Andrew's POV
The morning after the gala should have been a celebration. The headlines were supposed to be about the fifty-million-dollar donation or the "Power Couple" of New York. Instead, the world woke up to a scandal that shook the very foundations of the city's legal system.
I was in the kitchen, pouring a cup of coffee, when William walked in. He didn't say a word; he just turned on the large television mounted on the wall.
The news ticker at the bottom of the screen was screaming in bright red letters: NYPD DETECTIVE SARAH VANCE ARRESTED. MULTIPLE COUNTS OF EVIDENCE TAMPERING, EXTORTION, AND CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT MURDER.
"It finally broke," William said, his voice cold and devoid of pity.
The news anchor was breathless. "Developing news this morning as the disgraced former lead detective on the Oliver Thompson case, Sarah Vance, was taken into custody late last night. Sources within the Internal Affairs Bureau claim that Vance wasn't just obsessed with her targets—she was a predator. Investigations have uncovered a secret 'trophy' room in her private residence containing evidence from unsolved cases she purposefully sabotaged."
A blurry video played on the screen showing Sarah Vance in handcuffs, being led out of her apartment. Her hair was disheveled, and her eyes... they were wide, darting back and forth with a terrifying, manic intensity. She wasn't just a corrupt cop; she looked completely unhinged.
Emily's POV
I walked into the kitchen just as a photo of Sarah's sister, Sloane, appeared on the screen as a "person of interest."
"Oh my god," I whispered, clutching my robe. "Andrew, look."
The reporter continued: "Evidence suggests that Sarah Vance used her position to systematically destroy the lives of anyone she deemed 'unworthy' of their status. Most chillingly, forensic psychologists are labeling her a high-functioning sociopath. It appears her obsession with the Thompson family wasn't about justice—it was about a psychotic need to dismantle a legacy she couldn't control."
I felt a shiver run down my spine. The woman who had been hunting us, the woman who had sent her sister to infiltrate our lives, was a monster. She didn't have a badge of honor; she had a badge of madness.
"She was a psycho," Leo said, walking in behind me, looking unusually serious. He had a tablet in his hand, scrolling through social media. "The internet is exploding. People she put in jail years ago are already filing for appeals. She didn't just target you, Andrew. She was a one-woman crime wave."
Andrew stood perfectly still, watching the screen. He didn't look happy. He looked relieved, but there was a deep, somber shadow in his eyes. He knew better than anyone what it was like to be hunted by someone who didn't care about the truth.
"She wanted to be the hero of her own twisted story," Andrew said, his voice low and steady. "She thought that by bringing me down, she would be immortalized."
He turned off the TV and walked over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. The chaos of the news felt miles away when I was in his arms.
"Is it finally over?" I asked, looking up at him.
"For her, it's just beginning," Andrew replied, kissing the top of my head. "But for us... the air is finally clear."
"Man," Leo piped up, trying to break the heavy tension. "I knew she was crazy the first time I saw her on TV. No one with that much eyeliner is stable. Anyway, since the villain is behind bars, can we finally talk about the engagement party I'm planning? I'm thinking a yacht. Or maybe an island. Andrew, you have an island, right?"
Andrew let out a genuine laugh—a sound that was becoming more frequent every day. "No, Leo. No islands."
"Not yet," Leo winked.
As we sat down for breakfast, the weight of the last few months finally lifted. The Hunter was now the Hunted, and the Ghost had finally stepped into the sun. We were no longer victims of a psycho's obsession. We were just Emily and Andrew.
And for the first time, that was more than enough.