•Juliet POV•"You need to relax, Jules," Vera said gently, settling beside me on the edge of my bed. “I know I shouldn’t be saying this right now, but you need to be strong, for Jace.”“How can I be strong, Vera?” I choked, tears streaming down my cheeks as I wiped them with the back of my palm. “Jace was all I had, and now I’m supposed to sit here and pretend everything will be alright? Mrs. Bianca is dead, Vera. This is serious. My mind keeps circling back to the court case I filed against James, I can't help but feel like all of this is connected.”Vera’s lips parted, but she paused, falling into silence for a moment, clearly weighing her thoughts before she spoke. “Who else could be responsible, if not him? Eric suspected him from the start. He told me last night that he already informed the cops. But if James really is behind all this, wouldn’t he have contacted you by now? Threatened you to drop the case or something?”“I don’t know what to think anymore,” I whispered, pressing
•Edward’s POV•“I wonder who is doing this,” Mrs. Francis said as we walked towards the hospital exit. “Mrs. Bianca was a free person. She never hated anyone and had always been careful. I just don’t understand why someone would want to kill her… and Jace? I don't even know what to think.”I stared ahead, her voice barely registering as Josh’s words from the previous night echoed in my mind. This has to be James. It has to be him. The memory of our last encounter at the Grigs Empire sent a cold shiver down my spine.“Whoever is doing this won’t get away with it,” I muttered through clenched teeth, anger crawling up my arms like fire beneath my skin. I could barely contain it anymore.Mrs. Francis turned her head slightly to glance at me. “Do you know if Miss Ryder has any enemies? Someone who might want to hurt her?”I shoved my hands deep into my coat pockets as we continued walking. “For a successful businesswoman like her, she definitely has a lot of enemies,” I replied, though my
•Juliet's POV•The sharp, repetitive ringing of my phone jolted me awake. The sound prickled against my pulse. For a moment, I thought, hoped, I would open my eyes and see Jace’s little face peering over the bed, his giggles filling the room.But reality was cruel. The bed was empty. The room was silent. And the previous day event came crashing back in my thought.My heart skipped as I reached out and grabbed the phone, pressing it to my ear. “Hello?”“Miss Ryder, it’s Mrs. Francis,” came the voice on the other end. “I found her. I found Mrs. Bianca. You need to come quickly. I'm at Newcastle Hospital.”My heart thudded in my chest as I jumped out of bed. “I’m coming,” I said and hung up before she could say more.Still in my pajamas, I rushed out of the room and down the stairs. I was about to head to Eric’s room when I spotted him asleep on the living room couch, his head tilted to the side.He must’ve stayed there all night. I hated to wake him, but there was no time.“Eric!” I cal
•Juliet’s POV•"I'm sorry, Miss Ryder, but we're doing all we can to ensure we find your son," said the officer, a chubby man dressed in a navy blue police uniform with a silver badge pinned firmly on his chest, his cap slightly tilted to one side and the buttons on his shirt straining at the seams. He stood opposite Vera, Eric, and me, his expression apologetic but tired."You can’t tell me that,” I said, shaking my head, disbelief thick in my voice. “My son hasn’t been found, and you're telling me you're doing all you can?""Ma’am, please try to understand," the officer said, his voice calm yet edged with practiced firmness. “We’ve run a few checks, and according to the new information we got from Eric, we’re now focusing our efforts on locating Mrs. Bianca.”I sniffled, my throat burning as I opened my mouth to speak, but Vera gently took my hand.“Jules,” she said softly, “it’s already getting late. Let the cops continue the search. We’ll come back first thing in the morning.”I t
•Edward’s POV•My heart broke as I stared at Juliet’s state, the way she cried and the pain she was in. It hurt me deeply to see her like that. I could only wish I could wipe her tears and make her feel better, but she wouldn't let me come close to her.She must still hate me so much that she didn’t even want me around. I brushed my hand through my hair, thinking of what to do. The situation had turned far worse, especially now that it was getting dark, and the moonlight had begun to shine through the sky.“Miss Ryder, I promise you’ll find him,” the woman tried to console Juliet. But as she got into the car, Juliet didn’t say a word, and Vera did the same. Soon, the car pulled out of the estate.“Where could Mrs. Bianca be?” I asked the woman. She looked at me and let out a deep sigh.“As the old woman said, Mrs. Bianca doesn’t really go anywhere besides the school and home. She’s a loner. Mrs. Bianca used to be married years ago, but after her husband divorced her, she’s been on her
•Juliet's POV•"Don't worry, Jules. I'm sure you'll find him," Vera said, trying to console me. But her words only made my chest tighten more. My throat felt like it was closing, and I couldn’t even speak. My head spun with panic.Where could Jace be?The question throbbed in my mind like a drumbeat, loud and relentless. I gripped my phone with shaking fingers and dialed Mrs. Bianca’s number for what must’ve been the fourteenth time."Where could she be that she’s not picking up?" I muttered through clenched teeth."Maybe she’s not with her phone, Jules. You need to calm down," Vera said gently. "I'm sure Jace is still at school. Maybe Eric made a mistake—""Calm down? Vera, I can't be calm!" I cried out, my voice breaking as my eyes shot toward Eric, who was gripping the steering wheel tightly. His knuckles had turned white as he maneuvered swiftly through the thick traffic."Eric can't be wrong," I said, trying to breathe past the lump in my throat. "If Jace was at school, he would'