Chapter 1

It wasn't until I saw the message that my daughter, Anna Stone, had posted in the family group chat that it truly hit me. I'd been given a second chance at life.

The message she had sent read, "There's a letter in the safe. If I'm not back in a week, make sure you open it."

My heart skipped a beat as memories from my past life surged back all at once. This wasn't just any letter; it was a farewell letter.

Out of curiosity, my husband, Wayne Stone, opened the letter. He'd always adored Anna and, the moment he read it, his expression hardened.

That same day, he uploaded a photo of her to Instagram with the caption, "I heard Anna's on a mission. Let's see how many drug dens she'll take down this time."

I froze in disbelief when I saw the post.

As I clutched my phone and yelled at him, "Anna's on a drug bust! Do you even realize how dangerous this is? You exposed her mission for the world to see! Were you hoping she wouldn't come back alive?"

I lunged for his phone to delete the post, but he slapped me. In our 30 years of marriage, he'd never raised his voice at me, let alone raised a hand. This was the first.

Wayne's eyes were dark and merciless, as if he wanted to rip me limb from limb. "You idiot! What makes you think you can question me? Do you think I'm still unaware of everything she's done?"

Bewildered, I reached for the farewell letter, but Wayne snatched it away.

Desperate, I called my son-in-law, Gabriel Morrison.

He adored Anna more than anything. The last time she went on a mission, a trafficker had stabbed her in the thigh. He hadn't left her side for a full week at the hospital, never going home.

The moment he heard what had happened, he was instantly on my side. "Wayne! What you're doing could get Anna killed and put her whole team in danger!"

Gabriel, who'd always respected Wayne, punched him squarely in the face. He snatched Wayne's phone, ready to take down the Instagram post.

Wayne scrambled to his feet, yelling, "Check this out first!"

It was the farewell letter again.

Gabriel swayed on his feet after reading it. The phone and the letter slipped from his fingers, landing on the floor.

"Wayne, you did the right thing. If Anna's bold enough to pull this, she'll have to face the consequences!" he spat, his voice cold and steely.

Gabriel and Anna had each other's locations pinned. Without hesitation, he posted her location online. Then, he posted it alongside all of her achievements over the years on foreign sites, stirring up a swarm of enemies.

Anna's twin brother, Casper Stone, was seething. They had always been inseparable since birth.

He jumped into his car, intent on taking Wayne and Gabriel straight to the police station. "What are you guys doing? If anything happens to Anna, I'll personally see to it that you end up in jail!"

The thought of Anna possibly being harmed after her identity was exposed twisted my stomach into knots.

However, just as Casper had settled into his car, Wayne pressed his head down onto the steering wheel. "Calm down! Read what Anna wrote in her letter first!"

After reading the letter, Casper turned to me too. Tears glimmered in his eyes, and there was a hard edge of hatred too.

I panicked, asking him to show me the letter, but he shredded it right before me. "Mom, let's go home. Stop making a scene."

I demanded answers, my voice rising hysterically, but they restrained me and locked me up.

Then, one day, devastating news arrived. Drug lords had killed Anna and her 37 teammates.

I cried as I confronted them, wishing I could drag them down with me. However, they felt no remorse.

Worse, they actually handed me over to other drug lords. Even in death, I found no peace.

This time, I'd protect Anna at all costs.

What exactly had she written in that farewell letter?