Seven Years Broken Chapter 10
“What?”
My eyes widened, a chill running through me. I never expected Deanna to do something this extreme.
“Corey, just forgive me, please…”
As she spoke, she suddenly raised the knife and slashed it across her own arm.
“As long as you forgive me, I’ll do anything. I’ll give you everything the Cunningham family has left. I’ll do whatever you want. Even if it means dying, I will!”
She kept talking as she dragged the blade across her arm again and again. Blood poured out, the sight horrifying.
No one around us dared to speak. Only the security guards stood nearby, tense, ready to step in at any moment.
I watched her spiral into madness.
There was no trace of emotion in me, only disgust and a creeping sense of dread.
Thankfully, it wasn’t long before the police arrived and took Deanna away.
Her case went to trial quickly.
The investigation confirmed that she did murder Darren. His body had been hidden in the basement of the Cunningham estate.
Her actions constituted intentional homicide. Combined with the financial crimes previously tied to Cunningham Group, the circumstances were especially severe. In the end, she was sentenced to death.
When the news reached me, I was in my office, handling work.
After hearing the report from the legal department, I simply nodded. I didn’t say a word. I had already expected this outcome.
Everything Deanna had become and everything she had done had led her here. No one else was to blame.
As for the Cunningham family, after Deanna was sentenced, they completely lost their foundation.
The banks kept calling in loans. Creditors showed up one after another. The few remaining partners pulled out what little investment they had left. It didn’t take long before the Cunningham family declared bankruptcy.
Harold couldn’t withstand the blow. He fell seriously ill and passed away not long after.
The rest of the family, buried under debt, scattered and went into hiding. The once-glorious Cunningham name became nothing more than a joke.
The Blackburns didn’t fare any better.
After Darren’s death, they lost their only heir. With the financial pressure from Graham Holdings tightening around them, their cash flow collapsed. Competitors took several key projects, and within days, they also declared bankruptcy.
Darren’s father, Victor Blackburn, suffered a heart attack from the shock and was hospitalized. From that point on, the Blackburn family never recovered its former standing.
Some time later, my secretary informed me that Deanna’s execution had been scheduled for next Friday.
Her final request was to see me.
These days, I had been busy handling the liquidation of the Cunningham Group’s assets and advancing new business ventures for the Grahams. Occasionally, I traveled with my parents.
I had already removed her from my life.
However, hearing that request, something in me still stirred.
Not out of love or even hatred. More like the need to close the book on something absurd.
You had to witness some endings with your own eyes.
