Chapter 4: The Sound of Sirens
The wail of police sirens tore through the night, growing louder by the second. Blue and red lights began to dance across the foyer walls, illuminating the faces of the two women—one broken, one victorious.
Julian ran to the window, watching as two patrol cars and a black SUV pulled into the driveway. "Mother... what have you done?"
Beatrice stood up, her composure momentarily returning, the mask of the matriarch slipping back into place, even if it was cracked. "I did what I had to do. I’m not going to prison, Julian. I’m a Sterling."
"You aren't," Julian said, his voice dead. "You’re a fraud. And the money, the estate, the trust... it wasn't yours to give me."
The front door kicked open. Two detectives stepped in, their raincoats dripping. "Beatrice Sterling—or whoever you are," the lead detective said, looking at the documents Sarah had laid out, "you’re under arrest for fraud, identity theft, and obstruction of justice in the 1995 investigation."
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Beatrice didn't fight. She looked at Sarah, her eyes filled with a final, searing hatred. "You think you’ve won? You’re now the wife of a man who owns nothing. You’re the wife of a fraud. You have no money, no title, and no future."
Sarah smiled, but this time, it was a warm, triumphant expression. "I was never here for the title, Beatrice. I was here to make sure the truth came out. And as for Julian..." She looked at her husband, who looked like a man who had just lost the ground beneath his feet. "He can decide if he wants to be a Sterling, or if he wants to be a man."
