He Kills My Mother for Her Beach House

Chapter 7

"I'm giving you one day," Jacob said coldly. "Find out where Juliana is."

His assistant nodded, face pale, and bolted out the door.

Wendy stood there, biting her lip, refusing to accept the shift in power. A moment later, her eyes brimmed with tears as she choked out, "Jacob… maybe I shouldn't have gone to the funeral."

"If I hadn't gone to pay my respects to Auntie… maybe you two wouldn't have argued."

Normally, when Wendy acted fragile like this, Jacob would've pulled her into his arms, whispering reassurances. But this time, her words grated on his nerves.

He snapped, "Can you just let me have a moment to think?"

Wendy froze in disbelief, then burst into tears.

Jacob sighed and rubbed his temples. Guilt crept in, and he pulled her into a half-hearted hug. "Wendy, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

She clung to him tightly, pressing her face into his chest. But behind his back, her eyes darkened with resentment.

"It's okay," she whispered sweetly. "Now that she's missing… I'm worried about Juliana too."

Jacob didn't respond. His eyes had locked onto the small box sitting on the table. He gently pulled away from Wendy and opened it.

Inside were several documents and a USB drive.

As he skimmed through the papers, the color drained from his face.

It was a medical report. His mother-in-law's.

The diagnosis was clear: her illness had been treatable. But someone had chosen to end treatment early.

"Did Juliana already know about this?" Jacob sank into the chair, his voice barely audible.

Wendy reached for his hand, feigning concern. "Jacob, don't blame yourself. You didn't do anything wrong. You weren't obligated to spend five million dollars on her care."

He didn't reply. With a heavy breath, he picked up the USB and inserted it into his laptop.

The video that popped up was grainy, security cam footage, clearly dated. But the moment it played, Wendy's face went rigid.

With a loud smack, she slammed the laptop shut.

Jacob's eyes narrowed.

Wendy hugged herself, her voice trembling. "It's… it's the video from the day I accidentally hurt Juliana's mom. I'm scared, Jacob. Please… can we not watch it?"

Jacob didn't say a word. After a long pause, he turned to a nearby maid. "Take Wendy to the next room. Let her rest."

Wendy's eyes widened in panic. She latched onto his arm, desperate. "Jacob, please don't watch it! I don't want you to see, "

But this time, he didn't budge. No more indulgence. No more excuses.

He calmly opened the laptop and hit play.

Three minutes later, Jacob shot to his feet, his whole body shaking with rage.

He stormed into the next room.

Wendy was pacing. The second she saw him, she ran toward him, cautious but hopeful. "Jacob?"

But his eyes were no longer warm. They were cold. Hollow. Shattered.

"Wendy," he growled, gripping her shoulders, "why did you lie to me?"

His voice cracked from the weight of it. "What did you tell me back then?"

"She was apologizing to you the entire time."

"You stood there and let her beg while you, " He broke off, voice trembling. "Wendy, how could you? She was an elderly woman!"

Wendy whimpered, tears spilling. "Jacob, you're hurting me, "

He released her and took a step back, staring at her like he didn't recognize the woman in front of him.

"I always believed my mother-in-law had provoked you," he said bitterly. "That she pushed you first."

"But I was wrong."

"I blamed the victim. I defended you."

His voice dropped, each word laced with disgust. "I never imagined you were capable of something like this."

"You're cruel."