The Queen They Abandoned in the Shadows Chapter 07

The Queen They Abandoned in the Shadows Chapter 07

The shrill wail of patrol cars and an ambulance tore through the quiet afternoon air.

Paramedics confirmed that Noah had died on the spot. They draped a white sheet over his small body and lifted him onto the ambulance—the entire ordeal unfolding like a cold, routine bureaucratic procedure.

By the time Matteo arrived after getting the call, all he saw was his son’s lifeless form.

He let out a ragged, feral howl of a beast drawing its last breath, dropping to his knees. His trembling fingers reached for the white sheet, then pulled back. He curled in on himself, his body shaking with muffled sobs.

Clutching at what she believed was her last lifeline, Bianca scrambled up from the pavement, her hair wild and tangled. She jabbed a finger at me as I spoke with the police, her voice warped into a shrill, unhinged wail.

“It was her, I swear! She pushed Noah right down! She’s the one who killed him! Elisa, how can you be this cruel? If you’ve got all that hatred for us, take it out on me instead! Why take my little boy’s life? He was just a child!”

She stumbled over to Matteo and shook his arm violently, face streaked with tears.

“Matteo, it was Elisa! She hated us so much she pushed Noah right in front of that truck on purpose! I saw every second of it! She acted out of pure vengeance, determined to ruin our lives completely!”

I stood frozen, the accusation and the hatred washing over me. My heart ached for Noah, but my mind stayed eerily calm. Grief was there—how could it not be? But I wouldn’t let them pin this on me.

“I didn’t push him.”

I turned to the officer, my voice steady even as my fingertips trembled. “Dozens of people saw what happened. And—” My eyes moved to a small camera above the supermarket entrance. “There’s a security camera right there.”

The officer nodded, sending someone to pull the footage while continuing to interview witnesses.

At the mention of the camera, Bianca’s face paled almost imperceptibly. She immediately burst into louder sobbing, raising her voice frantically to cover up her guilty conscience.

“It’s her, Officer! You have to arrest her! She’s a convicted felon with a criminal history! She’s insane!”

Spurred on by her words, Matteo thrashed harder, spitting threats to kill me.

The crowd murmured, some swayed by Bianca’s performance, others muttering that things didn’t add up. “That’s not what I saw…” “I think the other woman—”

I drew a steady breath, knowing passive waiting was no longer an option. Bianca wanted to use lies and public opinion to drag me down again. This time, I wouldn’t let her.

This time, I would tear her mask off myself.

I stepped forward, my expression calm but my gaze unshakable as it swept over Matteo and locked onto Bianca. My voice was moderate, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Bianca, even now, you’re still putting on a show—trying to pin Noah’s death on me?”

Her wailing cut short. “You’re lying! It was you who—”

I cut her off, every single word cutting deep, sharp as a blade.

“You say I acted out of hatred? Yes, I hate. I hate that Matteo believed your lies, threw me in prison, and cut off my fingers. I hate you, Bianca—you stole my work, stole my awards, and drove me to the edge. And I hate both of you for cutting off my mother’s medical bills while she was dying, leaving her to suffer alone.”

Her revelation crashed over the silent crowd like a boulder plunging into still water, stirring an uproar of shock. People stared at Matteo and Bianca in disbelief.

Matteo froze mid-struggle, his eyes locked on me with an unreadable mix of emotions.

I went on, a thread of pain creeping into my voice.

“I carried Noah for nine months. I nearly died giving birth to him. I loved that child more than anything in this world. Even after you two turned him against me, made him say those hurtful things, I never wanted to hurt him. No mother would. No matter how much I hate you both, I would never—could never—hurt my own son.”

I lifted my maimed right hand, the missing fingers impossible to ignore.