Page 193 of Broken Omega

But the final straw goes back to when he first commanded me to forget.

Some of my memories are hazy, but that’s the one that came back sharpest, and I know exactly why it did. He used me to help cover up Zelena Ortega’s death. I was ten when it happened, when her parents came to the door sobbing and desperate for help.

My father saw an opportunity. All I saw was a dead, little girl in the arms of her grieving parents.

He told them what he could do to help them. I listened to every word, some of it going over my head in the moment. He went out and found another needy couple with a daughter of the same age and ethnicity, a ten-year-old girl who loved to sing.

That couple sold their daughter to the Ortegas, where they were convinced she’d have a much better life full of wonderful opportunities. Of course, now that I know what else my father was doing, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the girl they used to replace Zelena is an Omega.

He used his voice on her, to erase her identity and give her Zelena’s new and improved life in the estate he built next door. He made it look as if the Ortegas purchased the house, but they did so with the money he was making helping Omega traffickers find vulnerable targets.

The Omegas have all made their statements and been sent back to their rooms. A couple of them gave more detailed statements about what Lachlan had done to them with the view to having him locked up behind bars for longer. I gave them information on what he did to me and told them he knew what my father was doing. He was, essentially, a client of my father’s. Lachlan’s family had surprisingly little to say, most of it bad and all of it about Lachlan, before they all started leaving the academy. Lachlan was taken to the hospital with a police escort.

My father was taken away by the police. Marissa was an accessory to my father’s crimes, so they took her away, too.

All I want to do now is call Zelena, and it’s the most awful conversation I can ever imagine having.

Most of her life has been a lie. The real Zelena Ortega’s bones are rotting away inside my father’s basement. The worst part is, he killed her. I saw him come in from the forest, blood on his sweater.

He killed a little girl that night, and he did it to have leverage over that couple.

To break them down more than they already were and manipulate them into helping hide where his extra money was coming from. That little girl had hopes and dreams, but I’ll never know what they were. They died with her.

It makes me feel hollowed out inside. I thought Zelena had been my friend since forever. What happened doesn’t erase what we built together, but I doubt she’ll ever look at me the same way once she knows what my father did.

I get up from the seat outside Marissa’s office as Tessa finally steps out.

“Did you find out where they put my stuff?” I ask, and not just because I want to get out of this ugly ass wedding dress. I left my phone here. I can’t call Zelena without it. I don’t know her number.

“I think so,” Tessa says, showing me a set of keys. “If Lana can point you in the direction of the medical room, you’ll find a storage cupboard where Marissa decided to put all your personal items.”

Lana nods and gets up, taking the keys from Tessa’s hand. “I can take her.”

“Good,” Tessa says. “I’m seriously ready for this day to be over. That scene out there was a real mess. Luckily no one died, but you guys really know how to make a lawyer’s job harder, for sure.”

“It was nice meeting you,” I tell her. “We’ll see you again soon.”

“Hopefully not too soon,” she says as she puts on her jacket. “I’m ready to curl up in bed for a couple days. Fingers crossed that gets to happen.”

We say good-bye and Lana walks me across the reception area to the corridor that leads to the medical room.

“Well, this has been a day,” Lana jokes.

“At least you’re not the one in the dress,” I tell her, pointing to myself.

“Yeah, I’m surprised you haven’t tried to tear more of it to bits, honestly.”

“I thought about it.”

She laughs. “It’s been fun hanging around with your mates. They all seem great.”

“They are,” I admit, unable to keep the smile off my lips.

“I think I’m gonna get back out there,” she says, nodding. “It’s been a minute, but I’m beyond ready to meet a great guy. Yours give me hope that they actually exist.”

“Believe me, when I was stuck in here, I wasn’t sure they did.”

“Well, I’m about to be stuck here for longer than I thought,” Lana says. “While the cops were taking your statement, I answered a call on reception. One of the head investors wanted to talk with Marissa over the changes she was trying to make, calling them unacceptable and over-the-top specific. I gave him a brief rundown on what had just happened, explaining that this is my day off, and he offered me the job on an interim basis. I’m the new Head of Administration.”

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