Aurora felt the tightening of his embrace and assumed Lucas was still shaken from the fear of losing her.She gently patted his hand in reassurance.Lucas found it a little amusing. He understood what she meant by the gesture.But only he knew what was truly weighing on his heart.If the day ever came when the truth was uncovered, how would he explain everything to her…Maybe it would be better to find the right time and just tell her everything.Lucas let out a deep sigh in silence.Aurora, comforted by his warmth, drifted off to sleep peacefully.At that moment, some were at peace, while others were anxious and restless.Elsewhere.Joseph had been busy all day and stopped by to see Judy, only to find she wasn’t at the studio.He found it odd.Lately, this woman had been avoiding him.He could see that clearly now.No matter where he tried to find Judy, she always came up with different excuses to avoid seeing him.Sometimes she’d claim she had a stomachache, other times she’d say she
If he said anything more, he’d only become an obstacle to her.“Alright, I understand.”Lucas said seriously, “But if anything happens, you have to tell me. I’ll always be on your side.”Aurora could see the sincerity in his eyes and understood what he meant.Her heart warmed, and the smile on her face grew softer.“Okay. Don’t worry.”Having someone like him by her side was already more than she could ask for.She didn’t need much—just the two of them, together for the long haul.Everything else, she truly didn’t care for.Still, who knew what the future might bring?With that thought, Aurora suddenly looked at Lucas and said, “Lucas, I hope that no matter what happens in the future, you won’t keep anything from me.”Lucas froze.He didn’t understand why she suddenly said that.Was there something behind those words?“Aurora, why would you bring that up out of the blue?”His hands clenched slightly as he tried to keep his emotions in check.But what no one else knew was how unsettled
In Millford, she was always at someone else's mercy.There was no one familiar around, no one she could truly count on.When Hector noticed Tessa had gone quiet, he knew she had given in.Though he found it a little odd, he didn’t press further.It was her choice.Either way, the matter was finally settled.And his task was complete.There was no point dragging this out any longer— he still had other assignments to attend to.No use wasting more time.Zack also felt relieved.At last, he didn’t have to deal with Tessa anymore.Lately, every time he interacted with her, it felt like his brain just didn’t work right, which wasn’t how it started at all.In the beginning, he simply admired her, even pitied her a little.But somewhere along the line, he’d fallen into her trap.Nothing had gone the way he thought it would.Forget it.It was better to send her off before she caused any more delays.But none of them noticed the fleeting shadow that crossed Julian’s face in the corner.His fist
Tessa could only mumble, “Then… what exactly do you want from us?”Hector straightened up, the playful tone from earlier completely gone.His expression returned to its usual sternness, his voice cold and sharp.“It’s not about what I want—it’s about how you’re going to make this right.“You’re from Ravenshore. We don’t have jurisdiction over you here in Millford, so you’ll be sent back.“Also, the phone has conclusive evidence. The account history is tied to you—don’t think you can run.”“Based on what?”Tessa couldn’t hold back anymore. “Where’s your chief? I want to see him.”How could they pin this on her so easily?Besides, she remembered there wasn’t any activity on that account.Could they have made a mistake? Or worse, were they trying to pressure her into confessing something she didn’t do?“You think you can just demand to see the chief?”Zack couldn’t help chiming in from the side.He thought Tessa was being ridiculous.He’d once thought she had nerve, but now it seemed she
No doubt about it—he was sharp.Tessa brought the conversation back to the point. “But those messages… I really can’t say anything about them. I didn’t want Julian to end up like this. But to be blunt, there’s no way to prove those messages are real.“Or rather—how can you prove I sent them?”She fired the question back without flinching.She worked hard to keep her tone even.After all, the number used in Julian’s phone wasn’t saved under her name.That was exactly why she was willing to take the risk and flat-out deny everything.“No way to prove it?”Hector gave a cold snort. “We’ve already used digital forensics to trace the origin of those messages. The linked bank accounts all point to the same person.”He leaned in closer, his voice low and ominous at her ear. “So, Miss Tessa, who do you think that person might be?”The closer he got, the tighter the knot in Tessa’s chest grew.“I… how would I know?” she said, forcing a smile.It didn’t matter. This was all they had—one piece o
In that moment, Tessa didn’t shy away from acknowledging her connection to Julian.She wanted everyone to see that she had nothing to hide.She wasn’t afraid of being investigated.Everything she did could stand up to scrutiny.Hector raised an eyebrow.He couldn’t help but feel a flicker of admiration.He hadn’t expected her to remain this composed under pressure.That kind of nerve was rare.Even Zack was quietly impressed.He wouldn’t have dared speak like that in front of the sergeant, yet Tessa had no problem going toe-to-toe with him.It left him a little stunned.Everything that happened today shattered his previous impression of her.Who said women were weaker than men?Tessa really was a force to be reckoned with.That kind of boldness—he had to respect it.At the very least, she wasn’t one to crumble under pressure.Hector didn’t say anything.He simply gestured for Julian to come over.But the man’s hair was a matted mess, his face smudged with grime.It was hot in Millford,