جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 20

On a cloudy Monday morning, Daphne woke at Beckett Estate with her phone clutched in her hand.The screen was blank.No missed calls. No messages. No impossible explanation from Warren that would make six months disappear.She stared at the ceiling until the ache beneath her ribs became unbearable, then forced herself out of bed.Everything continued.That was the part no one understood. A person could lose the centre of their life, and the rest of the world would still expect them to answer emails, attend meetings, sign documents, and smile for photographs.She showered, dressed in charcoal trousers and a cream blouse, and covered the shadows beneath her eyes.Her fingers found the thin gold chain at her throat.Warren’s ring rested beneath her blouse.She closed her hand around it.“I’m still here,” she whispered.The words were meant for him.They sounded more like a prayer.At breakfast, Arthur sat at the far end of the table, reading market reports.“You are late.”“It’s eight-th

Daphne did not sleep after the call.She sat on the edge of her bed at Beckett Estate until dawn, her phone resting between her hands as though holding it tightly enough might make it ring again.It did not.The unknown number could not be traced. When she called it back, a mechanical voice said the line was unavailable.She tried again anyway.Nothing.At 6:30am, she gave up pretending she would rest. She showered, dressed in a black sweater and tailored trousers, and tied her hair back with shaking hands.She looked pale in the mirror.For once, she did not care.Arthur was already in his study when she went downstairs.“You are awake early,” he said.“I received a call last night.”His expression barely changed. “What kind of call?”“An unknown number.”“I assume you did not answer it.”“I did.”His gaze sharpened.“The person on the line said Warren’s name.”For the first time, Arthur’s hand stopped moving.Daphne noticed.“You knew something.”“Anonymous callers are not evidence.

Daphne did not remember crossing the street.One moment, she was standing beneath the museum awning, Mason’s engagement ring cold against her finger.The next, she was in the middle of the road.A horn blared.“Daphne!”Mason caught her elbow and yanked her backward just as a black sedan sped past. Cold slush splashed against her dress.For a second, she could not breathe.Her eyes remained fixed across the street.The man was gone.The café entrance stood empty, snow already covering the footprints.But she had seen him.The slope of his shoulders. The slight unevenness in his stride. The deliberate way he walked.Warren.He had always walked like that.“Daphne.” Mason tightened his grip. “What were you thinking?”She pulled away.“Don’t touch me.”“You walked into traffic.”“I saw someone.”Mason's expression shifted.“Who?”Daphne wanted to say his name, but the word refused to leave her mouth.“I thought I recognized someone.”“From where?”“It doesn't matter.”“It matters if you

Warren had learned that darkness had shades.There was the darkness when the single bulb outside his cell burned out. The darkness behind his eyelids when exhaustion finally dragged him unconscious.And then there was the darkness inside himself.That was the most dangerous.Months without daylight. Months without Daphne’s voice. Months without proof that the world above still remembered he existed.The lies had become another kind of darkness.Warren Sterling had stolen company money.Warren Sterling had betrayed Daphne Beckett with her sister.Warren Sterling had disappeared because guilt had made him run.He had heard those stories so often that, on his worst days, he almost understood why people believed them.They had been designed to be believed.Warren sat on the thin mattress against the concrete wall, staring at the steel door.Four steps from wall to wall.Three across.A rusted drain in the corner.No window. No clock. No way to know whether it was morning or night.The und

The morning after Lila received the message, Daphne woke before dawn with the words still lodged beneath her ribs.Tell no one what Mason did.Daphne lay beneath the sheets at her apartment, staring at the pale ceiling. Outside, snow covered the grounds. For most of her life, the view had made her feel safe.Now it looked like a beautiful prison.Her gaze shifted to the nightstand.Mason’s engagement ring rested beside the lamp. She had removed it before bed, unable to bear having it on her finger.It was flawless.Permanent.A promise.But promises could be cages with prettier names.Her phone vibrated.Good morning, Daphne. I hope you slept well. Today will be beautiful.She stared at the message.Today was the engagement celebration Mason had arranged at the Royal Ontario Museum. Priya had discreetly forwarded the invitation the night before. Arkett board members, Sonwells executives, investors, politicians, media outlets, and society columnists were all expected to attend.The inv