"We're here!", Nicholas announces as we arrive the 'great' Montero mansion.

"Indeed we are", Damien says gaging the big house with his eyes.

"Well let's get to it shall we?", Eric says and I just simply nod. A sudden feeling sinks at the pit of my stomach.

"Isabella Mummy Montero! Come out come out wherever the hell you are", I scream at the top of my lungs as we enter the house.

Nothing is heard and seen.

I give them the direction of the house, except the photography room and the secret room. I sneakily slip into the secret room and there's no one there.

Where the hell are you mum?

What if she already left? I mean she probably knows we're onto her right?

I exit the secret room and head for the photography room. I think now would be a good time to remind myself of the good things and days we've had as a family.

I do miss dad and I really wish he was here with me right now.

I gracefully walk through the room, touching every picture with sincere tenderness in my heart and happy tears in my eyes.

"Knock knock!", Nicholas says and enters the room.

"Hi!", I say and give him a simply smile.

"How are you holding up?", He asks genuinely.

"Well considering the fact that my mother might have something to do with the real killer and intentionally kept quiet, I'm beginning to think I might have mummy issues", I say picking out an album on the stand and sitting on the floor.

Nicholas takes another album and sits with me in comfortable silence.

"What's this?", Nicholas asks pointing at a picture of me holding a cub by the leash.

"Oh this", I say chuckling lightly.

"I've always been a very wanting child and for my fifth birthday I didn't want a pretty dress for my birthday present. I told daddy dearest I wanted a cub as a pet and he obliged", I say tracing my fingers through the image.

"Well now I know you dined with a baby lion it makes you more daunting", Nicholas says with a very sweet smile.

I laugh heartily at this and just stare at him, lost in my own thoughts.

Do I love this guy?

"What about this one?", He asks pointing to a picture of an angry me holding the head of a teddy and a very happy Damien holding on to a harmonica.

"Poor Banjo! I tore up his head because I was angry our aunt gave him the harmonica. It should have been my Christmas present", I murmur innocently.

"Vicious I see"

"I'm not proud of what I did" I say with an eye roll and a scoff.

Nicholas picks up the album he has and a USB drive falls out of it.

"What's this?" I ask picking it up.

"You're a Montero and obviously in better place to provide an answer", he says shrugging.

"Well maybe my mum made a video and kept. She did have a thing for the whole photography thing back then" I say looking for a PC to insert it into.

"Alright" he says and helps me insert it.

A video starts playing and we just stare at the screen.

"Damien don't go there. You'll drown", Father calls and picks up Damien before he falls head first into the pool.

Little me who's just sitting on the edge of the pool seems to find the whole situation funny and giggles uncontrollably.

"C'mon Belle! Put that down and help me with Sam. Damien is extremely drawn to the water today" Father says and rushes to pick up Damien again.

I start crawling towards what looks like a little garden.

"Your baby girl likes flowers. Now you have to go get her", Mum says from behind the camera and dad grunts. He turns his back in the camera and that's when I see it. My huge smile turns to a really big frown.

"Oh My God. Pause.", I say abruptly.
Nicholas immediately pauses and zooms into the video and the crescent shaped tattoo right at the back of dad's neck.

Betrayed.

Is all I can think of as my head spins in a three sixty motion. Did dad really kill Asher? No! It can't be.

Why would dad kill Asher Hudson of all people? I mean he was not even in the country that day, right?

All my bones suddenly goes numb and my lips starts to quiver from rage, sadness, disappointment.

"Oh My God!", Nicholas says and immediately shuts the Laptop close.

"We have to go inform the others. This has to be a huge lead", Nicholas mentions and I just nod.

"You go. I need to think straight", I say turning my back on him.

He leaves the room immediately and I hold on to the reading chair to sort of steady my shaky legs.
My heart laden with despair and so many questions.

All these years, I was put through hardship. I was subdued to lies from both my parents. I paid the sins of my father. All for what?

And now he's dead and I can't even ask him anything.

Things begin to fall in place one by one.

That's why he seemed so familiar! That's how he was able to get to Uncle Austin. Did he kill uncle Austin too? But if he killed Uncle Austin then that means that he's still alive right?

And with all the money he has, he could have easily bribed a judge and abetted the crime right?

This is the most precarious thing I've been through all my life.

I let out a shaky breath as the tears flow freely through my eyes. Why is my life so messed up?

Mother was aware and she aided it. She made me go through hell for her husband. My parents are criminals and I paid for their crimes.

Standing here and running questions through my head isn't going to help.

I slowly walk out of the photography room and head downstairs.

"Oh Sam!", mother says weakly and without thinking straight, I raise my hand and connect it with her cheeks.

"You slap your own mother?" She says giving me a venomous look.

"That's only half of the trauma you put me through" I yell at her with my veins almost popping out of my neck.

"Look Samantha. I know you're angry..."

"Angry is just an understatement for what I feel for you right now. I wish I never had a mother like you. What mother would put her child through so much pain, through so much trauma? You made me think I was a murderer. I bet you knew of the kindergarten teacher who molested me but shut me out" I scream at the top of my lungs trying to catch my breath and say what I truly feel.

"Please Sam let me explain", she says with tears in her eyes.

"All my life I've tried to be like you, tried to please you just So I could fit into your standard of 'perfection' when you were the most imperfect being on earth. You have manipulated me and I didn't even know it. I guess no matter how angry I am at you, I'm more angry at myself for letting you fool me"

"When you're in Love Samantha you'll understand the sacrifices you have to make are expensive, even if it costs you your children" she says not making any sense at all. I scoff rather unbelievable and wipe my nose with the back of my hands.

"Don't try to blame love for your stupid decisions here mother. You created not just a rift between me and Sam, you created a wall. You made me think she was so dangerous that staying with her was putting my life at risk. You used us as your pawns", Damien says shaking his head in disappointment while holding my shoulders for support.

"Children please hear me out", mother wails and falls on her knees. Just then, Jack walks in with...

"Mr Finn Montero?" Eric says in disbelief.
Our gazes immediately turn to the door and I immediately feel sick.

"Dad", Damien and I chorus in disbelief and surprise.

"Yes Children I'm alive and well"

"Somebody kill me now", I yell pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Please let's explain Sam. Damien.", Mother says getting up from the floor and rushing to father's side.

"What the hell is going on right now?", Damien asks seething with annoyance.

"I think we should hear them out just for clarity sake", Nicholas, always the voice of reason says.

I look at him, willing emotional support from him and he just smiles at me gently.

"Asher Hudson is my grandpa, my mum's dad.", Mother begins.

"You have got to be kidding me. Could the tension get any heavier?", I say flailing my arms up in the air.

"Woah!", Damien says with wide eyes and Jack just keeps staring at the floor refusing to make eye contact with anyone.

"Yes. He married my mum off at an early age and wanted to do same for me but I refused you see. When I eventually decided to settle down with your father, he refused. Simply because your father was the godfather of the Mafia he was also a part of",Mum says and ends abruptly.

"He thought he could bribe me off the position with money but I declined and when be found out I was married to his granddaughter, he staged her kidnapping and got her pregnant", father says leaving us all hanging on the cliff with suspense.

"This is just fifty shades of messed up" I say with a cringe.

"Oh no. He didn't sleep with his granddaughter, he hired somebody else to do the deed. We lost the baby eventually though but that didn't derail my love for Isabelle. If anything it made me over protective and our love grew stronger. That was when we started having issues" Father says going into the kitchen for a glass of wine.

Is he seriously drinking wine and thinking this little story is going to make me change my perspective of them?

Lying, Conniving parents!

"We had an insider working closely with Asher and we found out that Asher was going to Kidnap you Sam. You don't think you got the job by name do you. He demanded to have you there. He demanded for you to go up to his room. It was all a set up and Ashley, his then assistant was all aware of it, she was our insider. He was going to rape you, his great grand daughter. How messed up is that. I had to sneak in quietly. I never meant for any of it to happen. I wanted to eliminate him completely and make him pay for ruining the moment but you were there. You were never meant to be there. Ashley was never meant to send you up there. I never would have risked my own daughter's life if I knew..."

"Cut the crap Finn Montero. You never would've and yet you did"

"My point is. I wanted you to get out of jail and the only way to do so was to hire Austin. Paid him a huge sum to not talk but eventually it did and he had to go to"

"So your plan was to ruin everyone that says something?", Damien says spitefully.

"No! We just wanted to delay the FBIs and once it was five years they'd stop the search" mummy says like this is normal.

"Congratulation to us Damien. We both have mummy and daddy issues and I'll drink to that" I say heading for the kitchen.

"So Asher Hudson is our great grandfather?" Damien asks with a raised eyebrow

"I never wanted you to find out this way believe me. You were getting too close to the truth and that's why I had to send you to the Asylum"

"Aw gee thanks mum! You're so thoughtful. I should be more grateful", I mutter with a sarcastic smile.

"Look, I'm really sorry Samantha. I really am. I'd do anything for my husband because at the end of the day he's the one I promised till death"

I look at them and I don't even feel hate or anger or disappointment. I feel relief flood through my veins and I begin to cry all over again. Tears of Joy this time around.

"Are you okay love?", Eric asks giving me a hug. Jack eventually looks up at me and I just smile at him. I open my arms for him and he rushes into them.

"What's happening?" Nicholas asks with a raised eyebrow.

"I guess all these years I was just so invested in finding the real killer and seeking revenge that I hadn't even thought about how much I needed my freedom. Now that I know the truth, I'm finally free and I don't even mind that these psycho parents of mine responsible for everything"

"Are you sure you're good Sammy?" Damien asks holding my shoulder tenderly.

"Never been better. I've finally realized that I was seeking peace all these time and now I finally have it, I don't want to screw it up with their negativity" I say breezily and just smile while wiping the rest of the tears off my eyes.

"Well I'm glad you have this new approach Sam and I'd really like for us to be a family again"

"Oh hell no. Yes I've forgiven you mum. I've forgiven you dad. I forgive you guys for my peace of mind but I don't want to be sucked into your negative and toxic lifestyle anymore. So much so I declare my parents dead to me from now on. I want nothing to do with the Montero wealth or name", I say with a smile.

"Are you sure Sam. Isn't that too big of a step?", Damien asks.

"You do you Damien. You haven't lived with me or this people for how long now. Seven years? But hey who am I to judge?", I shrug and flip my hair in his direction.

"I'm sorry Samantha..."Jack begins

"Oh Jackie boo. I thought you were my best friend. Well this goes to show my best friend is me. It was really nice getting to know you but I guess it's time for me to love myself more " I say with tears in my eyes.

"Are you okay?" Nicholas asks.

No! I'm not okay. I got betrayed by my best friend and my parents. I got framed for a crime I never committed. I was stigmatized all over the world. I was tagged dangerous all because of Mr and Mrs Montero!  And in the next forty eight hours the man I have grown to love is actually leaving me here. So no Nicholas, I'm not okay",  I say with a charming smile.

"The FBIs are here "Damien announces.

"What! Who called them?", I ask suddenly feeling frisky and jumpy.

Oh wait. I didn't kill anyone.

"I did", Eric answers with a phone in his hands.

"And I think you'll be very much interested in what they have to say", Eric says looking very apprehensive.

"Hi everyone. I'm..."

"Detective Larry. It's so nice of you to finally catch me but I'll have you know..."

"You're not the real killer. Yes I know. In fact the entire FBI and Mi6 squad has known this for close to two years now and that's exactly why we've been trying to get to you" he says with a very cool stance.

"What!"

A/N
Author: Okay I have to ask. Did any of you see that coming.

Samantha: I think I'm going to commit a real crime this time around.

Author: wait till you get your heart broken at least. Well guys, the escapade is almost coming to an end and I just want to say thank you for journeying this far with me. I love you all😍🥰