MasukZachary left the living room to give them privacy and headed to the study.The moment he disappeared, Mia flung herself at Sarah without restraint. “That annoying brother of mine finally left. I can hug you now. I’ve missed you so much these past few days.”One look at Mia’s bright, cheerful expression told Sarah everything she needed to know. The shadows in Mia’s heart had faded for now.She had heard from Scarlette about how capable Mia had been at the banquet that night. Confident, quick-thinking, even fearless.“Have you had any nightmares lately?” Sarah asked gently.Mia shook her head. “Not for a long time. The last time I had one was when you got into that car accident. I was so scared that I dreamed about it that night.”Sarah stroked her head, but before she could begin the evaluation, a sharp ringtone cut through the quiet.Mia perked up and grabbed her phone. The moment she saw the caller ID, she broke into a huge smile. “Hello?”Sarah stayed on the couch, watching w
Zachary dropped by again, this time saying he actually had something serious to discuss.Sarah sat curled up on the couch with a pillow in her arms, looking relaxed and half-asleep. She let out a soft yawn, her voice lazy and warm. “Alright, tell me. What do you need?”The moment he saw her like that, Zachary’s throat tightened. His voice grew a little rough. “It’s nothing urgent. I just wanted to ask if you could check on Mia. I wasn’t sure if you were free.”“Mia? Did something happen to her?”Sarah’s drowsiness vanished instantly. Concern flashed across her face.Zachary noticed the way her mood changed and unconsciously curled his fingers. A strange stab of jealousy hit him.She cared too much. Even if it was his own sister, she still couldn’t compete with his wife in his mind.Meanwhile, Mia was at home watching her drama when she suddenly let out a sneeze. A chill ran down her back. She sniffled, pulled a tissue, and muttered, “Am I catching a cold?”Sarah saw Zachary low
But Mandy only sat on the cold wooden bench, her expression distant. She had no interest in anything Julian had to say.At that same moment, chaos was erupting inside the Chancer household.Mrs. Chancer and Lucy sat stiffly on the living-room sofa. Charlotte stood at the top of the stairs, staring down at them.“I will not divorce James,” Charlotte said firmly.Lucy let out a sharp laugh. “And what right do you think you have to say that? The fact that we didn’t go after you for what happened last time was already more mercy than you deserved. But you no longer have the qualifications to stay in this family.”Charlotte turned to Mrs. Chancer. No matter what had happened in the past, Mrs. Chancer had always taken her side. She expected the same now.But Mrs. Chancer wasn’t standing with her this time. She sat beside Lucy with a look of cold disdain. “Charlotte, while things are still civil, you’d better show some sense. If this gets out, how are you going to face anyone? And I dou
Mandy’s face was covered in bruises. The cracks on her lips had dried and split, making her look painfully fragile.Even so, she didn’t flinch. She simply stared at the thin beam of sunlight seeping through the corner of the wall.Someone delivered food every day, but never three meals. Only one. They would drop it off at noon. The dishes were always spoiled, but she still forced herself to eat every bite.She no longer dared to imagine living comfortably. She didn’t dare think about the naive dream she once held onto.Her only thought now was to stay alive long enough to leave this place and see her mother again.A cluster of footsteps sounded overhead. Mandy knew the meal delivery was coming.She braced herself and slowly leaned toward the slot where food was usually passed through. But when she looked up, the person standing there wasn’t the usual guard.It was Julian.“You should really give in,” Julian said quietly. “Otherwise Leon will drag out every member of your family
“Miss Sanders! Please help me! I’m begging you!”Dr. Xavier’s voice blasted through the phone, raw and frantic, edged with sobs.For a split second, Sarah didn’t understand what had happened.But she had a feeling it was connected to the “someone is moving again” warning he’d mentioned days ago.“Calm down first,” she said coldly, her voice steady enough to rein him in.“Tell me exactly what happened.”Dr. Xavier gulped down a breath, barely regaining control.“My son… My son was taken! The nanny went to pick him up today and said his ‘family’ came to get him during school hours. But we checked the surveillance footage, those people aren’t our family members at all! Miss Sanders, this all started because of your case. You can’t leave me to die here!”Ice pooled through Sarah’s veins.These people were getting bolder by the minute.Mrs. Mendes still hadn’t been safely secured and now this.Dr. Xavier’s voice wavered, then went silent for a moment. When he returned, he sounded even
Her heartbeat slammed wildly, completely out of control.“Sarah,” Zachary murmured, his voice low and hopeful, “you came down because you were worried about me, didn’t you?”The moment she heard that, reason instantly crushed whatever emotion had been pulling her toward him.Her expression hardened.She forcefully pushed out of his arms, ignoring the flash of hurt on his face.“Stop lying to yourself,” she said coldly. “Go home. If you don’t, I’ll call the police and report you for disturbing the neighborhood.”In truth, she simply couldn’t stand the idea of him standing outside all night, sleepless and alone.Zachary let out a bitter laugh and nodded.“All right. I’ll go. Just… head inside. It’s cold.”Sarah didn’t answer. She turned around and walked straight into the house without looking back.But after a few steps, she slipped into the shadow behind a wall and listened carefully.A moment later, she heard an engine start.Then fade.Zachary had left.Sarah stepped out







