All Chapters of The Night Before Christmas: Chapter 151 - Chapter 160

Desmond’s POVBy eight o’clock the following morning, my apartment no longer felt like a home recovering from an invasion.It felt like a secured command centre preparing for war.Valencia personnel occupied nearly every level of the building beneath reinforced tactical protocols, while additional surveillance countermeasures continued sweeping through the residence. The hidden devices recovered overnight now sat sealed inside evidence containers across the dining area downstairs, each one representing another invisible violation buried inside our lives.Meanwhile, my thoughts remained fixed on only one thing.Saint Gabriel Rehabilitation Centre.The moment Daniel connected the transmitter supplier to the same medical facility responsible for my infertility diagnosis, the past stopped feeling buried. Every report, every specialist consultation, every psychological assessment after the accident suddenly looked different now.Manipulated.Curated carefully enough to shape the direction

Desmond’s POVMorning settled slowly across the penthouse beneath a grey sky heavy with rain.The city beyond the glass walls looked distant and muted, almost unreal after the violence of the past few days. Valencia personnel still occupied strategic positions throughout the building while additional security teams rotated quietly through the lower floors, but despite the controlled movement surrounding the residence, the atmosphere inside the apartment had changed slightly.For the first time in weeks, there was structure again.Not peace.But structure.Caroline’s return shifted something emotionally inside the apartment itself. Even injured, she carried the kind of presence that stabilised rooms instinctively. Fear no longer felt directionless while she remained there. Every conversation now moved with purpose.Aria stood in the kitchen preparing tea while Hailey sat nearby, colouring quietly beneath the watchful eye of one Valencia officer stationed discreetly near the corridor.C

Aria's POVYears of secrecy cracked open."I killed him."The words landed heavily.No hesitation.No denial.No regret.I forced myself to remain calm, despite the pain that crept up inside me, hearing the words that escaped her lips.She killed my father. The words registered in my mind."How?" I asked.Her eyes glittered.Almost proudly."You want to know?" she said and laughed. "You are not leaving here alive anyway. So I will tell you," she went on. "I had someone tamper with his car brakes. I knew he was travelling."My heartbeat thundered, but I kept my face neutral."Who?""My husband."The answer came immediately."He handled the car."Another confession.Another piece.Helina continued speaking.As if years of silence could no longer contain the truth."We knew exactly which route Fred would take."Her smile returned."We even removed the warning sign before the sharp curve."My stomach tightened as I listened to her narrate the incident like she was talking about a food rec

Jane's POVThe hotel suite had never felt so empty.Rain drifted softly against the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city while distant traffic lights flickered through the darkness below. The television played quietly in the background, filling the silence with meaningless noise that Jane Whitmore had long since stopped hearing.She sat alone on the edge of the sofa with a cup of untouched tea cooling between her hands.Sleep had abandoned her hours ago.Ever since leaving the Whitmore residence, she had discovered that silence carried memories differently.The hotel offered comfort.Luxury.Privacy.Yet every room felt colder than the home she no longer recognised.The home where Fred once lived.The home where laughter once existed.The home she had helped destroy.Jane closed her eyes briefly.She had left the Whitmore residency out of fear of what Aviel would do to her. Aviel had threatened her for failing on her part to have Aria within their control.For days, she had t

Desmond's POVThe drive back from the cemetery felt different from the one that had taken us there.The grief remained.Fred's absence remained.But something else had joined it now.Questions. Too many questions.The morning had begun with a family standing beside a grave. It ended with the death of a woman who had just confessed to murder.The sky above the city remained overcast as our convoy entered the underground parking levels of Valencia 0816.Nobody spoke much during the journey.Aria sat beside me in silence. Her body slightly slanted towards me, and her head rested on my shoulder. Hailey had fallen asleep in Caroline's arms during the drive home. David sat quietly beside Jane, occasionally glancing out of the window as if trying to understand how his entire world had changed in less than twenty-four hours.The boy looked exhausted.Lost.And despite everything Helina had done, I found myself feeling sorry for him. Because none of this was his fault.The moment we entered t