Henry’s POV I pinched my nose, the stench clawing at my senses. The sight of the body beneath the black tarpaulin was enough to unsettle anyone. “How long did the forensic team say she’d been in the septic tank?” I asked. “Three weeks,” an officer replied. “We suspect the killer kept her hidden elsewhere, then returned to dump her here.” “Three weeks??.” The thought churned in my stomach. Whoever did this wasn’t reckless, they were careful. That fact chilled me more than the corpse itself. I wanted this scene far from the media’s reach, but when I turned, their cameras were already flashing, circling like vultures. “I have matters at the office,” I told the officers. “You have my contact. You can always reach out to us. The family will cooperate with the investigation.” My gaze flicked back to the tarpaulin. Camelia had insisted on coming here, though I doubted she would recognize the victim’s face. Gabriel,” I called. He immediately fell in step, shielding me from the ca
Lily POV “What… what are you saying, Eric?” I stammered, the words catching in my throat. He looked at me like I was a stranger. “I never knew you to be such a naïve girl, Lily.” My mouth opened, but nothing came out. “Or…” he leaned in slightly, voice lower,“…are you just trying to push me away? Even after giving you the opportunity you’ve always wanted?” I shook my head, feeling my pulse in my ears. “That’s not—” “Well,” he cut in smoothly, “I won’t push you Lily. I’ll wait for you to come to me instead.” He smirked from his pocket, he slid out a key card and pressed it into my palm. “Here. Room 317. If you don’t show up… I’ll assume you didn’t really want me after all.” I stared at him, my fingers tightening around the card like it might burn me. “Tell Judy I’ll be leaving first,” he added, his tone suddenly casual, like this wasn’t shattering me inside. “I have something to catch up on.” His hand came up to my cheek — warm, soft, lingering a second too long — b
Lily POV“Dad, I’ll be reading at Judy’s place tonight,” I said, scooping the last bite of scrambled eggs into my mouth.“It’s past 8 p.m. already. Lily, what have I told you about going out late?”I’ll be sleeping over…” I shrugged, mumbling with food still in my mouth, then gave a small, guilty smile as I avoided his eyes and nudged my plate forward.He let out a low sigh. “You just do what pleases you. Just drop a message when you get there, at least let me know you’re safe, miss.”“I will, Father.”I replied with a smile, grabbing my bag and headed for the door.*****There was no need to knock—I was practically family here—but courtesy demanded I do, so I tapped lightly on the door.The door opened just as I knocked and Susan’s little sister peeked out.“Hey, darling,” I said, ruffling her hair with a soft smile. “Where is everyone?”“They’ve all gone to bed,” she whispered, pointing toward the hallway.“And you?” I teased. “Still up?”“Trying to finish schoolwork,” she said, twi
“Henry!” A deep voice echoed in the room—familiar, yet distant. It was too real to be part of any dream. I stirred, barely opening my eyes. Maybe I imagined it. “Henry!” This time, it was louder and sharper. I jerked upright in bed, heart racing. And there he was. My father, standing right before me. I froze almost immediately. He wasn’t supposed to be here. Not now. Not yet. Not after months of being halfway across the world. And definitely not first thing in the morning. His face was like a storm—furious, with his eyebrow furrowed.His presence was ice cold. “Is this how you’ve decided to run the company?” he barked, arms crossed like he’d been waiting years to explode. My mouth parted slightly. My mind was still catching up. “When… when did you get back?” “Does it even matter now, Henry?” he snapped. “Is this the mess you want to turn Castle into?” I blinked, still trying to understand what he was referring to. My limbs moved before my brain could regist
Camelia POVI remained silent for a few seconds, the thought of running crossing my mind—again. Why am I always the one running away? He’s the one who made the move. And it wasn’t even that deep last time—we were only trying to prove something to Lydia. And now? He hurt his hand and used his lips instead.That explained the situation… right?“Camelia,” Henry called softly. “I’ve gotten it off,” he muttered with a faint smile.“Thank you,” I whispered, picking at my fingers. I quickly dropped them and tried to act like it was nothing.“Let’s finish up,” he added, but he kept fumbling with his left hand.“Here,” I said, reaching across the dining table to take the spoon from him.“What?” he mumbled with food in his mouth.I got up and walked over to where he sat, gently taking the spoon from his hand.“Let me do it,” I said, persuading him.“It’s actually fine, Camelia… I can manage—”“No, you can’t, Henry. You’ve barely had three spoonfuls,” I replied, glancing at his bandaged hand han
Gabriel POVShe deserved every word I uttered. All I want is for us to go back to the way we were...As I slid into the driver’s seat, I cast a glance at the back. Henry had dozed off, which was for the better. At least he wouldn't be asking about Camelia.With that, I pulled out of the hospital parking lot.We were only a few minutes into the drive when Henry stirred awake."Where is Camelia?" he asked groggily, while his eyes were scanning the car."Uh… she said she wanted to pick up a few things from the market," I lied."What?" he blurted out, jerking forward, then he winced in pain, clutching his sprained arm more carefully."Stop this car right now!"What the hell does he mean by that?"Gabriel, pull over. Right now!" he barked, louder this time.Startled, I hit the brakes and pulled over to the side of the road."Where did you say Camelia went again?""She said she wanted to stop by the market and would head home afterwards," I repeated, trying to keep my tone calm."Gabriel, r