LOGINArthur still wasn't sure whether to tell Nicole he was her father, or what to do about Irene. He never imagined Irene would go this far."They're both your daughters. How could you treat them so differently?" He was done listening to her excuses. "Irene, do I need to show you the proof that you wanted Nicole dead?"Irene didn't know Poppy recorded the confrontation. "You bugged the house?"Arthur hadn't, but he let her believe it.Irene's face went ashen. She tried to speak, but nothing came out.She wasn't the only one who changed. Arthur was nothing like the man she remembered. Nothing she said would convince him now.After a long silence, she let out a bitter laugh. "Yes, I was a terrible mother. I can't even look Nicole in the eye. But what was I supposed to do? I wanted to save my family. I wanted to marry you and be happy. No one ever gave me a way to have both."Tears rolled down Irene's cheeks. She wanted someone to blame for how her life turned out, but she didn't kno
Arthur couldn't forgive himself when he thought about what Nicole must have gone through growing up in an orphanage.Irene couldn't deny it anymore. She covered her face and cried. "I'm sorry I lied. I was on the table, ready to end the pregnancy, but all I could think about was how this was your baby, too. I couldn't do it."I kept waiting for you to come home. I needed you, but you never came."I couldn't just watch my family lose everything, and marrying Ben was the only way to save the business. But his family never would've accepted our baby."You were still gone, and my parents wouldn't let up. I ended up having her in secret and leaving her at an orphanage."When you came back, I wanted to tell you. But my family was already hearing rumors and asking questions. If I told you, the whole thing would've come out."You're the only man I've ever loved. I wanted to marry you and raise a family with you. But could you have saved my family from bankruptcy?"Her voice cracked, a
Back then, Irene was indeed getting married. Just not to Arthur.Her family went through hell that year, and his work kept him away when she needed him.Arthur felt terrible about letting her down. He wanted to make it up to her and hoped they could still work things out.Through her tears, Irene reminded him that he wasn't there when her family fell apart, when she found out she was pregnant, or when she lost the baby.Now, she was marrying someone else, and she wanted him to stay away.That was the first he heard about the baby or the miscarriage. He didn't know what to say.Then she handed him the ultrasound and the records from the procedure.Still struggling to believe her, Arthur went to the hospital to check her story. There, he saw Ben with her at a prenatal appointment. They looked happy together, and with their similar backgrounds, they seemed like a good match.He told himself she was better off with someone else. He couldn't give her the life she wanted.So he le
Arthur walked in, his expression unreadable.His silence only made Irene more nervous. She stood and forced a smile. "Hi, Arthur."He glanced around the room. "Hi."Irene reached for his briefcase. "It's been a while since you were home. Are you hungry? I can make you something."Arthur ignored the offer and looked at Camila's battered face. "Camila, go to your room. I need a minute with your mother."Camila's face throbbed, and she was still furious about the beating. She tried to think of what to say, but one look from Arthur silenced her.She couldn't bring herself to argue. His steady gaze frightened her more than shouting would have.She got up, went to her room, and shut the door.Arthur sat down and looked at Irene. "Sit down."Irene drew a breath and tried to sound casual. "You're home now, Arthur. You can stop looking like you're about to interrogate someone."Arthur said nothing. He just watched her.He seemed to be searching her face for the woman he once knew.B
Poppy opened the video and found the moment Camila and Irene reached for the soldiers' rifles. "Look, sir. She kept telling her daughter to calm down, but she was getting in the soldiers' way. She wanted to start a fight so you'd think we were attacking you and then shoot us."Nicole was impressed. She didn't expect Poppy to keep such a cool head or figure out what Irene was planning. She couldn't have handled it better.Ross watched the footage several times, his expression growing grimmer with each replay.He saw what happened the first time. But Irene was related to Arthur, and he needed to be certain.With Arthur's family involved, Ross searched the footage for another explanation. The more he watched, the harder it became to deny what Irene was trying to do.Then came the most damning evidence. Analysts isolated Camila's voice from the video and compared it with the recording. The voices matched.No one handling the case wanted to risk getting this wrong. They were still
Camila could barely stand from the pain, but she kept talking through her tears. "That woman is violent and unstable! If she'll attack Commander Hunt's family, imagine what she'll do to everyone else. You need to lock her up and investigate before she hurts someone else!"Several people in the crowd spoke up. "She's right! That woman attacked her for no reason."Some of them witnessed the beating firsthand.Nicole grabbed Camila by the hair and repeatedly slammed her face into the glass. It was brutal. When she finally stopped, Camila's face was covered in blood.Others took Irene and Camila's side the moment they learned of their connection to Arthur.Ross thought for a moment, then slipped the recorder into his pocket. "You're right, Ms. Clark. It doesn't sound like you, but we can analyze the recording. Changing your voice doesn't mean we can't tell who's speaking. We'll have someone check it."Camila's stomach dropped.Disguising her voice might not have been enough. The
Just after midnight, the timer refreshed. One hundred thirty minutes remaining.That meant time could stack.Nicole nearly laughed out loud. Seconds mattered. During crucial moments, even a minute could mean the difference between living and dying.She decided that unless it was absolutely necess
Nicole jolted, then immediately checked with her mind.The storage space was still there. The supplies were still there, too. She tested it; she thought of an item, and a coal briquette appeared in her hand.Sweeping the space again, she noticed the glowing timer had reset to zero.That was when
Nicole never expected the new resident of 1801 to be the same young man who had helped her at the courier station.He looked mildly surprised, too. He nodded once at her, then went back to work.Up close, he was striking in a cold, sharp way. He was tall and lean, with broad shoulders and clean li
Two miles was nothing. The Hummer reached the entrance to the complex in just a few minutes.Nicole handed the man 400 dollars, thanking him for saving her and for ignoring traffic rules.His voice stayed cool. "No need. I was heading this way, anyway."Seeing he wouldn't take it, she didn't push







