Hello, Ex! I Finally Found My Worth!-Chapter 101: It’s Vanessa

Margaret who had decided to visit Jake after Claire left stormed into the police station, her heart pounding in her chest.

Her palms were clammy as she clutched her purse tightly, her mind racing with everything she had just learned.

How could things have spiraled so far out of control? The weight of Vanessa's actions pressed heavily on her, and for the first time, Margaret questioned every decision she had made in the name of protecting her son.

Now it dawned on her that she had truly been protecting him blindly and pushing further into becoming the kind of person his father was.

She was just going to ask him if he knew about all Vanessa was doing and if it turned out that he did, she was going to have to report everything to police herself.

Though she loved her son, she wouldn't sit back and watch him get involved with murder or kidnapping without doing anything to stop him.

It was one thing to support him against mistreating his wife and embezzling funds in the company but it was entirely another thing to support him in a crime such as murder and kidnap.

It was over her dead body. She thought as she told an officer about her visit.

The officer led her to the holding cells, where Jake sat slouched on the bench, his head in his hands. He looked up at the sound of her heels clicking against the floor, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"Mother?" he said, standing and stepping closer to the bars. "What are you doing here?"

Margaret glanced around to make sure no one else was within earshot before lowering her voice. "Jake, I need to talk to you. It's important."

Jake's expression hardened. "Did Vanessa send you?" he asked, his voice tinged with frustration. "Because if this is another one of her—"

"It's about Vanessa," Margaret interrupted, her voice trembling slightly. "She's gone too far, Jake. Much too far. Do you know about it? Did you ask her to do all she's doing?"

Jake frowned, stepping closer. "What are you talking about? Why would I ask her to do any of that? How did you know? Were you the one that asked her to have Emma kidnapped?"

"What? Of course not! I only heard about everything from Claire when she came to question me after she and Alex received a call from the kidnappers demanding your release else they would kill Emma," Margaret said glad that Jake didn't know anything too.

"Oh my God. She wasn't joking. How could someone be this heartless...."

Margaret nodded, her face pale as she interrupted. "And that's not all," she said, her voice cracking. "Vanessa killed two men who were watching over Emma from afar. They were just doing their jobs, and she... she had them killed."

Jake stumbled back as if he'd been struck. His mind reeled at the revelation, his stomach churning with a mix of guilt and fury. "Two men?" he repeated, his voice barely audible. "She... killed them?"

"Yes," Margaret said, her voice heavy with regret. "Jake, this has gone beyond anything I could have imagined. Vanessa's crossed a line, and she's dragging you down with her. We need to do something," Margaret said since she didn't want Vanessa getting caught and having it all linked to Jake.

Jake turned away, running a hand through his hair as his mind raced. He thought back to his conversations with Vanessa, her smug confidence as she assured him she had everything under control. How could I have been so blind? He thought bitterly.

Though he could understand that she was only trying to help him, he couldn't bring himself to accept her actions.

"I never asked her to do this," Jake said finally, his voice low and filled with regret. "I asked for her help, yes, but I never wanted her to hurt anyone. And Emma... God, I never wanted her involved in this. Vanessa is crazy and might kill her for real."

Margaret stepped closer, her voice urgent. "Then you need to do something, Jake. If we don't stop Vanessa, she's going to kill Emma."

Jake turned back to her, his jaw set. "You're right," he said firmly. "I can't let this go on. But I'm stuck in here. You'll have to go to Claire and Alex. Tell them everything—about Vanessa, her plan, the murders—all of it."

Margaret hesitated, her mind racing. "What if they ask how I know all of this?" she asked, her voice wavering.

Jake shook his head. "It doesn't matter," he said. "Tell them the truth if you have to. Tell them about my involvement. Let them hate me, let them judge me—whatever it takes. Emma's life is more important than my reputation."

Margaret stared at him, her heart aching for her son. For the first time in a long time, she saw a glimpse of the Jake she used to know—the one who used to love Emma with all his heart.

"I'll do it," she said finally, her voice steady. "I'll tell them everything."

Jake nodded, a flicker of relief passing over his face. "Hurry," he said. "Every second counts. Emma doesn't deserve this—not because of me, and definitely not because of Vanessa."

As Margaret turned to leave, Jake slumped back onto the bench, his mind swirling with guilt and determination.

For the first time, he felt the full weight of his actions—and the consequences they had brought to Emma. He closed his eyes and whispered, "I'll make this right, Emma. I swear I will."

Outside, Margaret sat in her car, the phone trembling in her hand as she stared blankly at the dashboard.

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The weight of the conversation with Jake hung heavy on her, and the thought of what Vanessa was capable of made her stomach churn. She took a deep breath, her fingers hovering over Claire's name.

You have to do this, she told herself, even as her hands shook. For innocent Emma. For Jake. You can't let this go any further.

With a trembling resolve, she pressed the call button.

The phone rang twice before Claire's voice came through, tight and fraught with worry.

"Margaret? What do you want now?" Claire who had been trying to call Alex to know where he is asked, her tone sharp.

Margaret flinched at the hostility but pushed forward. "Claire, I know who's behind Emma's kidnapping," she said, her voice breaking.

There was a brief silence on the other end before Claire gasped before speaking, her tone cautious. "What? You do? Who is it?"

Margaret closed her eyes, steadying herself. "It's Vanessa," she said finally. "Vanessa King."

Claire's sharp intake of breath was audible through the line. "Vanessa?" she repeated, her voice rising in disbelief. "Are you serious? Jake's mistress? Why would she—how do you even know this, Margaret?" Claire asked thinking Jake had probably given the orders to have Vanessa kidnap Emma.

Margaret bit her lip, her guilt bubbling to the surface. "It's not Jake. It's me. I went to her for help," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "When Jake got arrested and you refused to withdraw your statement, I didn't know what else to do. I thought she could help him—maybe bribe someone or find a way to shift the blame. But I didn't know... I didn't know she would go this far."

Claire's head spun as she leaned against the wall in Alex's living room. Margaret went to Vanessa for help? The pieces of the puzzle began to snap into place, each one more horrifying than the last.

"You didn't know?" Claire said, her voice tight with anger. "Margaret, do you realize what you've done? Do you realize how many lives you've ruined by trusting her?"

Tears streamed down Margaret's face as she clutched the phone. "I know," she said, her voice trembling. "I know, Claire. And I'm so sorry. But I never wanted this—Jake never wanted this. He didn't know what Vanessa was planning. He's the one who told me to come to you and tell you everything."

Claire's heart raced as she struggled to process the flood of information. Vanessa. The woman who had always hovered like a dark cloud over Jake and Emma's marriage. The same Vanessa that had almost ruined Alex's life. And now this? Why didn't they even arrest her before?

"What else do you know, Margaret?" Claire asked, her voice a mix of fear and urgency. "Where's Emma? Do you know where Vanessa's keeping her?"

Margaret shook her head, wiping at her tears. "No," she said. "Jake doesn't know either. Vanessa kept everything to herself. But if you can arrest her, she won't have a choice but to talk."

Claire's grip tightened on the phone. Her legs felt like lead, and her chest ached with the weight of it all. Emma, where are you? she thought desperately.

"Margaret," Claire said after a long pause, her voice firm despite the tremor beneath it. "I don't know how to process all of this right now. But if Vanessa is behind this, I'll make sure she answers for it. I'll call the police and figure out what to do next."

Margaret sniffled on the other end, her voice barely audible. "Please, Claire. Save Emma. Do whatever it takes. I'll do anything to help."

Claire's fingers tightened around the phone as she closed her eyes, trying to hold herself together. "I'll handle it," she said finally. "Just... stay out of the way for now."

With that, she hung up, her hand trembling as she set the phone down. The weight of Margaret's confession crushed her, and for a moment, she couldn't move.

Vanessa. Of course it's Vanessa, Claire thought bitterly, her mind racing. But what terrified her most was the thought of what Vanessa might do next.