جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 150

“Joren? Joren, what happened?”The moment he hit the floor, Nola rushed over and tried to help him up.Wanda’s heart lurched, though her first reaction was suspicion.“Stop pretending. Get up.”“Auntie, I do not think he is pretending.”Joren looked awful.Cold sweat beaded across his forehead. He had curled in on himself, one hand pressed hard against his stomach, each breath coming with effort.When Wanda saw how pale his lips had turned, her voice softened.“What is wrong? Where does it hurt?”“My stomach.”The words barely came out.Nola caught his arm.“Auntie, let us get him upstairs first. He cannot stay on the floor like this.”“We should call 911.”“No.”Joren forced the word out.“I just need to lie down for a while.”Since he refused an

The kiss went on until neither of them had much breath left.Calder kept one arm around Nola and rested his forehead against hers.“Come to Admiralty House.”“Mm.”Her head was still spinning. Her knees had gone soft, and most of her weight rested against him.When he asked her to come with him, she did not refuse.The moment they entered Admiralty House, Calder lifted her into his arms and carried her upstairs.Outside, a shadow lingered long enough to watch the doors close.Then it slipped away.Wilson ran back to Silvercrest House and told Brina everything he had seen.Calder had returned from Europe and gone straight to Nola.They had met in the private woods of the Rook estate, embracing and kissing where no one was supposed to see.Brina had spent days refusing to believe there was anything between them.Now Wilson had witnessed it himself.It was tru

The moment Nola appeared, every head in the room turned toward her.She slowed.What were they all staring at?She had not suddenly grown fur on her face.Xian looked the strangest of all, as if he were suffering from something too painful and embarrassing to explain.Calder saw her and reacted at once.“Xian, take Nola to school.”His tone left no room for delay.“Go now.”“Oh. Right.”Xian started toward her.Brina stepped in front of them.“Why the hurry?”A satisfied curve touched her mouth.“Nothing has been explained yet.”Nola looked around the room.“Explained what?”Everyone in the Rook family was acting strangely.Brina glanced toward Samuel.“That depends on what he wants to say.”She had already committed herself to this.If Calder would

Nola pried his fingers loose one by one.Then she pulled her hand away.She looked at Samuel.“Forget the second choice. It no longer matters.”After that, she turned to Xian.“Come on. We are going to school.”As though nothing in the Rook family had anything to do with her, she called him along just as she always did.Xian was still dazed.Only when Nola said his name did he finally move.He followed her out of the sitting room, stiff and silent.Calder remained where he was.Had that breakup been an excuse?Or had she meant it?He could no longer tell.A slow ache spread through his chest.She was not truly leaving him.Was she?Blythe felt as though victory had slipped from her hands.Calder had been one step from being erased from the Rook family.Now it had all collapsed.Nola’s withdrawal had changed ev

Everyone listened in tense silence.Calder continued.“To test Dr. Dreiss’s theory, I had Anna’s ashes removed in secret and sent for analysis.”“The results confirmed it.”“Thallium was found in her remains.”He looked around the room.“That means Anna died from thallium poisoning.”A chill seemed to pass through the room.“I followed that lead and found something else.”His eyes settled on Brina.“You studied chemistry at Eastbourne University, did you not?”“You had regular access to the laboratories and could obtain thallium.”“I checked the department archives from that period.”“There is a record of you signing it out.”The words struck the room like thunder.No one moved.“Brina.”Samuel’s voice had gone rough.