---- Chapter 11 Six months later, the trial was over. Isiah Flynn was found guilty on all counts: insider trading, money laundering for a foreign cartel, and a slew of other financial crimes. The judge, citing the scale of his depravity and his utter lack of remorse, sentenced him to life in a supermax prison without the possibility of parole. A living death. Gloria watched the verdict from the back of a tinted SUV parked across the street from the courthouse. She saw them lead him out in chains. He had lost the polish she had given him. He was thin, pale, his eyes darting around nervously. He looked just like the hungry, cornered animal she had found in that alley all those years ago. As if sensing her presence, he stopped and looked directly at her car. His expression was a complex mixture of hatred, despair, and a final, pathetic flicker of hope. He still thought, even now, that she might swoop in and save him. Gloria calmly pressed the button to raise the car' s privacy screen, blotting him out forever. ---- Kiley Contreras had survived. The dogs had been trained to maim, not kill. But she had lost the baby, and her vocal cords were so severely damaged she could barely speak above a whisper. Her legs were shredded beyond repair; she would never walk again. Her mind was gone. Gloria went to see her once, in the private psychiatric facility where she was being held. Kiley sat in a wheelchair, strapped down, her once-beautiful face a roadmap of scars. When she saw Gloria, she began to make a low, guttural noise, trying to scream. "He... always... hated... you," Kiley rasped, the words a painful effort. Gloria listened, her face impassive. "Called you... old... crypt... keeper." "He said... you smelled... like... death. Like the... dead baby." Kiley' s eyes gleamed with a mad, final burst of malice. "He did it," she whispered. "The baby." Gloria didn't react. ---- "He... poisoned you. Slowly. For months. Wanted you... weak. Wanted the baby... gone. So he could... have it all." It was the final, ugliest truth. The betrayal was not a recent affair. It had been his plan from the very beginning. The stillbirth of their daughter was not a tragedy; it was a murder. Gloria felt... nothing. The information was simply data. It changed nothing. The monster who had done it was already in a cage, where he would rot for the rest of his life. The revenge was already complete. She turned and left without a word. As her car pulled away from the facility, Marcus turned from the front seat. "Ma' am, there' s a young man. He' s been kneeling in front of the main gate for three days. He says he won' t leave until you see him." Gloria glanced out the window. She saw a young man, no older than twenty, kneeling on the hot asphalt, his head bowed. He looked desperate. He looked hungry. "He says he wants a chance," Marcus added. "Says he' Il do anything to become an actor." The car slowed to a stop beside the kneeling figure. ---- Gloria pressed the button to lower her window. The young man looked up, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear and ambition. He had the face of a fallen angel. Raw material. Gloria looked from the broken boy on the street to the broken woman in the hospital, and thought of the broken man in his cell. She had unmade one masterpiece. Perhaps it was time to start another. "You' re wrong," Gloria said, her voice finally breaking the silence, her words directed at the empty room Kiley had occupied. "He didn' t want it all. He just wanted what was mine." She turned her gaze back to the boy outside her window. "Get in the car," she said. In "A Relationship Kept in The Dark" by CrushReel, the storyline unfolds as renowned photographer Jane finds herself drawn to the charismatic rookie model, Hector. Little does she know that Hector harbors a secret—he is actually the heir to a powerful business empire. As their romance blossoms, Hector grapples with concealing his true identity to capture Jane's heart. However, their love story takes a tumultuous turn when jealousy rears its ugly head, threatening to unravel the delicate balance they've built. This modern romance novel delves into themes of hidden identities, unexpected love, and the complexities of maintaining a relationship shrouded in secrecy. With its blend of sweet romance and suspenseful twists, "A Relationship Kept in The Dark" stands out for its exploration of hidden feelings and the consequences of revealing long-held secrets. For readers seeking a captivating tale that combines elements of romance, intrigue, and emotional depth, this ongoing story is available to read at CrushReel. Immerse yourself in the world of Jane and Hector as their journey unfolds against the backdrop of hidden truths and heartfelt revelations.