The Confrontation

I stared at the three figures standing in front of me, surprised by my own temper. 

"Why are you doing this to us? You know very well that I didn't kill Mr. Miller." I said after some time of cooling down.

"If you don't leave here within the next minute, I swear I will drag you myself and throw you out the gate." Jack said it angrily.

"I'm not going anywhere; unless these two tell the truth, they know exactly what happened that day. Am I lying?" I slowly moved my eyes from Jack's fiance to his mother.

"Mom, what is she talking about?" Jack was amazed.

"Can't you see what this girl is trying to do? She is trying to save her own skin by talking nonsense." Jack's mother defended herself.

"How dare you talk to me like that? You are all liars, and one day you will rot in hell!" I started causing chaos while getting closer to Jack's mother. Annoyed, Jack tried to drag me out of the house, but I resisted. In the middle of that confusion, I managed to slip a note inside Jack's mother's shirt.

"Listen, I will leave for now, but I promise you I won't rest until justice is served. I will walk by myself; there is no need for you to escort me out." I informed Jack. I went out quietly without another fight, and I was relieved that my mission was completed without getting caught. I quickly rushed to my apartment, where I was supposed to meet with Jack's mother in an hour, as per the note I gave her.

Time went by quickly, and it was time for Jack's mother to show up, but to my surprise, she didn't show up. I waited for another half an hour, and there was still no sign of her. I sat on my bed, reasoning about a plan B for how I was going to prove my innocence. I was disturbed by a nock on the door, and I quickly rushed to see who it was. 

"What took you so long?" I voiced my concern as I opened the door for her.

"Why am I here?" Silver responded.

"I knew that you were going to show up. Do you know why? It's because you are guilty of murdering your husband."

"What are you talking about? Why would I kill the one man I loved?" Silver pulled out a chair in the kitchen and sat down.

"I don't know, Mrs. Miller; you tell me. Oh, you were having an affair, right? And he caught you, then you decided to kill him so that he wouldn't divorce you and leave you with absolutely nothing." I said, looking straight into her eyes.

"That is nonsense; you don't know what you are talking about." She kept fidgeting nervously with her phone.

"I can keep your secret only if you promise to help me prove my innocence and that of my mother, please." I begged her. 

"You must be kidding. I never killed my husband, and I won't let you blackmail me for something that I didn't do. And besides, I don't think your mother would like to be free; it seems like she is having a good time in prison."

"What are you talking about? I know you forced my mother to take the fall so that I can hold a strong case." I began to worry.

"Your mother made a deal with me so that we can help the cops catch the killer, and in turn, we take care of all your father's medical bills." She explained.

" No. No, it can't be; my father is at home, and he is healthy." I said, my heart racing in my chest.

"Oh, I see your mother kept this a secret also. I wonder how many secrets she kept from you. Your father is in the hospital in the meantime; he is undergoing kidney dialysis, and a kidney transplant surgery is scheduled for about two weeks from now." She carried on explaining my father's condition.

"You people are liars! My father is not sick at all." I felt my eyes heavy with tears before they started falling down my cheeks uncontrollably.

"You choose now; it's your father's health or your freedom, including that of your mother. I will leave you to think about it. You are a clever girl, and I'm sure you will choose wisely." She gave me a blunt smile before exiting through the door. I sat there, glancing in one place. I sniffed between tears, and I sighed heavily, letting my head drop and falling on top of the table.

After feeling sorry for myself and doing absolutely nothing, I managed to gather the courage and call my father.

"Please tell me it's not true, dad." I asked as soon as he answered the phone.

"You are Mandy, right?" asked the lady who answered my father's mobile phone.

"Yes. Where is my father? What happened to him?" I panicked.

"Relax, Miss, I'm a security officer working at the hospital where your father is getting treatment. He lost his phone earlier this morning. I thought you were calling regarding the phone."

"Thank you. I will send a number through my father's phone. Please call it; they will pick it up as soon as they can." I dropped the phone. I tried to gain my composure, but I failed. My knees became weak, and I fell slowly to the floor, sliding through the wall. 

' So it's true, my mother sacrificed our freedom in order to save my father's life.' I cried hysterically as I watched my life disappear right in front of my eyes. It was in that moment that I knew that there was nothing I could do to prove my innocence. Proving my innocence will mean letting my father die, and that was something I couldn't do.

I was torn between turning myself in and pleading guilty or waiting for the trial date and pleading guilty. I tossed and turned all night, regretting the decision to move to New York City and searching for a new start. I felt like it was the biggest mistake I ever made. But I then remembered that without this situation, there was no way the Millers were going to pay for my father's medical bills, and we couldn't afford to take care of it with both our salaries and savings combined.

The next morning, I started packing my belongings. I wanted some fresh air, but above all, I wanted to spend the remainder of my time as a free person with my family before I was locked up. I began by calling my workplace and notifying them of my sudden resignation. 

My boss already knew what was happening, so he let me go without any problems and promised to pay me my month's salary before the end of the day. Even though we were only halfway through the month,. 

I packed enough clothes since I had almost no clothes left at home. As I was closing my travel bag, I heard a loud bang on the door. It was as if someone was trying to split the door in pieces rather than knocking. I quickly closed my bag and rushed for the door. I opened the door, and Jack's driver stood tall in front of me.

"Tell your boss that I will do absolutely anything....." 

"Dress properly and follow me; I will be waiting outside." He couldn't let me finish my sentence. I rushed inside with my heart pounding in my chest, ready to explode. It was still morning, and I was still in my nightgown. I quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a round-neck t-shirt. 

"I'm ready." I said this as I stepped outside. I saw Jack's car parked just near the gate. Jack's driver led the way, and I followed from behind. Upon arrival at the car, he opened the door in the back seat of the car. He closed the door after I sat comfortably and moved away from the car, giving Jack and me some privacy.

"I want to..." I said as soon as I got into the car, but Jack stopped me before I could finish talking.

"Shut up and listen to me," he barked at me, and he continued. "The stunt you pulled at my house yesterday really annoyed me. No one talks to me the way you did. I don't tolerate disrespect from anyone. Do you understand?" 

"I'm really sorry about yesterday; I promise not to repeat it." I begged for his forgiveness.

"Next time, I won't be this understanding and forgiving; I hope I'm clear. But that's not the reason why I'm here." He tilted his head a bit and faced me.

"Without enough evidence to charge you, the court might let you go, but with the influence and the power I possess in this city, I can make sure that you are locked up for the rest of your life." He carried on.

"I'm well aware of that. If you want me to plead guilty, I can do it right now. Just anything you want, I promise." I said.

"Before I continue, I want to make sure that we are on the same page," he glanced at me.

"There is a way that you can be exonerated of all your charges," he continued, glancing at me, and that made me uncomfortable but curious at the same time.

"I'm listening." I said it softly.

"I want you to be my surrogate and carry my child for me. I want the process to be as soon as possible."

I raised my head and faced him slowly; my eyes widened in disbelief, and my jaw dropped, leaving me in a stunned silence as I tried to process the shocking news dropped to me like a bomb.