Cross My Tigress Face the Wrath (Stella) novel Chapter 1027

Adelle’s legs gave out and she sank to the floor, all her strength suddenly gone, as if her very soul had been drained from her body.

Across the room, Derek felt his blood pounding in his ears. With a resounding slam, he hurled the crumpled report onto the coffee table.

“Lying bitch!” he roared. Rage burned through him so fiercely his vision blurred with blackness around the edges. His furious eyes locked on Adelle. In one swift motion, he reached for his waistband and drew his gun, the muzzle leveled straight at her.

Adelle shrieked, terror freezing her in place.

Tension crackled through the room, everyone held captive by Derek’s fury.

The DNA report was undeniable: Finch wasn’t his son.

Not his son. Not his...

If Finch wasn’t his, what about Ivanna and Leanne? Were they his daughters, or had he been lied to his entire life? The memory of Ivanna fleeing with Leanne echoed in his mind—of course they weren’t his. They’d known all along and that’s why they ran. If they’d truly been his, they never would have fled.

At that, Derek felt something inside his chest ignite. “You—You worthless whore! You deserve to die!” he spat.

He was past reason. He disengaged the safety, finger hovering over the trigger, ready to end it all. The three children he had given everything to, raised as his own, were all strangers.

“Dad!” Finch burst forward, throwing himself between Derek and Adelle. His voice was hoarse, trying desperately to reach his father’s sanity—but Derek had nothing left.

For years, Adelle had seemed sacred to him—a vision of virtue. He’d put her on a pedestal, cherished her above all else, held her and her children close, even keeping Dan away from Blacktower just to spare her any worry or strife. He’d loved her unconditionally, and this was how she’d repaid him.

Now Derek’s eyes were bloodshot, burning with a lethal fury.

Seeing Derek truly ready to shoot, Finch’s rage flared. “Dad, how can you do this to us?” he shouted.

Adelle’s voice trembled as she pleaded, “After everything we’ve been through, you—”

He had been alive, vibrant, just seconds ago—now he lay dying in her arms. Adelle’s mind reeled, refusing to accept the horror. Waves of agony and disbelief tore at her, and she let out another heart-wrenching scream.

Glancing up at Derek, her expression twisted with pain and fury. “You monster! You actually shot him! You tried to kill your own son!”

“He’s called you ‘father’ all these years—how could you do this? How could you be so cruel?” Adelle sobbed, her cries a ragged accusation that filled the house.

She truly hadn’t believed Derek would pull the trigger. He had always loved Finch most of all—cherished him, favored him.

But now…

“Yes, maybe he’s not your blood, but he’s been with you, called you father all these years! How can you be so heartless?” Adelle bent over Finch, clutching him as if her embrace alone could keep him alive.

She was on the verge of losing her mind. There was no time for arguments. “Call an ambulance! We need the hospital! Now!” she screamed, her voice echoing through the house as she tried to staunch the bleeding with trembling hands.