The Family Sacrifice Chapter 7

Gilbert's POV

Hours passed and the house went quiet. Joshua and Harper went to bed, he heard Yvonne's footsteps going up to her room.

Gilbert waited, his mind racing. The message kept playing in his head. Or else what? What is Yvonne hiding?

Around 2 AM, he finally moved. He knew what he had to do even if it made him an asshole.

He walked down the hallway without making a sound and stopped outside Yvonne's door, pressing his ear against it.

Nothing.

He opened it carefully. Yvonne was asleep in bed, breathing slow and steady.

This is wrong.

But he crossed the room anyway and stood over her. His hands were shaking as he reached down and took her hand gently, pressing her thumb against her phone screen.

It unlocked.

He pulled back fast and got out of there, closing the door softly behind him. His heart was pounding so loud.

Back in Sabrina's room, he opened the messages. His hands were shaking, he almost dropped the phone.

He scrolled up to see the full text.

"Prepare $500,000 and wire it to account XXXX-XXXX, or else I'll expose the truth, that you're perfectly healthy and you framed Sabrina."

Gilbert dropped the phone.

No, that can't be right.

He just stood there staring at it on the floor. His mind was spinning, trying to make sense of it.

*Perfectly healthy. Framed Sabrina.*

So many times Sabrina tried to tell him everything, but he said she was jealous and exhausting.

Oh God. What has he done?

Then his own phone rang, making him jump.

He pulled it out with shaking hands. Unknown number.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Burke? This is Dr. Adams from City General Hospital. I'm calling about Sabrina Collins."

Gilbert's blood went cold. "What about her?"

"I'm calling to follow up on whether she decided to start treatment."

"Treatment for what?"

Silence on the other end. Then, "Her stomach cancer. Stage four. I recommended immediate chemotherapy but she said she needed time to think."

He froze. 

"That's impossible," Gilbert said, but his voice cracked. "Nobody told us she had cancer."

"She specifically asked us not to contact family. But I've been worried about her decision to delay treatment, so I—" The doctor paused. "Mr. Burke, are you still there?"

"When did she diagnosis?"

"Nov. 24th." Another pause, this one heavier. "Mr. Burke, is Sabrina okay?"

Gilbert's legs just gave out and he dropped onto the bed hard.

Nov. 24th. Right when he was pushing her to agree to the drug trial.

"She's dead," he said.

The doctor started saying something but Gilbert wasn't listening anymore. His mind was putting pieces together, pieces that made him sick.

She wouldn't even tell them she had cancer anymore. How much had they disappointed her? How much had he disappointed her? The day they met, he swore he'd protect this girl, but he'd ended up being one of the people who killed her. Gilbert was a mess, he couldn't figure out how to stop the pain tearing through his chest. That's why she agreed that day... she knew she was going to die.

He ended the call and let his phone fall onto the bed.

His eyes landed on Sabrina's desk.

He stood up slow, his legs barely holding him. He walked over and opened the drawer.

The cancer diagnosis was right on top. His hands shook as he picked it up and read every word.

That's when he noticed the paper underneath.

A marriage registration certificate.

He pulled it out carefully, his movements getting slower.

The certificate was completely filled out. His signature at the bottom in his own handwriting.

But the bride's name wasn't Sabrina Collins.

It was Yvonne Wells.

"What the fuck," he whispered.

She registered their marriage under Yvonne's name. Why would she—

And then he understood.

She gave Yvonne everything. Even him. Even our marriage. She made him Yvonne's husband legally.

It was the perfect revenge.

He grabbed both papers and ran out of the room.

The next morning Gilbert showed up at City Hall the second the doors opened. He'd been up all night, his mind wouldn't stop racing.

"I need to check my marriage records," he told the clerk at the front desk.

The woman typed something. "Name?"

"Gilbert Burke."

She clicked around for a minute, then nodded. "Yes sir, you're married. Would you like a copy of the certificate?"

"Who am I married to?"

She looked at her screen. "Yvonne Wells."

Gilbert pulled out his phone and showed her a photo of Sabrina. "Is this the woman who came to register?"

The clerk squinted at his phone. "Maybe, that looks like her."

Gilbert put his phone away slow.

Sabrina knew exactly what she was doing. She knew she was dying and she made sure he'd be legally bound to Yvonne.

"I need to file for divorce, What do I need to do?" Gilbert said.

Gilbert drove straight to the police station after that, his jaw clenched so tight.

Yvonne lied about being sick. She framed Sabrina. She sent Sabrina to that place knowing what would happen.

Joshua and Harper and Yvonne were already there, they'd been called in for more questioning.

Everyone sat in the waiting area looking miserable. Yvonne kept checking her pockets, probably wondering where her phone was. Harper kept crying these awful gasping sobs. Joshua sat there looking like he'd aged twenty years overnight.

Gilbert walked in and went straight to the officer at the desk.

"I have key evidence," he said.