy laugh before his voice takes on a snotty tone. “‘Should the firstborn son fall in love, the woman he loves dies.’ I couldn’t have asked for a better alibi for everything. A syringe filled with air took care of your grandmother—a random heart attack, out of the blue. It took everything in me not to celebrate when your grandfather almost drowned himself in his sorrows, blaming the curse for everything.”

Shock rears through me at the callousness in his tone, as if he were talking about the weather and not about murder.

“But what about Granduncle Nathaniel?” I need to buy myself more time. I feel the rope giving, even as my fingers burn and a warm stickiness runs down my fingertips. Fuck, I must’ve pricked myself.

“That was just fate helping me out. You Andersons are so pathetically gullible. When Nathaniel’s family died in that tragic, accidental drowning, you all just heaped it onto the curse, giving it more oxygen, letting it suck out all the joy in your house.”

“But if you had issues with my grandfather, you already got your revenge. Why did you go after Mom, Sydney, and,” I swallow, moving closer to my wife who is still sniffling behind me, “Belle?”

Belle whimpers and I step closer. My legs graze hers to tell her I’m here with her every step of the way, that I wouldn’t let her go through this alone.

Morris snarls before answering, “My family didn’t have descendants. My sister didn’t get to marry, have children, have grandchildren. Why should your family get to do what was taken away from mine?”

Curling his lips in a sneer, he steps toward us and bares his teeth. “Sixty years! I’ve spentsixty yearsslaving away for your pathetic family when all I want to do is to kill each one of you. Every year when I visit my parents’ and sister’s graves, I vow to them I’ll avenge their deaths. And I tormented you all, didn’t I?”

He laughs. “Maybe your familyiscursed after all, and I’m its messenger. After all, the firstborn Anderson isneversupposed to fall in love. That’s what the rumors said, right? So, when Linus stupidly did the same with Julianna after a decade of a ‘cordial’ relationship at best, I killed her, because your family should suffer like mine did. A swift push down the stairs, a few marbles scattered on the staircase, and no one suspected anything.”

I clench my teeth, my blood boiling me from the inside at the nonchalance in his tone as he described how he murdered my mom, the wonderful woman who taught us to be kind, to appreciate life, the woman who left a permanent hole in our hearts.

“And Sydney?” I seethe. I struggle harder against my binds.I’m going to kill this motherfucker with my bare hands.

“Rohypnol and ketamine in her drink during dinner, and you did the rest, boy, when you argued with her afterward and left her alone. Another little push and she slipped right over the railing. Didn’t even scream. And don’t get me started on the useless cops. No one wants to piss off the mighty Anderson family, now do they? When everyone claimed it was an accident and she clearly drowned, no one cared to dig deeper.”

He throws his head back and cracks open a satisfied smile, his eyes glazing over, spittle flying out of his mouth. It’s like he’s letting out allthe poison he has bottled up inside him for all these years. “You and your family think you’re all powerful, the mighty, impeccable Anderson family, but who ended up besting you all and driving each generation of you insane with fear…a curse, ha! I did it! And it’s not enough… It’ll never be enough!”

My nostrils flare, the fury obliterating my sanity.

He killed them all. He terrorized us all these years. He killed Sydney, an innocent girl who didn’t even really know what love was. He killed Mom, Grandma, dooming our family into perpetual grief.

He let Rex, a six-year-old, take the fall for Mom’s death.

The cold-blooded murderer. The true monster in our family.

I’m going to kill him before the night is over. But first, I need to save Belle.

“You’ve killed three people already. Your sister and family will never come back. Three lives for three lives. Just let Belle go. She didn’t do anything. She’s only been an Anderson for less than a year. Let her go. Take me instead. I’m the true Anderson. The eldest son.”

“No!” Belle cries. “Maxwell, stop it. Don’t do this.”

Morris chuckles and shakes his head. The madness dims briefly in his eyes and he has the gall to look remorseful.

He looks at Belle and murmurs, “Belle, I’ve always liked you. You were kind to all of us, a joy to be around. You reminded me of Ruth. Her heart was pure, just like yours. But then, you had to fall in love withhim.”

He glares at me. “I saw you two cavorting late at night in the kitchen.” His attention returns to Belle. “I tried warning you away, but you just didn’t listen.”

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