Chapter 111 Echoes Of Valor

• Jeremy POV
• The interrogation room was a sterile cage, its cinderblock walls painted a sickly gray, the air heavy with the metallic tang of old coffee and the faint sting of disinfectant, a stark contrast to the chaos roiling inside me. I sat at the scarred metal table, my wrists chafed from the cuffs they’d removed moments ago, my hands clenched to still their trembling, my heart a relentless drumbeat of fear and resolve, each pulse a cry for Rachel. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, harsh and unyielding, casting shadows across my bruised knuckles, a map of the station’s violence—Nick’s fists, the guards’ rough hands, the accusations that had branded me a predator, a lie Celine had spun to bury me.
• The detective across from me, her notepad filled with my confession, scribbled steadily, her pen’s scratch a soft counterpoint to my ragged breaths, my voice still echoing with the truth I’d laid bare: Chad Tyler’s death, my reckless driving, my family’s bribes, Celine’s blackmail—a secret that had chained me for years, now broken by Rachel’s courage, her blood, her fight. I’d spilled it all, the crash that stole Chad’s life, the rain-slicked road, the screech of metal, my father’s cold efficiency in burying it, Celine’s vulture-like grip on that truth, her threats that had kept me silent, her schemes that had caged me here. The detective’s questions were sharp, her eyes probing but not cruel, and I answered, my voice steady despite the weight of guilt, each word a step toward redemption, a vow to honor Rachel’s sacrifice.