Chapter 474 Truth Come To Light
I shifted my gaze away from the document to glance at the police officer. “I won’t sign my name on it, and I most certainly won’t be leaving Michael,” I said icily.
I wasn’t a fool. Once I signed the document, there would be no going back. Before Michael arrived, I was determined not to sign it.
“Do you really think you have a choice? This is a police station.” A flash of anger and impatience flitted across the officer’s gaze.
“Why are you insisting on my signature when you have yet to launch a proper investigation? Is this how you do things around here? Aren’t police officers supposed to be fair and honest?” I snapped in reply.
I couldn’t help but feel annoyed when I heard his threat. They’d never investigated this matter right from the very start. Although I already planned to take the blame for Steven’s crimes, I had no intention of letting them convict me so quickly.
Regardless of the pressure, I was determined to wait for Michael to come to my rescue.
“Anna, do you really think your protests will make a difference? You brought this on yourself when you refused to accept the generous choices that I bestowed upon you. Right now, you only have yourself to blame for this situation,” Lincoln thundered as a dark expression loomed across his face.
As I opened my mouth to reply, our conversation was interrupted by his phone’s ringtone.
Furrowing his brows, Lincoln answered the phone.
“What? Are you serious? That’s great news!” Although I was clueless about his exchange with the caller, he instantly lit up with joy. It was the first time I’d seen him with such a broad beam on his face.
Once Lincoln hung up, he shot to his feet. The sight of his happiness caused me to knit my brows together. What on earth made him so happy?
“Captain Walker, I’ve just received a call from the hospital informing me that my wife has regained consciousness. I need to hurry over to there right now. Can we discuss this matter on another day?” he asked agitatedly.
Upon hearing that Josephine had awoken, I couldn’t help but heave out a heavy sigh of relief. Although I played no part in causing her current condition, I still felt slightly guilty. Now that she was no longer unconscious, it felt as if someone had lifted a heavy weight off my shoulders.
“No problem, Mr. Shaw. Please attend to your urgent matters. This case will probably take a couple of days to settle anyway.”
Given Lincoln’s prominent status, the police officer didn’t hesitate to agree with him. Upon hearing that Lincoln planned to depart, he merely agreed readily and even offered logical reasoning in assurance.
“All right, I’ll take my leave now. I’m sorry for the trouble,” Lincoln replied in a rush. Clearly, he was dying to return to the hospital.
With a final glance in my direction, he spun on his heel and left.
It was great that Josephine, an innocent victim, had regained consciousness. This way, Michael would feel much more at ease.
The longer I remained cooped up in the police station, the more my anxiety grew. How is the situation outside right now? Since Josephine woke up, does this mean she’s no longer in a critical condition?
After an entire day of worrying, Michael and Lincoln finally showed up in the afternoon.
I became even more confused when I caught sight of the father and son duo.
“Michael, why are you here? Is Mrs. Shaw feeling better?” Even though Michael and I had divorced for a year, I still had a habit of addressing Josephine as “Mom.” Nevertheless, I changed my mind when I recalled Lincoln’s attitude toward me and used “Mrs. Shaw” instead.
“Yeah, Mom is fine. Because she’d been in a slumber for a year, her body became slightly weaker than usual. Hence, she’ll remain under observation in the hospital for a few more days. If everything goes smooth sailing, she can return home,” Michael replied with a smile. It was clear that Josephine’s recovery had put him in high spirits.
“That’s great! I’m glad Mrs. Shaw is fine.” I breathed a great sigh of relief. I had been vehemently praying for her recovery too.
“I came here today to bail you out of here. There’s no need for you to remain in the police station anymore.” Michael grasped my hand as he spoke.
“I don’t have to remain here anymore? Why?” I echoed in puzzlement.
Earlier today, Lincoln left me with a warning and nearly got me incarcerated. Hence, Michael’s words threw me into a stupor. I had an inkling that things weren’t as clear-cut as they appeared to be.
Michael’s tone was icy. “Mom told us all the truth when she woke up. You weren’t the one who pushed her; it was your brother, Steven.” All of a sudden, the cheery smile dropped off his face.
When Michael brought up Steven’s name, I could sense the fury rolling off his body in waves. The furious look that marred his face caused me to panic.
“Mrs. Shaw named Steven as the perpetrator? What do you plan to do? Are you going to lock him up?”
Though I was once part of the Shaw family, Lincoln did not hesitate to punish me for this incident. Now that the truth had come to light, he would be sure to punish Steven severely for his actions.
“Steven harmed her on purpose. His actions cannot go unpunished,” Michael replied evenly.
Though he appeared calm, I could tell they had no intention of being merciful toward Steven.
“Michael, is there truly no other way to resolve this? You know how much he means to my dad and mom. They’d go insane if he’s put behind bars,” I begged.
Deep down, I knew Steven’s actions were beyond redemption. Even so, the thought of how important he was to my parents caused me to plead on his behalf.
My words only served to make Michael even angrier.
“Even in a dire situation like this, you’re still thinking of others. If my mom hadn’t told the truth, you would have been the one in jail. What will happen to Amaury and me if that happens? Don’t you want to see us anymore?” The coldness in Michael’s voice revealed his unhappiness and fury.
Truthfully, I could sympathize with his sentiment. He must be desperate to remove me from this mess and keep me out of harm’s way.
Moreover, I was well aware that I was at fault because I tried to cover up for Steven. Yet, I recalled how my parents had begged for my help. As a daughter, I couldn’t bear to see them in such suffering.
“Okay…” I hung up my head low. In reality, things had been set in stone right from the start. All this time, I was clinging to a sliver of hope that I’d be able to turn the tide and produce an unexpected outcome.
Lincoln made his way toward me. “Anna, you foolish child. How could you take the blame for your brother’s crime? I hurt you because of this misunderstanding. Please accept my sincerest apologies,” he murmured apologetically.
