Sins Of The Father

“And to my lovely wife Bela Armani…” He paused as he scanned the crowd with his incredibly charming eyes and as soon as they fell on me, the corners of his lips curled into a satisfying smile.

“...you are the finest, loveliest, tenderest, and most beautiful person I have ever known, and even that is an understatement. I know there are times when I'm not always easy to live with. Thank you for loving me still." He concluded, his eyes beaming with enthusiasm as the crowd roars its approval with thundering applause and a standing ovation.

Even though he has just been named the new CEO of McMahone Teaching Hospital, it was obvious that his greatest achievement was having me as his wife, and for the first time in three years, I felt a sting of guilt in my heart for not being able to reciprocate his love.

If perfect was a man, it would definitely be Donovan McMahone. He was handsome, wealthy, and most importantly, the best husband any woman could wish for. His only flaw was his father, Dr. Hudson McMahone, the current Commissioner of Health and the most possible candidate for the upcoming election for the Minister Of Health.

Most people think of the Commissioner as a demigod who does nothing but save people's lives and even my family and I were once one of those people.

My earliest memory of him was when I first learned I would be having a younger brother. At that time, we lived in a very small village in Marklesburg.

I remember feeling so betrayed and angry that I would run away from home and wander about the small village, most times daydreaming about the biggest mansion in the village and all the good life I could live only if it was ours.

One day, I finally met the owner Dr. Hudson McMahone who turned out to be very nice and we immediately became friends, not considering the age gap...The biggest mistake of my life

As months went by, I found out my mom had complications in her pregnancy and needed a very expensive surgery to be performed by an expert surgeon.

My dad was just a 9 to 5 worker and obviously didn't have enough savings for such complicated surgery.

I decided to tell my new friend about it since he was a surgeon and the owner of the only hospital in our village and fortunately for us, he agreed to do mom's surgery himself, that too for free. Ever since then, he became very close to my family as mom became sickly after childbirth.

On seeing how his single act of kindness saved my family, I knew what I had to be. A doctor!

My parents tried to give me the best life they could afford but despite their effort, I didn’t appreciate them because I hated the idea of having a sibling and this made me distant from my family as studying became my new haven.

I hated little Diego so much that I would sometimes deny him as my brother in front of my friends.

Once my mentor left the village, I decided the best way to be free from my family was to join a boarding school in the city at just 16. My parents hated the idea and tried to change my mind about it but I was too determined to leave. Diego, who was always too scared to speak to me, walked up to me just as I was about to leave the house.

“Aunty Diana, would you have stayed back if I hadn’t been born?” He asked, his puppy eyes filled with tears and for the first time, I felt guilty for how I have treated him for the past 7 years since he joined the family but it was already too late to change my decision. I have already been enrolled in a medical high school in Washington DC and it would only be a waste of the money we lack to change my mind.

Instead of showing my regret, I shoved his hands and ran out of the house with my luggage. That night, I cried my eyes out in my new hostel as the realization of my loneliness hit me. I thought it was great to live alone but when I was finally alone, I realized how much I hated it.

Just when I thought I understood what loneliness meant, true loneliness hit me because, in my freshman year at college, I received a call that changed my life forever.

“Your parents and younger brother were involved in an accident. Though we couldn’t save your parent’s life, your brother is recovering at the McMahone Teaching Hospital, Washington.” A sharp manly voice intoned the horrible death of my parents to me in a voice devoid of any emotions.

As soon as I arrived at the hospital which was just about an hour's drive away from my college, Dr. Hudson showed me to the morgue where my parents' lifeless bodies were lying on a table.

A foul odor welcomed me as I entered the cold room. The lighting was stark and the only sound I heard was that of my shaky breath.

Of course, the dead don’t talk.

My legs immediately went numb and as I fell on all fours, I felt a sudden tightness in my chest.

My vision blurred as I fought back the tears.

I left the house that day without even saying a proper goodbye. I only phoned them when I needed money and I never went back home after that day even when I missed them.

“I will go back home once I’m very rich and successful…” I consoled myself with those words all for the three years I spent without them.

Even if I become successful now, they won’t be here to enjoy the fruit of their labor.

“Mom, Dad, please wake up! I’m going to become a doctor soon and we will become very rich.” I bawled out, my throat aching with misery as I crawled towards the table.

When I finally got the courage, I tried to reach out for mom’s hand but a small scarred hand grabbed my wrist, preventing me from touching her.

I slowly lifted my head to make eye contact with the small figure of my brother standing in front of me.

“They didn’t need your money. All they ever wanted was your love and presence. You have no right to touch a single hair on her head.”

His stare was intense and cold and his eyes were red from crying.

At that moment I realized how much I’d failed as a daughter and sister.

Later, I found out that they were on their way to visit me when they met with an unfortunate accident.

Ridden with guilt, I tried to become a better person and a better sister to my brother but because of how I’d treated him and our parents, he wasn’t ready to forgive me so easily.

Since I was already an adult, Diego was given an opportunity to either live with me or go to an orphanage and without hesitation, Diego chose an orphanage over me.

It took me four years of persistence to finally earn Diego’s forgiveness and convince him to move in with me, though I never stopped feeling guilty for my parents' death.

By then, I was already doing my medical residency at MTH(McMahone Teaching Hospital) and was getting some money which was enough to sustain us.

It was only when I decided to enroll him in school that I found out he had to drop out of school for three years while I attended medical school.

"I know you've gone through a lot because of this selfish sister of yours but I promise I will make it up to you. I am getting a good pay from MTH and…"

"That man is everything but good, big sis. I wish you could stay away from him.” Diego quickly interrupted me.

There was something in his voice that showed concern and worry at the same time.

He went on to tell me how our family has been on bad terms with him ever since I left and how he believed our parents’ death might be a murder.

Apparently, it was because of mom's sickness he didn't know the details of the issue.

I couldn’t just disregard his observation because he was the one that was close to our parents for all these years and for a 14 years old, he was quite smart and observant.

But at first, I thought it was just the typical accusations patients' families haul on doctors when their loved one can't be saved by them until I stumbled upon an ongoing experiment document that had my mother's womb as the test subject, my doubts raised and I began to make my investigations.

I tried to confront Dr. McMahone about it but he became unreachable. I was made to know my place at the hospital by his secretary. I decided to focus on my work at the hospital to avoid ruining my years of hard work by getting fired but when the success of McMahone’s experiment on mom broke the internet, I knew something big and horrible was going on.

Something that could destroy the image of a famous man like him.

Something a person like him could kill for.

I began to take Diego’s word more seriously as I began to conduct my investigation thanks to the help of a college friend who was now interning at a Washington Police Station.

Diego ended up being right. There was foul play in the accident record.

I was so disheartened by my findings that I decided to take a break from work while I tried to bring such a powerful man to justice but the worst news of my life came through another horrifying call.

“Your brother was involved in an accident and has just been rushed to the MTH.”

My heart stopped for a while. I felt so dizzy I had to hold the headboard of my bed for support. All I could hear was the blaring sound coming from the police and ambulance siren.

It took me almost five minutes to finally regain my balance and as soon as I did, I ran straight to the hospital.

I hobbled through the hallway of the emergency room, checking each and every room I passed in search of my brother.

I had hope. I had hoped that Diego would be fine just like the last time. I kept my hopes high up until I saw three nurses pushing a stretcher into the elevator leading to the morgue.

The size of the patient was equivalent to that of my fourteenyearold brother. Its whole body was covered with a white sheet covered in blood. I swallowed hard as I scanned the little part of the body that was uncovered and then I realized it was a boy.

I hesitated and prayed silently but my fear came to pass when the boy’s hand slipped out of the sheet. Unfortunately, I recognized the wristwatch on his wrist and my whole world crashed before my eyes.

I screamed my lungs out and ran towards the elevator but before I could reach him, the door closed on me.

The next few days were the worst days of my life as the images of my dear brother kept flashing before my eyes everywhere around our little apartment.

His death was ruled as a hitandrun but later on, the driver turned himself in.

I didn’t dare go into Diego’s room as I was overwhelmed with guilt and regret. I lost interest in my job and instead became a drunk. I spent all my savings on drinking and gambling.

I forgot to pay house rent for half a year and ended up getting an eviction letter.

Finally, I was forced to empty Diego’s room as I had to move back to Marklesburg.

During the move, I found an interesting file in his room and after going through it, I realized Diego had been secretly investigating our parents’ death.

In the end, I found out his death was also not a coincidence. It wasn’t an accident but rather another murder in disguise.

Diego was only 14 when he was brutally murdered but he did a lot more for our family than I did in 23 years.

In a bid to confront him, I went to his house and caused a scene and on my way back home a van ran me over.

Six months later, I woke up to a new face and a new identity.

Apparently, my face was fatally injured when my body was found along the shores of a river.

I was found by an FBI Agent Miller Ackhurst, who heard my story and was ready to help me get my revenge.

Apparently, Miller has been on his case for a while now and we both needed each other to bring him down.

In all my years of working with Hudson McMahone, I knew the three things that meant the world to him.

His Son, His Name, and His Career.

I will do anything to destroy them.

Diana Garcia died that day as I became a Spy Agent Bela Armani.

I took my time to study everything there is to know about Donovan. From his lifestyle to his hobbies and career.

From my findings, Donovan was the total opposite of his father. He was gentle, reserved, and a little too responsible for my liking. He had no history with women which made it difficult to predict what kind of women he might be into.

He was the typical definition of an introverted Alpha male.

I wanted my revenge on Hudson so badly and the only way I could do it was to become part of his family.

What better way to destroy a man than to have his heart shattered into a million or more pieces?

With his personality in mind, I carefully planned our meetcute which turned out to be a perfect idea.

With a verified and wellforged result from the FBI, I applied to work as an Anesthesiologist in his hospital.

On the day I submitted my application letter, I hung around the hospital until I saw the Jr. McMahone walk into the hospital. I quickly walked past him, intentionally dropping my wallet in front of him.

I was very careful to make sure he saw it. Fortunately, he did, and like the gentleman he was, he quickly picked it up and attempted to give it back but as soon as he called me, I quickly turned back and snapped at him,

“Oh please! Are you also going to tell me that I’m the most beautiful woman you’ve seen in your life? Don’t bother selling that because I won’t buy it. I’m not interested in you, so please leave me the hell alone.”

For a while, his brow raised in surprise but I noticed his expression softened before I walked out on him.

I knew I made an impression and while it lasted, I appeared in front of him again just a few days later when I was finally employed as an Anesthesiologist in the new surgical team he was setting up.

I noticed a gleam in his eyes as he saw me and I could tell he was both excited and relaxed to see me sitting across from him in his office.

He wasn’t surprised at all, which was also a notification that my plans worked because if he peeked into my wallet, he’d have noticed my name on my ID and would have guessed it when he went through my CV.

The only reason he’d have peeked into my wallet would be probably because I caught his attention. My Absolute Goal.

I briefly apologized for that day and acted like I was stressed out from the disturbance of several men stopping to pass compliments at me.

From then on, things moved really fast beyond my expectations.

Later I found out he fell in love with me at first sight.

In the next six months while I was still gathering every information I could against Hudson, he proposed and a few months later we got married.

At some point, his parents were against our relationship because I didn’t meet his standards and also because everything was going too quickly but as the saying goes, “A man in love is both blind and deaf.”

Luckily, his parents realized that on time and supported us instead even though his overprotective father always had a problem with me possibly being a gold digger.

The news of our Marriage took Miller and the whole FBI crew by surprise as they thought I was only going to dig out information from him and dump him.

Miller always had a problem with me dating Donovan and that’s because he has feelings for me.

Of course, he hasn’t dared mention it but women will always know when they’ve caught a man’s attention.

Similarly, Donovan doesn’t like seeing me with him because he doesn't like the way he stares at me but fortunately, none of the men can control my life.

Even though we became family, I made Donovan understand that I wasn’t ready to change my last name.

Though he didn’t like the idea, he loved me dearly and would do anything to make me happy.

When I was questioned by the authorities, I lied my way out saying I had to make the whole charade believable but Miller knew there was something more to my lies.

The FBI is a legal organization who wanted to go by the book but that would mean at the end, Hudson would still have something he cherished more than his life His Son.

I didn’t want that to happen. He took everything I ever had from me. So I’m going to do the same.

Our marriage has been full of bliss for the past three years. I’ve waited that long to make the McMahone Family pay and now it’s time to finally let my true intentions known.

The Public Ministerial Candidate Screening is coming up by next month.

Whatever I have to do has to be done before then.

Once we returned home from the party, Donovan got intimate with me.

Sex with him is always great. I was so addicted to it that I could barely resist him.

But I will have to get used to living without it very soon because by the end of the Screening we will be divorced.

As per my usual morning routine on nights like last night, I would wake up early, wash up and take my drugs.

Contraceptive Pills, of course. I wouldn’t want to carry a child for that family.

For the past years, I’ve hid the drugs well from him but today, I purposely left it on the washing sink right where he could see it, then I went back to the room and climbed onto the bed, staring at the handsome man sleeping on the bed.

Donovan was a few years older than me. He clocked 30 a few months back. His features were pronounced. He had nicely arched brows and beautiful eyes.

His body was well built and his chest was brawny and slightly hairy with a 10 inches long scar on his chest from the open heart surgery he had a few years before we met. Overall, Donovan is a fine man.

“None of this was your fault but I hope you’re strong enough for the emotional breakdown that is coming your way.” I thought to myself before finally waking him up and walking over to the dressing mirror.

A few minutes after walking into the restroom, I heard him calling out for me as he walked back into the room.

“Honey…” He called out frantically as he stood behind me, his reflection appearing on the mirror before me.

“Is everything alright?” I asked as I turned to face him, pretending not to see the satchet of drugs in his hand.

“Umm…” He opened his mouth to speak, paused to collect his thoughts then continued. “Umm…this isn’t yours, right?” He asked, his body tensed as he feared my response.

I rested my body on the dressing mirror behind me, pressed my lips into a thin line while fidgeting my hands, acting as nervous as I could.

“Honey, I’m talking to you. Please tell me this is not yours!” He begged frantically even though he already understood my body language.

“Don, were you going through my things? Just because I’m your wife don’t you think I deserve some privacy?” I asked, trying my best to provoke him.

“Does that even matter now? Just answer my fucking question Bela!” Donovan yelled at me.

For the first time in our three and a half years of relationship, he called me by my name making it obvious that he was highly angered by my action.

I know he loves me to death but what he would love more is to see me carry his child which would never happen.

“Don, I have my reasons. Try to understand that.” I rolled my eyes, acting unconcerned just to provoke him.

Don’s breath hitched at my unusual and nonchalant response. This was a side I had never shown to him before so I understand his awe.

“Bela Armani!” He called out in disbelief and just then, my phone rang.

I quickly picked it up when I noticed it was Miller. He asked to meet up and immediately, I picked my back and strode past Don who quickly grabbed my hand and pulled me back.

“Bela, we are in the middle of a conversation, What’s wrong with you?” He asked, tension filling his body.

“I understand you want to talk but I’ve got more important things to do right now. Let’s talk when I’m back.” I replied rudely, tilting my head slightly to the side while his body tense at my every word.

“Is Miller more important than our future?” He asked, his voice cracked.

“Can you stop being so emotional about such a petty thing? I need to leave now so let go of my hand!” I scolded, taking Don by surprise and rendering him speechless.

“Let Go!” I bellowed once more before his grip on me loosened and immediately, I strode away, leaving him speechless and breathless.

As soon as I stepped out of the house my resolve weakened as I let out a soft sigh. I know I’m intentionally causing Donovan emotional pain but I wonder why my heart felt so heavy saying those words to him.

I climbed onto one of the several cars in the compound and drove as fast as I could to Miller's house which was just about an hour drive from mine.

As I walked into Miller’s rusticstyled home, I met him discussing with Janet Hart, another FBI agent. Immediately, I knew it had to be something important.

I joined them and after exchanging a few pleasantries, I expected Miller or Janet to brief me about my reason for being there but the tense look in their faces confirmed something wasn’t right.

“I risked my life, my job, and my marriage to get those files from Hudson’s office computer. Spare me the suspense and tell me what you found.” I urged and with much hesitation, Miller handed me a file which I thoroughly read through.

“Are you trying to tell me that Diego’s time of death was fabricated?” I asked in disbelief and Miller nodded positively.

“No. It took me about 10 minutes to arrive at the hospital as soon as I received the news. There is no way the time was fabricated.” I pointed out.

“He was injected with an Amiodarone Injection which stopped his heart temporarily. This means that at the time you saw him being transported to the morgue, he was still alive and for the next minutes you spent with his corpse, he was still alive.” Janet explained.

“What we are trying to say in essence is that contrary to the report, Diego died two hours after the accident. As agreed, while conducting the second autopsy on Diego’s exhumed corpse, we noticed his heart was missing. Which means he had been operated on before being buried four years ago.” Miller explained and I felt a sudden contraction in my chest.

I didn’t realize when the file slipped from my hand as I became lightheaded.

“Bela, I think you need to rest…”

“Continue. Who got my brother’s heart? Tell me exactly what they did to my brother’s heart!” I bellowed furiously, my vision blurred as I fought off the tears.

“It wasn’t officially reported but Donovan had a heart condition since birth. On the day of your brother’s accident, Don was also in the operating room because they found a donor.

A few hours into the surgery they discovered the heart was infected. Donovan’s life was in danger and they needed an urgent heart. Diego turned out to be the only option.” There was a hard edge in his voice as he explained.

The room fell silent except for my constant hyperventilation. Diego’s death has always remained a scar I didn’t dare open until I was strong enough but today, the scar only deepened. The pain in my heart ramped up from stiffness all the way to searing, blinding agony faster than I could blink.

“I’m sorry you had to go through this once again.” He apologized even though it wasn’t his fault.

“We have a…” Janet tried to continue the conversation but was immediately cut short by Miller.

“I will brief her about that later.” He remarked.

I wasn’t really interested in whatever he had to say anymore as I was still saddened and overwhelmed by the news.

The fact that Donovan had no idea about the whole thing saddens me more because for the past three years we’ve been married, he always visits the grave of his supposed donor to pay his condolences and also cared so much for the donor’s family not knowing that it was all a lie.

Maybe this explains why he fell in love with me so quickly…because he had his heart.

I spent the rest of my day drinking anything available on Miller’s bar shelf as I imagined the pain he must have felt that day.

Even though I didn’t go back home that day, I could tell just how frustrated Don was through his several calls and text messages.

Early the next morning, I was determined to frustrate him even more so I asked Miller to drive me home.

Miller was smart enough to know I was trying to use him to make Don jealous but without questioning me, he just played along.

As soon as heard the revving of my car, he immediately dashed out of the house and attempted to walk towards the black SUV but stopped as soon as he noticed I had company.

Just by looking at his tired eyes and messed up hair, I could tell he also drank away his night.

I stepped out of the car followed by Miller who didn’t notice my husband standing.

“One more thing, Bela.” He said as he took a few steps closer to me, his lips slowly brushing over my ear. My eyes were fixated on Don and I could see his eyes burning with rage and jealousy.

“I couldn’t tell you this yesterday but we’ve got a witness who is ready to take the stand about what happened in the operation room.” He whispered, his words bringing solace to my grieving heart but before I could open my mouth to say a word, Donovan matched towards us and forcefully pulled Miller away.

Before Miller could understand what was going on, Donovan set a hard punch across his face, causing an immediate split on his lower lip.

“How dare you flirt with my wife right under my nose?” Donovan bellowed furiously, his eyes burning with rage and his hands still clenched into fists. This was a side of Don which I’ve never seen before.

Donovan didn’t stop at just one punch as he continued to hit Miller until he was forced to retaliate.

The men exchanged a few punches with each spilling blood before I decided to intervene,

“Enough of this rubbish, you two!” I screeched, putting an end to their fight.

“Fuck this!” Miller cursed, spitting out the blood in his mouth. “Bela, it’s just in a few days! I can’t wait to end this shit so make sure to call me soon!.” He reminded me before bouncing out of the compound.

Miller’s statement only provoked Don more and when he tried to bring up a conversation, I strode away, provoking Don even more.

Don couldn’t contain his curiosity as to the meaning of Miller’s words to me so he followed me in and tried to start a conversation with me.

“Bela, what on earth are you scheming with that asshole? What is wrong with you?” He bellowed furiously.

I tried to keep my cool and avoided eye contact with him as much as I could because his presence reminded me of the pain Diego had to go through in that operation room because of his weak heart.

If only he didn’t have such a bad heart, maybe…just maybe Diego would still be with me now.

I ignored him and went into the washroom to freshen up but on my way out, I met him standing right in front of the door, his arms crossed while putting on a straight face.

It was obvious he needed this conversation with me or he might lose his sanity. I needed to steer up his emotions even more so I finally agreed to hear him out.

“I told you I had a reason to be on pills. I thought you’d be understanding enough to give me some time until I’m ready to open up to you, but what did you do? You went out of your way to harass my friend.” I sucked in a quick breath.

Don remained mute unnecessarily longer than I thought but eventually, he spoke up, “What is happening to us?” he asked, his usually calm voice cracking up.

“You heard Miller right. In a few days, you will understand exactly what is happening to us.” I replied, cautiously optimistic but my words only confused him.

Today marked the beginning of a new month making the Ministerial Candidate screening just five days ahead. I have to prepare him for whatever is to come.

“Bela…” He called out, almost in whispers.

“Just a few more days.” I interrupted, and just then, his phone rang which he hesitantly answered.

“Dad is here,” Don announced as soon as he ended his call but I didn’t believe that at first.

He has never been to our house ever since we got married and his sudden presence sent a shiver down my spine.

For the past three years since I joined his family, he has never really given me much of an audience because he never liked me. His decision benefited me more because I’m not sure how I would have hidden my hatred and anger toward him if we met often.

“I will go and welcome him,” Don suggested as he walked towards the door but before he could step out, I pulled him back and closed the door.

“Have you taken a look at yourself in the mirror today? You look like a hot mess. Go wash up. I will welcome him.” I scolded, pushing him towards the bathroom.

“Are you worried about me right now?” He asked, his dull eyes lightening up a little as a ray of hope returned to them.

I rolled my eyes in contempt, “Just go get cleaned!” I sneered.

Of course, I was worried about his haggard look. He is daddy’s boy and there is no way that sly old man won’t notice his son’s misery. I just need to put on an act before him for the next five days.

Once Don trudged into the bathroom, I quickly got dressed and went to the living room.

As I walked down the stairs, I saw the middleaged man in his 50s sitting on one of the couches with so much confidence and poise.

My breath hitched and I felt my heart ripping apart as it always does anytime I saw him.

Even though the aching was more unbearable today, I convinced myself that his reign will come to an end in the next few days.

“Look who is finally coming down stairs,” Hudson exclaimed as he finally saw me.

“Good day, Sir.” I greeted, forcing a fake smile as I bowed slightly.

“Where is Donovan?” His gaze darted to the bar shelf by the corner of the living room.

I sighed in disgust as I noticed the mess Don had caused at the bar while drinking all night.

“He will join us soon,” I replied. “We partied all day yesterday and hence the several empty bottles of alcohol.” I lied, walking towards the bar.

I was still clearing it up when Don finally came downstairs.

“I heard you partied all day, is that why you look so tired and sleepdeprived?”

Damn that man! Why is he so fucking observant?

Don’s confused gaze darted towards me and my uneasiness gave him a clue on what to do.

“Yeah. Bela threw a small party for me yesterday. It was so much fun I drank a lot.” He lied. “By the way, what are you doing here? This is the first time you’re coming to my house and that too, unannounced.” He asked, trying his best to dismiss the topic as he sat beside his father.

“Are you not happy to see me?” Hudson grinned.

“No, just surprised.” He replied.

“Well, that’s because I decided to give your wife a chance to become a proper part of our family.

I was walking back to the living room when his words took me by surprise. I wonder what he is up to this time.

“Bela, as you know, the Ministerial Screening is just around the corner, and as a confident man, I know I will be elected. Why don’t you plan a party for me, my associates, and the whole family?” He suggested and I almost laughed at his statement because according to my calculation, he will be going to the prosecutor’s office right after the screening.

Not to expose myself, I acted excited and honored to be his party planner. For the next few days, I pretended to be making preparations when in essence, I was visiting Miller as we planned his downfall.

Time flew and the 6th of February finally came.

The relationship between Don and I only worsened so it was easier to ignore him while making my plans.

Early that day, I went to Miller’s house after which we both drove down to the FBI headquarters.

At the screening, each candidate is to nominate three medical personnel who would vouch for their hard work in the industry and also attack opponents of their nominator just like prosecutors and lawyers do in the court.

Since the screening was to be done behind closed doors without the media and mass, we decided to work with one of the Ministerial candidates who agreed to make our witness one of his nominees.

Our plan was to sneak our witness into the screening room and have him expose some of Hudson’s atrocities then by the end of the screening, the FBI would be waiting outside the room to escort him to their office while we had the rest of his atrocities aired to the media.

As planned, the witness was sent with three FBI agents who were also working undercover at that time and while we awaited the uproar at the meeting, I decided to prepare my divorce file.

Since his father’s sins and my true identity will be unveiled today, I believe I owe him no explanation because if he were in my shoes, he would understand what I had to go through because of his family.

Once I was done, I contacted a delivery company who would help me deliver the letter to him at the appropriate time.

I believed my eight years of the wait were finally coming to an end until Miller returned to the headquarters with a sullen face.

While I was busy preparing to terminate my marriage, I didn’t notice that the whole office was in chaos until Miller came to me.

At first, I thought it was because the most promising Minister of Health had been arrested but soon enough I realized it was far from that.

“The witness was killed on the way to the Screening.” Miller gave me the sad news.

In nutshell, the Screening was successful and the new Minister of Health was Dr. Hudson McMahone.

Aside from the autopsy report on Diego’s death, the witness who was a scrub nurse in Hudson’s surgical team back then was the only evidence I had of my brother’s murder.

For the past seven years, I couldn’t gather enough evidence to prove my parent's murder. All I could get were the reports of the illegal experiments he did on Mom.

Back then, the FBI suited my aching heart with the fact that he would still get prosecuted for other crimes such as Medical and even political malpractice.

When we found that witness, I was happy that I finally got to prosecute him for the death of my brother but now, that hope too is gone.

Even though he might still be prosecuted, it won’t be for the crime he committed toward my family and those thoughts saddened my heart until Miller gave me a sip of good news.

“Fortunately, the witness made a video recording a few days ago just in case something like this happens.”

I felt lighthearted upon hearing this news and immediately a perfect idea came to mind.

I asked Miller to assemble the team before I brought forward my idea.

“The new Minister asked me to organize a party for him at his mansion today. There will be a lot of prominent people there as well as the media so that would be a perfect place to have him in handcuffs.”

Everyone liked the idea so we decided to go with it.

Since I hadn’t made any prior preparation, I had to do everything in a hurry and Miller and the others were there to help make the hasty preparation.

I was in charge of everything including the guest list so I decided to make extra invites which included Miller and a few others who would make the arrest.

While I was still making preparations, I remembered I had sent out a divorce to Don. I had to stop him from receiving that file until the whole plan was a success but when I called the delivery company, I was told it had already been delivered so I had to rush to his office as fast as I could to stop him from opening the file.

I reached the office and saw the file untouched on his desk. I quickly took it and hid it in my purse before he stepped out of the restroom.

He was surprised to see me since I’d been avoiding him for the past six days.

When he asked why I had come, I handed out an invite to him and loosely said, “Don’t be late.” before striding out of the office, leaving him in awe.

Later that night, I decided to be a little extravagant with my dressing so I wore a custommade champagne offshoulder mermaid dress. I had my hair done in a long ponytail.

Don and I stayed in his room in his father’s that night and his jaw went slack when he saw me in that dress.

He wasn’t looking bad himself as he wore an eyecatching gray tuxedo.

Before he could throw a compliment at me, I quickly stepped out of the house into the beautiful and spacious garden.

Almost everyone on the guest list was already present when I arrived except for Miller but I was confident he would join us in no time.

As the host and ‘daughterinlaw’ to the new minister, I addressed the party after which he also climbed the stage to give his ‘humble’ speech, not forgetting to shower his son with praises as he always does.

Anyone who knew Dr. Hudson would know how much he loved his son. The two men were closer than he’d ever been with his mother.

An hour into the party Miller finally arrived, signaling me to make a move.

I inserted a flash drive into the projector before climbing up the stage to make my allegations.

“A Very long time ago Dr. Hudson McMahone was my mentor. So, mentor, I dedicate this video to you. Please watch!” I announced, pulling the attention of everyone present to the video being displayed on the projector.

The first image that played on the project was evidence of the illegal experiment he did on my mom, then a few other atrocities he committed against several other patients and even some of his staff, and then the confession from the witness.

Dr. Hudson, who was calm while watching the whole video, quickly signaled his guards to switch off the projector as soon as the witness testimony came up. That’s because this had to do with his only son. He didn’t want him to know about the source of his heart.

The once quiet garden soon became noisy as people began to whisper amongst themselves.

My gaze shifted to Don and I realized he had been staring at in absolute disbelief. I couldn’t tell whether it was at me or Hudson but Don’s eyes narrowed with disappointment and confusion.

“Arrest that criminal!” A guy in a black suit ordered and my eyes lit up immediately thinking he was amongst the agents.

I moved my gaze across the room in search of Miller or any other detectives I knew but none of them was on sight.

While I was expecting the men to march towards Hudson, they walked towards me instead and before I knew what was going on, they were already reading my rights to me.

“You’re under arrest for Impersonation. Whatever you say can and will…”

Impersonation? Have I been found out? My pulse sped up and my heart trembled rapidly. As I raised my head, I locked eyes with Don who was already running towards us.

Hudson signaled his men to take me away and once I was taken out of the garden, I heard his voice through the speakers as he apologized for the nuisance and also suggested they enjoy the party before also walking out of the garden to where I was being held.

“Bela Armani? I can’t believe you deceived me for three years and managed to make my son a fool for you.” He chuckled bitterly.

At that moment, I knew my cover was blown. He knew exactly who I was so there was no need to pretend anymore.

“You should be the one getting arrested, you pig! Don’t think this is over.” I bellowed furiously whilst trying to set myself free from the men.

“Dad, what is going on here?” Donovan's eyes widened as he saw how the men manhandled me.

He ran towards me and tried to set me free but his father pulled him back.

“Donovan, you shouldn’t be here.” He scolded.

“What? That’s my wife those men have manhandling! I have every right to know what is going on!” Don’s muscles tightened.

“Don’t you get it? Your wife of three years is a fraud. An impersonator! Everything about her is a lie. Her name is not even Bela.” Hudson exposed my secrets.

Don was confused. He didn’t want to believe any of his father’s words so he looked my way to get confirmation and the sly grin I had on my face was more than enough confirmation for him.

Despite that, the lover boy still wants verbal confirmation from me.

“Bela…please tell me all this is a lie. Please…”

“The name is Diana Garcia. Your father and I have a really long history and scores to settle. But don’t worry, I sent you a gift. It will help you know your father more.” I managed to explain before he signaled the men to take me away.

As I was dragged out of the house, I heard some dispute between the men and also heard something that felt like Don’s phone crashing to the ground.

He must be trying to prevent Don from finding out his true color.

As soon as the men shoved me into a black van, I knew they weren’t anything related to the force. They were neither the police nor the FBI.

I’ve just been kidnapped in broad daylight. No matter what, Hudson would make sure to end my life this time around.

I tried to scream but they quickly covered my face with a scarf and slowly, I began to lose my consciousness.

The last thing I heard before I totally blacked out was a loud, deafening bang which sounded like our van was hit by something larger. I didn’t have any last words to say because I never expected to join my family so soon.

I thought that night was my last on earth but I woke up to find myself in a very familiar room.

Miller’s room.

I had a few cuts and my evening dress was now in ruins. Then it occurred to me that that sound I heard must have been made when Miller’s van bashed the kidnapper’s.

The first thing I did once I knew I was in a safe place was to change into one of Miller’s polo shirts. Then I went to the room next door where I met Miller tending to his injuries.

“The FBI are giving up on the case, that means you’re on your own now. We have to pack up and leave.” He suggested as he hurriedly concluded his first aid and put on his shirt.

“What is going on? And where were you last night when you were supposed to be making the fucking arrest?” I asked, confused and angry.

“We underestimated Hudson. He got the FBI under wraps and now they have no choice but to dissolve the team against Hudson because he’s got proof that all the evidence was earned through force and illegal means. The worst news is that Hudson is after your life so we have to leave town as soon as possible.” Miller explained.

“So…all my three years of marriage, pretense and Impersonation will result in nothing?” I swallowed hard as my throat felt tight.

“Now is not the time to argue or think about what is lost. Let’s just leave.” Miller suggested.

I dragged my heavy feet back to Miller’s room and quickly changed into a better dress.

Miller picked a few things he would need and soon we were ready to go.

As we stepped out of the I began to feel nauseous but I managed to get into the car beside Miller who was driving.

“Are you alright?” His expression softened.

“I should be…I guess?” I stuttered as I buckled my seatbelt.

Miller was worried but we needed to leave this place as soon as possible so he started driving.

Just as we drove out of his small compound, a black van that seemed to have been waiting outside for us quickly blocked our path, preventing us from moving.

Immediately, we knew it was Hudson’s men but that was too late because before we could make a move, about seven men in black quickly stepped out of their cars and began shooting at us.

Luckily, Miller’s van was bulletproofed and we were safe for a while.

Just like the previous night, Miller bashed their van with his and we were able to move once again but they didn’t give up as they began following us.

Miller suggested I drive while he winded down the car window and shot them off.

I agreed and we quickly changed seats but a few minutes into shooting, I heard Miller whimpering. I looked his way and my heart sank when I noticed he had several bullets to his chest.

“Escape and contact Don…He loves you and would do anything for you.” Blood oozed out of his mouth as he said his last words.

I had a sinking feeling in my stomach as I realized this was the fourth person dying on me.

I continued driving the truck as hot tears streamed down my cheeks. I kept running through the field, looking back now and then as they were getting closer to me. I was so focused on their car that I didn’t notice I was driving towards a dead end. By the time I turned back, I couldn’t stop my car from running into the big rock at the end of the road.