LOGINElena called back the next morning with a correction."I made a mistake. There are two Emma Sterlings. The one in Manhattan works in finance. But Gregory Sterling's daughter is different. Emma Sterling, age thirty, lives in Boston. Works as an artist.""You're sure?""Yes. I mixed up the records. Common name. But I have the right one now. Gregory's daughter moved to Boston ten years ago. Right after he died. She's been there ever since.""Send me her information.""Already did. But Aria, this Emma might not want to talk. She cut ties with the Sterling family years ago. Lives a quiet life. No social media. No public presence.""I'll take my chances."Marcus and I drove to Boston that afternoon. Three hours. Neither of us speaking much.Emma Sterling lived in a small apartment in Somerville. Working-class neighborhood. Nothing like the Upper East Side wealth her father had.I knocked. Waited.The woman who answered was thin. Pale. Paint stains on her hands. She looked exhausted."Emma S
Elena called back two hours later. During the wedding dinner. Small Italian restaurant. Just the six of us.I stepped outside to take it. Marcus followed."I have a name," Elena said. "The man your mother was dating. Robert Mitchell was an alias. His real name was Gregory Sterling."The ground shifted. "Sterling? As in Thomas Sterling?""His brother. Thomas ran the law firm. Gregory was the silent partner. Handled investments. Corporate acquisitions. Very wealthy. Very connected.""Emily's uncle.""Yes. Emily Sterling's uncle. Though she was young when he died. Probably doesn't remember him well."My mind raced. Gregory Sterling. Thomas's brother. Covenant member. Dating my mother."How did they meet?""Social circles. Your parents moved in wealthy Manhattan society. Gregory was part of that world. After your father died, Gregory started showing up. Dinners. Events. Became close to your mother.""Did Victor know?""Yes. Multiple witnesses confirm Gregory attended Ashford family gather
I couldn't let it go.The man my mother was seeing. The unnamed person in her suicide note. He haunted me.Who was he? Why did she mention him? Did he help Victor kidnap me?Marcus found me at three AM reading the note again."You need to sleep. The wedding is tomorrow.""I need to know who this man was.""Santos is investigating.""Santos has a hundred other cases. This is personal to me. I need someone focused. Someone who'll dig deep."Marcus sat beside me. "What are you thinking?""Hiring a private investigator. Someone good. Someone who specializes in cold cases.""Aria, this happened twenty-two years ago. Most PIs won't touch it.""Then I'll find one who will."He took the note from my hands. "Are you sure you want to know? What if this man was just a boyfriend? Nothing to do with the kidnapping? You're building him into a villain because you need someone to blame.""Or he was involved. And Catherine Cross knows it. That's why she included this note. To taunt me. To show she kno
After forensics cleared the box, Santos brought it to the loft."There's more inside. Under the veil. We photographed everything, but you should see it."My hands shook lifting the tissue paper. Under the bloody veil: photographs. Dozens of them.A woman. Beautiful. Dark hair. Warm smile. Holding a little girl.Me. And my mother.Catherine Ashford. My biological mother. Alive. Happy. Before everything fell apart.I couldn't breathe. I'd never seen these photos. Never seen her face clearly. Just the one formal portrait Victor had shown me.These were different. Candid. Real. Mother and daughter at the park. At the beach. In the garden.My mother laughing. Me on her shoulders. Both of us covered in paint.A life I didn't remember. A mother I'd lost.Marcus sat beside me. Silent. Letting me process."There's more," Santos said quietly. "At the bottom."I lifted the photos. Found an envelope. Yellowed. Old. My mother's handwriting on the front.*To whoever finds this.*My hands trembled o
Sienna called two days later with an idea."What if we did it together? A double wedding?"I was at the foundation office. Working remotely despite the suspension. Reviewing cases. Trying to feel useful."A double wedding?""Yeah. Both of us. Same day. Same place. Neither of us wants a big traditional thing. So why not do it together? Make it about family instead of spectacle?"I thought about it. Marcus and I had planned city hall. Quick. Simple. Private.But doing it with Sienna? That felt right. Like family."I love that idea.""Really? You're not just saying that?""No. I mean it. We've been through everything together. Why not this too?"Sienna's voice broke. "I was so scared you'd say no. That you'd want your own day.""I don't want a day. I want a ceremony. Fast. Simple. With people I actually care about. You're at the top of that very short list.""Okay. So we're doing this. Double wedding. When?""Friday. City hall already scheduled. We just add you and Dante.""Friday? That'
Sienna called the next morning. Voice strange. Tight."Can I come over? I need to talk to you. Alone.""Is everything okay?""I don't know. Can I just come?""Of course."She arrived thirty minutes later. Sofia with Dante's mother. Just Sienna. Looking pale. Shaking.Marcus saw her face and disappeared into the bedroom. Giving us privacy.We sat on the couch. Sienna's hands trembling in her lap."What's wrong?" I asked."I'm pregnant."The words hung there. Heavy. Complicated."Oh.""I found out yesterday. Took three tests. All positive. About six weeks.""Does Dante know?""Not yet. You're the first person I've told." She looked at me. Eyes wet. "I don't know how I feel. Happy? Terrified? Guilty?""Guilty?""Because of Daniel. This is Dante's baby. Not Daniel's. And I'm happy about it. Which feels like I'm betraying Daniel's memory. Like I'm replacing him."I took her hand. "You're not replacing anyone. You're living.""But Daniel should be here. This should be his baby. Sofia's sibl
We were back at the cabin. Safe. Cross was in custody.But I couldn't stop shaking.Marcus sat beside me on the couch. "You need to eat something.""I'm not hungry.""You need to try."Sienna brought soup. Homemade. Still warm. "Please. Just a little."I took the bowl. Managed three spoonfuls befor
I didn't sleep. Spent the whole night weighing options. Justice versus revenge. Punishment versus results.At nine AM, the prosecutor called. Jennifer Marks. On speaker phone in the cabin's living room.Everyone gathered. Marcus. Rachel. Sienna. Dante. Victor. Even Sofia was there, sleeping in Sien
Everyone else went to bed early. Exhaustion finally winning.Sienna with Sofia in the nursery. Dante keeping watch outside her door.Rachel in the guest room. Already asleep when I'd passed by.Victor in his room. Coughing. The cancer getting worse.Just Marcus and me remained. On the porch. Stars
We ran. Burke's body behind us. Blood pooling on concrete.FBI agents converged from all sides. Shouting. Weapons drawn.Marcus pulled me to the car. Shoved me in. Drove fast."Sniper," he said. His hands were shaking on the wheel. "Professional. Long range.""They killed him before he could talk."







