CHAPTER 26

Three remain.

One dies tomorrow.

Choose carefully.

The words seemed to burn themselves into Dani's mind.

She stared at the paper.

Read it once.

Twice.

Three times.

Hoping the message would somehow change.

It didn't.

The list remained exactly the same.

Julian Carter Vance.

Stella Carter Vance.

Elena Cross.

Daniella Mitchell.

Four names.

Yet the note claimed three would remain.

Meaning one of them was marked for death.

Within twenty-four hours.

A cold sweat broke across Dani's skin.

For the first time since this nightmare began, the danger felt immediate.

Personal.

No more anonymous texts.

No more mysterious photographs.

No more decades-old secrets.

Someone was threatening murder.

Again.

And this time, her name was on the list.

---

The underground garage had become absolute chaos.

Police officers swarmed the crime scene.

Detectives barked orders.

Evidence teams photographed everything.

Yet Dani barely noticed.

Her gaze remained fixed on the page.

On her own name.

A name that absolutely did not belong there.

"What does this mean?"

Her voice sounded distant.

Even to herself.

Julian took the list from her hand.

His expression darkened.

"Exactly what it says."

The answer wasn't comforting.

Not remotely.

Stella folded her arms tightly.

Too tightly.

As though trying to hold herself together.

"Someone is playing games."

The detective shook his head.

"No."

Everyone looked at him.

The older man's expression was grim.

Experienced.

The expression of someone who had investigated far too many murders.

"This isn't a game."

Silence followed.

Because everyone knew he was right.

The board member lying beneath the white sheet nearby proved it.

Someone was already dead.

Again.

The detective looked toward Julian.

"Whoever is behind this knows your history."

Julian's jaw tightened.

"They know more than that."

The detective frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Julian looked down at the list.

Then at the symbol beside the message.

The circle.

The triangle.

The letter V.

A symbol connected to Victor Vance.

His father.

Or perhaps not his father.

Not anymore.

Not after everything they'd learned.

"This started long before Thomas Reed."

Nobody argued.

Nobody could.

Because that much was becoming painfully obvious.

---

An hour later, they returned to the penthouse.

Nobody wanted to.

Yet there was nowhere else to go.

The city outside seemed darker than usual.

More threatening.

Every shadow felt dangerous.

Every stranger felt suspicious.

The list sat on the dining table.

A constant reminder.

A countdown.

A warning.

Dani paced the room.

Unable to sit still.

Unable to think clearly.

Her name.

Her name was on the list.

Why?

The question kept repeating.

Why her?

She wasn't connected to Room 214.

She wasn't part of the switched babies.

She wasn't part of the conspiracy.

She wasn't even born when any of it happened.

So why was she included?

The thought hit her suddenly.

Hard.

Like a punch to the chest.

The baby.

Her hand immediately drifted toward her stomach.

Fear curled inside her.

Because maybe this wasn't about her at all.

Maybe it was about the child.

Julian noticed.

Immediately.

His eyes followed the movement.

His expression changed.

Just slightly.

Enough.

Enough to reveal concern.

Real concern.

The realization made Dani's chest ache.

Because despite everything...

He cared.

And that somehow made the danger feel even more real.

---

The stranger—who still hadn't revealed her actual name—stood near the windows.

Watching the city.

Thinking.

Finally, she spoke.

"My mother kept another file."

Everyone looked up.

Immediately.

Another file.

Another secret.

Of course.

At this point, nobody was even surprised anymore.

"Where?"

Julian asked.

The woman hesitated.

Then:

"I don't know."

The room collectively exhaled.

Disappointment.

Frustration.

Exhaustion.

She continued quickly.

"But I know who does."

That got everyone's attention back.

Instantly.

Julian stepped forward.

"Who?"

The stranger's face darkened.

"A man named Harold Grayson."

The name meant nothing to Dani.

Clearly it meant something to Stella.

Because she went pale.

Again.

And Dani was starting to notice a pattern.

Every new clue seemed capable of terrifying Stella.

"Harold is alive?"

Stella whispered.

The stranger nodded.

"As far as I know."

Julian frowned.

"Who is he?"

Nobody answered immediately.

Then Stella finally spoke.

Her voice low.

Uneasy.

"Harold Grayson was Victor's lawyer."

The room went silent.

Because Victor Vance seemed connected to everything.

Every lie.

Every secret.

Every death.

Even years after his own.

---

Midnight turned into one in the morning.

Then two.

Nobody slept.

Nobody even tried.

The investigation consumed everything.

The list.

The murders.

The switched babies.

The hidden identities.

The mystery had grown too large.

Too dangerous.

Too personal.

At around two-thirty, Dani finally sat down.

Exhaustion winning the battle.

Her body felt heavy.

The pregnancy nausea lingered.

The stress wasn't helping.

Neither was the complete lack of sleep.

Julian noticed immediately.

Of course he did.

Without a word, he crossed the room.

Placed a glass of water beside her.

Then returned to his seat.

No dramatic conversation.

No emotional confession.

Just water.

A simple gesture.

Yet somehow it affected her more than it should have.

Because beneath all his coldness...

Beneath all his walls...

Julian always seemed to notice when she was struggling.

The thought lingered longer than she wanted.

---

At three in the morning, everything changed.

Again.

Julian's phone rang.

Unknown number.

Everyone froze.

The same reaction every time.

Fear.

Expectation.

Dread.

Slowly, he answered.

Nobody spoke.

The room remained completely silent.

Listening.

Waiting.

Then Dani watched Julian's expression change.

Immediately.

Shock.

Then anger.

Then disbelief.

"What?"

His voice cracked through the room.

Dangerously sharp.

The caller continued speaking.

Whatever they were saying seemed impossible.

Julian looked toward Stella.

Then toward the stranger.

Then toward Dani.

The color drained from his face.

Again.

Finally, he ended the call.

Nobody moved.

Nobody breathed.

"What happened?"

Dani asked.

Julian didn't answer immediately.

His gaze remained fixed on the phone.

Then:

"They found Harold Grayson."

Relief swept through the room.

Briefly.

Until everyone noticed Julian's expression.

Because that wasn't relief.

Not even close.

That was horror.

Pure horror.

Stella noticed too.

"What happened to him?"

Julian swallowed.

Then answered.

And the words sent ice through Dani's veins.

"He's dead."

---

The room exploded.

"No."

Stella stood immediately.

"No, no, no."

The stranger looked equally stunned.

Julian remained motionless.

"He died thirty minutes ago."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Because the timing wasn't coincidence.

It couldn't be.

Not anymore.

Harold Grayson knew something.

Harold Grayson could identify someone.

Harold Grayson could reveal the truth.

And now he was dead.

Just like Thomas.

Just like the nurse.

Just like the board member.

The list was shrinking.

One witness at a time.

Dani felt sick.

Because suddenly the killer seemed unstoppable.

Every lead died.

Every clue disappeared.

Every witness vanished.

As though someone was always one step ahead.

Always watching.

Always listening.

Always waiting.

Then Julian looked at the stranger.

"Who else knew about Harold?"

The woman froze.

A subtle reaction.

Yet enough.

Enough for everyone to notice.

Julian's eyes narrowed.

"Who?"

The stranger looked away.

For the first time since arriving.

A bad sign.

A very bad sign.

Then she answered.

Quietly.

Almost reluctantly.

"Thomas."

The room went still.

Again.

Because somehow it always came back to Thomas Reed.

Always.

Then she added:

"And Elena."

---

Nobody spoke for several seconds.

Then Dani's phone vibrated.

The sudden sound nearly made her jump.

Unknown number.

Her pulse exploded.

Slowly.

Carefully.

She opened the message.

A photograph appeared.

Nothing else.

No words.

No explanation.

Just a photograph.

Dani stared.

Then felt her blood run cold.

Because she recognized the location immediately.

The hospital.

Room 214.

The original room.

The beginning.

The photograph appeared recent.

Very recent.

Taken within hours.

And standing in the doorway—

Looking directly at the camera—

Was an older woman.

Dark hair.

Sharp eyes.

Elegant posture.

The same woman from Julian's phone.

Elena Cross.

Alive.

Watching.

Waiting.

A second message arrived.

This one contained text.

Only six words.

Six words that made Dani's heart stop.

She's not hiding from them.

A pause.

Then another message arrived.

The final message.

The one that shattered everything.

They're hiding from her.

At that exact moment, every screen inside the penthouse suddenly lit up.

Televisions.

Tablets.

Computers.

Phones.

All of them.

Simultaneously.

One image appeared across every display.

A live security camera feed.

From a hospital corridor.

Room 214.

Present day.

Not archived.

Not recorded.

Live.

And standing outside the room...

Holding a gun...

Was Elena Cross.