MasukOne week had passed since Ren's death.Anthony's mansion no longer felt like a home.The curtains remained shut.Empty whiskey bottles littered the living room floor.Anthony sat on the cold tiles with another bottle dangling loosely from his hand, staring blankly at the ceiling.Everything had fallen apart within a week.His wife was dead.The child he had believed was his wasn't.His mother was in police custody.For the first time in his life...Anthony Lead had nothing left.A knock echoed through the house.He ignored it.Another followed.Still nothing.The front door slowly opened.Brian stepped inside.The smell of alcohol almost forced him back outside.His eyes searched the room before finding Anthony sitting against the sofa."My God..."Brian hurried over."What happened to you?"
The atmosphere inside Adrian's house had become much lighter after Cecelia's arrival.Miranda was still exchanging messages with Harold while Valerie and Cecelia cleared the dining table.Just then...Adrain's phone rang.He glanced at the caller ID before answering."What is it?"His expression changed."What?"Without another word, he grabbed his car keys and rushed out of the house.For the first time in a long while, Anthony finally felt like everything was going according to plan.He walked into the living room holding an expensive bottle of red wine.Diane looked up and smiled."So, we're celebrating already?"Anthony nodded."I think we deserve it."He uncorked the bottle and filled three glasses.One for himself.One for Diane.One for Ren.Anthony lifted his glass."To victory."
Six months had passed since the kidnapping.Surprisingly...Nothing happened.The investigation had gone unusually quiet.No new arrests.No fresh evidence.No answers.Life had slowly returned to normal for everyone...Except Ren.She had become a familiar face at the police station.Every week, she was called in for questioning because the two prime suspects were her own brothers.Daniel.Marcus.Only for the entire investigation to take an unexpected turn.The brothers escaped from police custody before they could stand trial.The case immediately became a national headline.Rumors spread in every direction.Some believed they had outside help.Others believed powerful people were involved.But no one could prove anything.Harold Lead personally took over the investigation the moment he heard about the escape.With his influence, the matter was transferred to a special investigative unit.Anthony wanted nothing more to do with it.His only concern was protecting the Lead family's r
Adrian told her over breakfast.He placed a cup of coffee in front of Valerie before taking his seat across from her."Ren's brothers," he said. "They've been arrested."Valerie wrapped both hands around her cup.She wasn't surprised.She had suspected it the moment she heard one of their voices inside the warehouse."So it really was them."Adrian nodded."They've both been charged."Valerie lowered her eyes.Something still didn't feel right.She replayed everything that had happened.The kidnapping.The panic.The way the two brothers behaved.Nothing about it suggested a carefully planned operation."They don't fit," she said quietly.Adrian looked at her."Ren's brothers are reckless.""They're impulsive.""But this..."She slowly shook her head."This wasn't their plan."
Ren opened the door.Two police officers stood outside, their identification cards already raised, their expressions carrying the practiced neutrality of people delivering unpleasant news."Mr. Anthony Lead?" the taller officer asked.Anthony stepped forward."Speaking."The officer slipped his ID back into his pocket."We're following up on yesterday's kidnapping. We'd like you and Mrs. Ren Lead to accompany us to the station to assist with our investigation."Anthony frowned."The station?""Yes, sir.""What is this about?""I'm afraid we can't discuss the details here."A heavy silence settled over the house.Anthony glanced at Ren.Diane looked between them, her uneasiness growing by the second.Ren lowered her eyes.The second officer finally spoke."It won't take long. We simply need a few statements."Anthony ga
The voices came first.Shouts.Running footsteps.Then...The warehouse door burst open.Four security guards stormed inside, followed closely by armed police officers."Police! Nobody move!"Panic erupted.The masked figures scattered toward the back of the warehouse."After them!"Half the officers gave chase while the rest rushed to Valerie and Anthony.A female officer knelt beside Valerie and quickly cut the ropes binding her wrists."Are you hurt?""I'm fine."Across the room, another officer freed Anthony.The warehouse descended into controlled chaos as officers searched every corner.Whoever had planned the kidnapping had vanished into the darkness before they could be identified.Barely minutes later, hurried footsteps echoed through the warehouse.Adrian.His eyes found Valerie immediately.He crossed the room in long strides."Are you alright?"Valerie nodded."I'm fine."He looked her over from head to toe before finally letting out a quiet breath."Good."Only then did h
The review concluded on Friday.Valerie knew it was over before Anthony told her.She felt it in the apartment. The quality of his silence had changed. It was tighter now, less readable than the anxious silence of the previous week.He came home at seven, later than usual, and moved through the apa
Valerie did not sleep.She lay beside Anthony in the dark of their apartment bedroom, her eyes tracking the slow crawl of shadows across the ceiling while his breathing deepened into the heavy, untroubled rhythm of a man with a clean conscience.Which was remarkable, she thought, given that he had
Valerie read the message three times.Each time, the words arranged themselves the same way, clean, deliberate, stripped of anything accidental. Whoever sent it had chosen every word with precision. Not I know what you did. Not I'm watching you.I know what you're planning.Present tense. Active. A
The morning after her wedding, Valerie woke up before Anthony.She lay still for exactly thirty seconds, staring at the ceiling of the hotel suite, listening to his breathing beside her, slow and even and completely unaware.Then she rose without a sound, wrapped herself in the robe hanging behind







