Ella and her mother alighted their carriage, their eyes fixed on the police station towering over them. Never in Ella's life did she believe she would be coming to visit her father in prison. With what had been going on, she didn't know whether to disagree that the allegations were true or not.

The newspaper claimed he provided them with evidence. Ella still found it hard to believe that there was a possibility her father was a murderer. The impression dispatched chills through her body. She didn't know if she should be angry at him or sad. He, after all, saved her by doing what he did. No one was talking about her case again and the newspaper wasn't being spread again.

All that was on everyone's tongue was the private secretary and his boss who killed over ten people. Though her father had his demons, he still tried to make up for his bad parenting by sacrificing himself for her. When she saw the newspaper earlier this morning, she almost fainted.

When her father said he had a plan, she didn't know it was this. She was still hesitant to acknowledge that he carried out those kills of his own free will. She was convinced that Gerrard had him on his thumbs and was just playing her father as a puppet. There was no way the man she grew up with was naturally a serial killer.

This all had to be Gerrard's doing.

She was glad he had been declared a public threat but it was all at the cost of her father's freedom. And Robert knew about this and didn't tell her. She clenched her jaw and balled her fist. She thought they had both agreed to tell each other everything after she forgave him yesterday.

He knew if she had an idea about this, she wouldn't let her father do it. She didn't care if he truly was a murderer. The fact he was willing to sacrifice himself for her, that was enough to atone for his sins. He had his demons, but not everyone was perfect.

They climbed up the stairs that led to the station. Two Bobbies wearing tall hats held truncheons and guarded the wide entrance.

"I didn't do it, I swear!" A man yelled as he was being trudged by an officer into the building.

The lobby of the station was tiled with brown marbles, the ceiling covered with white paint. There were benches by the left where people sat, waiting for for their turn to meet the receptionist— a middle-aged man with permed dark hair.

Ella and her mother perched on the benches and waited for their turn. As the minutes flew by, Ella's mother tapped her feet anxiously against the floor. She had been unable to keep her fingers and leg in one place since she read the newspaper.

Her parents tried to hide it from her, but she knew they were deeply in love with each other. If not, why would they adopt Ella and be capable of showing her love like she was their child?

"Don't worry mother," Ella said, placing a hand on her mother's lap to solace her anxiety. "I'm sure father is innocent. Gerrard probably made him kill those people. Father isn't like that."

"I hope so," Mrs Featherington said, locking her hands. She frowned at the receptionist. "He can't even be fast."

"Relax, mother."

Ella told her mother that, but she knew deep down that she was as anxious as her mother. Her conscience believed that it would be better if her father was forced to do those acts. She hoped he didn't do it of his free will.

After thirty minutes of waiting, they were finally attended to. A Bobby with a big moustache led them to a room Ella assumed to be a waiting room. Inmates in grey coveralls were speaking with their visitors at circular tables.

They took a seat and waited for their father. The burglary proof at the corner of the room opened and their dad walked out. He had only spent a night here and he already had tired-looking eyes. They lit up when he saw Ella and his wife.

"Harry," Mrs Featherington held his hand as he joined them in their seat. Ella at this moment felt like he was in this situation because of her. She was so angry at him for being a bad father that she pushed him to this limit.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"How could you do this without telling us?" His wife asked, her eyes already tearing up.

He covered her hands with his. "Don't cry, Eveline. I had to do what was necessary for our daughter."

Our daughter... Despite what she thought of his bad parenting, he still thought of her as his child. Despite her not forgiving him, he was still willing to go above and beyond for her; His daughter. No man would be willing to go this far to protect his child if he didn't love them.

"Father, tell me you were forced to do this, please," Ella said. "Please tell me you didn't willingly take these people's lives."

"Of course, I didn't willingly do it."

Ella and Mrs Fewtherington visibly sighed. But that didn't change the fact that he had killed over ten people. Maybe her father wasn't the holy man she thought him to be. But who was she to judge? Nobody was perfect. And she was sure if he was given the chance to do things differently, he would.

"There's something I didn't tell you two earlier," Mr Featherington said, bending in over the table. "When I started working for Gerrard, he had asked to kill a man that refused to sell a plot of land to him. I refused and Gerrard framed me by killing the person and leading all evidence to me. Since then, he told me that if I were ever to tell anyone about his devilish acts, he'll expose me and kill my family. And that was when I started killing for him."

Poor man. Her father was being blackmailed this whole time. Gerrard had his thumbprints over everyone and was ruining their lives. What sort of man was he? What could've made Gerrard this way? No man would wake up and decide to be a serial killer.

"I know I may not look like the perfect man you all thought me to be, but I promise I would've done things differently if I didn't have my family on the line."

"You're a good man, father," Ella said, smiling kindly at her father. She had to forgive her father and move on. He was making efforts and she had to be kind enough to give him a chance. Keeping grudges with him would only hurt her further. "We would never see you as a bad person. We understand Gerrard is to blame for all these. You were only trying to protect us. I forgive you."

"Oh dearest," he said his eyes glossy with tears as he kissed Ella's hand. "You don't know how much that means to me."

He truly valued her apology. Ella was appreciative of that. Her father had changed. Those words he spelled out yesterday seemed too good to be true. But after what he did today for her, she was glad he was her father.

"We'll get you out of here," Ella promised, nodding assuredly at him.

"I take it that the news on Ella has stopped spreading?" He asked, his dark eyes serious.

Ella nodded. "The Captain made sure everyone single newspaper he could get his hands on was confiscated."

"God bless him," Mr Featherington said, holding onto his wife and daughter's hand. "Both of you should promise me you wouldn't try to do anything stupid to get me out of here."

"We promise," Ella and her mother said.

Ella didn't know about her mother, but she knew sure as hell that she wouldn't let her father rot in jail. She would make sure she get Gerrard to confess his deeds and save her father. For now, she had a bone to pick with Robert.

How dare he hide her father's plan from her?

******