Manhattan’s BankManhattan, New York, US. 11 PMClaire still couldn’t believe what she was doing. Losing Cecilia, going to Mikael, doing the unthinkable, stealing money from him, then running through the bank’s back door with three bags larger than her body.Cecilia...Claire would get her back—she would save her.And Claire didn’t regret doing all these crazy things for her daughter. She would do anything for Cecilia—anything.“Hurry if you don’t want to be late. Frankly, you’re already an hour late.”Her phone rang once more, and she considered ignoring it, thinking Mikael was calling—just like the dozens of calls he’d made after they had spoken using the bank manager’s phone.“I got the money. Please understand it takes time to gather this much.” Claire closed her eyes briefly while still trying to drag the three large bags, “just wait there for two more minutes.”“You’d better hurry, someone’s already waiting for you there,” Anderson responded quickly. “Stop talking and hand your
Somewhere in New York. 1 PMDiscovering that Linda was a traitor and learning that Hernandez was still the one behind all of this was deeply shocking.For a moment, Mikael couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Linda standing there with a gun pointed at Claire’s head.It felt like just yesterday, they were talking in the car after leaving his parents’ house. He never imagined that woman—the whore—could turn into a traitor in the blink of an eye.Or maybe not in the blink of an eye. She had been a traitor from the beginning. He was the one who had been fooled, allowing her to stay one step behind him the entire time.But who cares about Linda now that Lionel and his team have likely dealt with her?Chasing Claire. That was all Mikael focused on—chasing Claire as she had just run away from him into the old building at the end of the yard.There had been an explosion from inside the building, but when they entered, no one was there.“Oh God,” Claire covered her mouth, tears streaming down
Somewhere in New York. 1 PM“Long time no see, Hernandez,” Mikael said calmly. “What the hell are you doing this time?”Mikael spoke with a calmness that seemed so real, as if he wasn’t afraid of anything, even though they had just realized that there was no way out of the building while time was ticking away. However, Mikael’s calmness didn’t affect Claire at all. She could feel her legs trembling—fearful, deeply cared.She remembered how she had decided to come without the slightest bit of fear to meet Mikael, steal money from him, and leave with Linda to meet Anderson here. And now, as she stood face to face with Anderson, all her fears merged and hit her at once.“Mommy,” Cecilia’s soft voice was the only thing that pulled Claire out of her shock, making her tune back into the conversation between Mikael and Anderson, who both stood ready with guns in hand. If Mikael fired, the place would turn into a terrifying battlefield in just a few seconds. The same would happen if Anderson
Somewhere in New York, 1 PM.“I’m glad you still remember me,” David sneered, “I thought after returning to the United States, you’d forget your lover in Canada because you decided to go back to your ex-husband.”The shock in Claire’s eyes was still very evident. However, Claire knew her surprise wouldn’t change anything—it wouldn’t end or fix anything.So she shook her head—giving a single sentence to refute David’s words, “He’s my husband, not my ex-husband.” She replied confidently, hoping for a miracle to be on her side amid the crushing situation.“Ah,” David snapped his fingers, “I think I forgot some details. Forgive me if that’s the case. But, I’m sure my little Cecilia hasn’t forgotten me.” He walked closer, “isn’t that right, Cecilia?”“Mom,” Cecilia tightened her hug, and Claire could feel the fear so clearly in her daughter’s voice.“Why are you doing all this?” Claire turned towards the door—hoping someone would come through and save her once again. “How much did Anderson
Mikael’s ApartmentManhattan, New York, US. 7 PMFor the first time in his life, Mikael felt like he had lost control over his own body.He was unconscious—not in the usual sense. He was awake, but his mind was gone, and he couldn’t control anything.His last memory was of Claire collapsing after she shot Hernandez with the gun she had stolen from him.Who said Mikael didn’t know when Claire reached into his pocket and took his gun? He knew, and he felt her hesitation. But he didn’t stop her—he let her make the decision during the most chaotic moment of her life. And he didn’t regret his decision at that time.But after that, Claire collapsed and lost consciousness. She passed out, yet her arms still held Cecilia tightly—still providing the best protection she could, even though she knew her embrace wouldn’t be enough to shield them from the enemy’s bullets.Just seconds later, Lionel dragged them into the helicopter. Moments after Lionel got it airborne, the building exploded.Mikael
Mikael’s ApartmentManhattan, New York, US. 10 PMClaire stared at Mikael’s right arm, which she had just finished wrapping with a bandage. His wound on the waist had been left to dry without being cleaned or treated for hours.Minutes passed since they sat together in his apartment—the same apartment she had visited the night before.Everything had changed overnight, and Claire still wasn’t fully ready to process it all. Yet, as she cradled Cecilia in her lap—she was sleeping soundly, unaffected by anything—it left Claire unable to voice any complaints. This was more than she could have ever imagined.The night before, she had been restless, impatient for the morning so she could secure the money to save her Cecilia.And tonight, Cecilia was safe, sleeping peacefully in her arms.So many shocking things had happened—betrayal, disappointment, anger, and sadness—all mixed within her heart and mind. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to say a word.Her voice had been exhausted, lost to the
Mikael’s MansionManhattan, New York, US. 2 AMOne of the biggest reasons why Claire canceled all her plans the day she decided to run away from her family was because of what she last heard when she came to New York to meet Mikael a few weeks after she gave birth.Years ago, she had indeed decided to run away—disappearing for a while to calm herself after all the chaos that had occurred. At that time, she was too shattered to accept the state of her life—her marriage to Mikael, the lies, Michael’s death, and the fact that she had shot Anderson and thought she had killed him.All the chaos that happened left her with no choice but to leave the United States for a while and try to find peace in a foreign place she didn’t know. However, at that time, she had always thought of returning. She wanted to return to the United States after giving birth to Cecilia. She knew that no matter what happened—whatever the reason and no matter the state of her heart at the time she realized that the W
Mikael’s ApartmentManhattan, New York, US. 4 AMMikael still couldn’t believe what had just happened.Yes, it was hard for him to truly accept that, at this moment, he was lying next to Claire, who was curled up, shivering under his arm. Her eyes were closed while her body, from her waist down to her feet, was covered by the thick blanket he had given her after they had finished their long, wild sex.Claire’s confession had made Mikael lose control. He didn’t know how else to express the madness in his heart but through a kiss, a reflex to Claire’s long confession. However, that kiss had only ignited a fire within him, pulling him back into the burning circle.And the more surprising thing was... Claire accepted his touch.Mikael leaned down to kiss Claire’s shoulder and whatever else his lips could reach—her head, her forehead, and the nape of her neck, which was covered by strands of her red hair.Claire had stopped coloring her hair since Mikael wasn’t sure when. But he remembered