Semua Bab His Dead Wife: No Longer the Surrogate Bride: Bab 71 - Bab 80

The night did not loosen its grip after the gala.If anything, it tightened even more.The moment the doors closed in the Devereaux complex behind her, Althea felt it. The subtle shift in air pressure, the quiet recalibration of security protocols humming beneath polished floors and immaculate walls. The building was alive tonight, alert in a way that went beyond routine because of one thing.Nicholas.Her hand curled instinctively around the small clutch she brought with her, she moved briskly down the corridor, heels silent against stone. She had immediately changed out of the gala gown the moment she returned, trading silk and illusion for soft clothes that allowed her to move, to think, to breathe.After she was back in her comfortable clothes, she immediately went to her son’s room.Nicholas slept curled on his side with his one small arm wrapped around his dinosaur plushie, chest rising and falling in steady rhythm.His nightlight illuminated his face and the sight hit her with

The morning after the gala arrived with deceptive gentleness.Sunlight streamed through the tall windows of the Devereaux complex, turning marble floors warm and honey-colored.The estate as usual woke itself quietly. There’s no rush, no disorder as the staff moved with their usual precision. Breakfast was automatically laid out in the common dining room as always, as if the night before had not cracked something open beneath the surface.Althea stood just outside the threshold with Nicholas cradled in her arms.She had freshly bathed him and his dark hair still soft and faintly damp at the edges. She let him choose his attire and he wore a pale blue sweater with a print of a dinosaur on the front, too big in the sleeves, and as always, clutched his dinosaur plushie tightly against his chest as though it were part of him.His head rested against her shoulder, content, humming under his breath.That thought alone steadied her.Althea drew a quiet breath and stepped inside, smiling at t

The garden behind the Devereaux complex was designed to deceive.At first glance, it looked harmless. The garden stretches wide into manicured grass, low stone paths warmed by the sun, a canopy of old trees filtering light into something gentle and almost domestic. Birds nested freely here, unafraid of the perimeter walls hidden behind hedges and ivy.It was a place meant to feel safe and Nicholas thought it was magical.He ran through the grass with delighted giggles, his laughter light and unguarded, small sneakers thudding unevenly as he chased nothing and everything at once. He’s wearing a cotton, dinosaur costume upon his insistence and clutching a green plastic dinosaur in one hand, its tail bouncing with every step.Michael watched him from a short distance away.He was seated on the low stone ledge bordering the patio, his jacket discarded beside him, sleeves rolled up. His attention never fully left the child, not even when he glance

Dominic had learned when he’s still young to immediately recognize when silence stopped being neutral. He was taught that it will never come in an announcement and will never be loud.It came as a shift with too many doors opening easily, too many messages arriving late, too many people suddenly careful with their words.This morning, the silence was sharp.Standing alone in his study, his jacket discarded while his phone is pressed to his ear and eyes fixed on the rain sliding down the tall glass windows. The city outside moving its usual routine with cars threading through streets, pedestrians tucked beneath umbrellas, life continuing unaware of the fractures forming beneath it.“Say it again.” Dominic said quietly.On the other end of the line, Enzo hesitated and Dominic sensed the confirmation.“Our contacts confirmed it overnight.” Enzo said. “The island’s been compromised.”Dominic closed his eyes, his thoughts on Helena’s island, that he, himself had also ordered Enzo to locate

The SUV did not slow until the city had changed.Glass towers gave way to narrower streets, then to industrial sprawl. Rows of warehouses, shuttered storefronts, concrete that smelled of oil and rain came into view.Sirens echoed somewhere far behind them, but none followed. That sound worried Althea more than if they had.Silence meant recalculation.She sat rigid in the back seat, her seatbelt biting into her shoulder where the pain had already begun to bloom deep and insistent. Someone had pressed a gauze to her forehead and she could feel it dampening again.Michael’s hand was still braced on the seat in front of her, his knuckles turning white, while his body angled protectively without quite touching her.Dominic sat opposite her, phone pressed to his ear, voice low and lethal.“No hospitals.” He instructed in a low voice. “No known Devereaux sites either. I want a clean ground. Rotate all teams every four hours. Anyone who so m