The flight from Las Vegas to Atlanta lasted just four hours, though for Hannah it felt like an eternity.Once they landed, the two doctors who had accompanied Jessica wasted no time. They transported her directly to the Colby Co. Family Hospital, ensuring she would receive the best care possible.Hannah followed them, her heart pounding with guilt and fear. She stood outside the glass partition of Jessica’s ward, watching as the doctors fitted her with a fresh oxygen mask, attaching wires and monitors that beeped softly in the background.Tears slipped down Hannah’s cheeks before she quickly wiped them away, not wanting anyone to see her weakness. This is my fault… she thought bitterly. If she hadn’t pushed for that escape, Jessica wouldn’t be lying here in a coma. She pressed her palm against the glass, whispering in her heart, Please wake up, Jessica. Please…The doctor finally emerged, his expression weary but professional. He walked over to Hannah and lowered his voice.“You can g
Hannah sat at the small table in their temporary safe house, staring at the message on her phone. The ominous words burned into her mind:“He’s alive. For now.”Her heart pounded, her grip tightening around the device. She re-read the message over and over, searching for hidden meaning, a clue or anything that could give her hope. Brandon was alive. That much was certain. But the “for now” sent chills down her spine.Across from her, Lucas and Teresa were deep in conversation. Lucas leaned against the counter, arms crossed, his jaw clenched. He was tense, ready to explode. Teresa, in contrast, looked calm as ever, but Hannah could tell she was calculating, plotting their next move.“This isn’t random,” Teresa finally said, exhaling smoke from her cigarette. “Someone wants us to know he’s alive, but only just. They’re playing with us.”Lucas pushed off the counter. “Then let’s stop playing games. We track the number, find out who sent the message, and go after them.”Teresa shook her h
Hannah sat at the edge of the bed, her hands clenched into fists on her lap. Her mind was in turmoil. The weight of everything, Brandon’s disappearance, Jessica’s coma, Linda’s relentless scheming, was pressing down on her like a suffocating force.She had barely slept in days. The dark circles beneath her eyes were deep, a clear sign of exhaustion, but she couldn’t afford rest. Not when there was so much at stake.A soft knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts. Lucas stepped in, his expression serious.“You need to make a decision, Hannah,” he said, his voice firm but understanding. “The company is falling apart. Investors are pulling out. The board is leaning toward voting you out. Linda is taking full advantage of this.”Hannah rubbed her temples. “And what would you have me do, Lucas? Walk away from my missing husband to fight corporate battles with your mother?”Lucas sighed, running a hand through his hair. “That’s not what I’m saying. But Colby Co. is Brandon’s legac
Lucas had left the room to make some calls, leaving Hannah and Teresa alone in the dimly lit space. The air between them was thick with unspoken thoughts, with grief and frustration too heavy to voice.Teresa watched Hannah closely. She looked hollow—her eyes distant, her shoulders sagging under a weight no one could carry for her.“You okay?” Teresa finally asked.Hannah blinked and turned her head, forcing a weak smile. “Yeah.”Teresa hummed in response, clearly unconvinced. She reached into her pocket, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it with a practiced ease. Smoke curled in the air between them.“Do you smoke?” she asked, offering one toward Hannah.Hannah shook her head. “No. I never have.”Teresa chuckled, taking a long drag before exhaling. “Figures.”Silence stretched between them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was the silence of two women who understood each other—different, yet bound by shared pain.“My mother-in-law used to hate me too,” Teresa murmured suddenly, he
Teresa sat in the back of a dimly lit bar, the scent of cigarette smoke and aged whiskey thick in the air. The place was quiet, the kind of underground haunt where no one asked questions, where secrets were currency, and where a person could disappear if they weren’t careful.She checked the time on her phone. Her contact was late.Across the table, Hannah fidgeted with the glass of water in front of her, her expression distant, lost in thoughts she wasn’t ready to speak out loud. Lucas sat beside her, his gaze locked on the entrance, his tension palpable.When the door finally creaked open, Teresa’s eyes narrowed as a tall, wiry man entered, his leather jacket scuffed and his face shadowed with stubble. He scanned the room before spotting her and sauntering over.“You’re late, Marco,” Teresa said, her voice edged with impatience.The man—Marco Ruiz—grinned as he slid into the seat across from her. “Good to see you too, Provenzano. You know how it is—hard to stay alive in this busines
Hannah stood in the dimly lit warehouse, her fingers clenched into fists at her sides. The stale scent of dust and oil filled the air, mingling with the cold fear settling deep in her stomach. The warehouse was one of many they had searched in the last twenty-four hours, but this one felt different. The moment she stepped inside, a weird sensation crawled over her skin, like a presence lingering just out of sight.Lucas moved beside her, scanning the rows of crates stacked high against the walls. His jaw was tight, his frustration barely concealed beneath his calm exterior. Teresa stood a few steps ahead, gun in hand, her eyes sharp as she surveyed their surroundings. They had all hoped—desperately—that this search would yield something more than dead ends and half-truths. But as the minutes ticked by, that hope was slipping.Brandon had vanished without a trace.Every lead they had followed led to nothing. Every whisper, every clue, every trail had been a carefully crafted illus