Nobody confronted Eleanor until the police finished searching the house.<\/p>\n
That took three hours.<\/p>\n
Voss went to the hospital under armed guard. The bullet had shattered no major artery. Victor was stable at another hospital. Naomi had been discharged into protective security. Celeste agreed to cooperate with investigators.<\/p>\n
By midnight, the childhood house was quiet again.<\/p>\n
Eleanor sat at the kitchen table.<\/p>\n
Luna stood across from her.<\/p>\n
Derek leaned against the counter.<\/p>\n
Thomas and I remained near the doorway.<\/p>\n
Nobody wanted to begin.<\/p>\n
Finally Luna placed Naomi\u2019s recovered badge on the table inside an evidence bag.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you plant this in Derek\u2019s office?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor looked at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek laughed.<\/p>\n
Not because anything was funny.<\/p>\n
\u201cMother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was trying to protect you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy framing me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy forcing Luna to confront you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour relationship with Voss.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna\u2019s voice sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you said nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI confronted him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter Richard died.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou confronted Voss?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Richard had died naturally and that you would destroy yourself eventually without his help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek flinched.<\/p>\n
Eleanor continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believed the first part.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the second?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was afraid he was right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek walked away from the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you watched me keep using him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried to warn you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me to be careful about my business associates.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was I supposed to say? That your father had spent years hiding evidence of crimes connected to the man you had hired?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The admission came quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI should have.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna sat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy plant Naomi\u2019s badge?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you found the vault key, I knew everything Richard had buried was coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat still doesn\u2019t explain it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI went to Sterling after visiting Naomi in the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore you reached my house.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor\u2019s security review had confirmed Eleanor remained home overnight.<\/p>\n
But that had been after the attack.<\/p>\n
She could have entered Sterling early that morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cI used my access to enter Derek\u2019s office.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe archive key?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI put it there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted you to search him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek stared at his mother.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wanted Luna to think I attacked Naomi.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else would she think?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought security would discover your records with Voss.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat records?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe invoices.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna said, \u201cWe already had them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you planted evidence because you thought real evidence might be nearby.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor lowered her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe note about the six minutes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard\u2019s medical report included the delay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you never told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew what it would do to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna\u2019s voice shook.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew what it would do to the family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat too.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
The Sterling disease.<\/p>\n
Protect the family.<\/p>\n
Protect the company.<\/p>\n
Protect the name.<\/p>\n
Hide the truth until hiding it caused more damage than truth ever could.<\/p>\n
Luna stepped away from the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am so tired of people deciding what I should know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father did it. Derek did it. You did it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes moved toward Thomas.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did it to Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I did it when I investigated you before asking you to marry me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had not expected her to include herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told myself it was necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n
She laughed softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is apparently our favorite word.\u201d<\/p>\n
I walked toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens now?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
For once, she did not have an answer.<\/p>\n
The following morning brought lawyers.<\/p>\n
Then federal investigators.<\/p>\n
Then the board.<\/p>\n
Celeste\u2019s drive contained enough evidence to establish a long-running network of unlawful surveillance, bribery, data theft, intimidation, and financial concealment connected to Voss.<\/p>\n
It also contained Sterling records.<\/p>\n
Old ones.<\/p>\n
Very old ones.<\/p>\n
Some implicated executives who had retired years earlier.<\/p>\n
Others implicated Richard.<\/p>\n
Luna sat in her temporary office at the childhood house reading the preliminary legal assessment.<\/p>\n
I brought coffee.<\/p>\n
She did not notice.<\/p>\n
I placed it beside her.<\/p>\n
\u201cBad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow bad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we disclose everything, Sterling could face civil litigation across multiple jurisdictions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan the company survive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably sounds better than no.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHundreds of employees could lose jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
The real decision.<\/p>\n
Not reputation.<\/p>\n
People.<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I turn over the entire archive, clients will leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShare prices will fall.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEmployee retirement holdings could lose value.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDivisions may have to be sold.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
She closed the report.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if I give investigators only what they have specifically requested?\u201d<\/p>\n
I knew the answer she wanted.<\/p>\n
Not morally.<\/p>\n
Emotionally.<\/p>\n
She wanted me to tell her she could protect everyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens to the rest?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt remains privileged unless subpoenaed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWould that be legal?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWould it be honest?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked away.<\/p>\n
There was our problem.<\/p>\n
Her father\u2019s problem.<\/p>\n
The same fork in the road.<\/p>\n
Richard had once chosen Sterling over full disclosure.<\/p>\n
He had called it necessary.<\/p>\n
Twenty-two years later, we were living inside the consequences.<\/p>\n
I sat opposite her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat would Richard do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not asking what you should do.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat would he do?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her answer came immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cProtect the company.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what did his letter tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes closed.<\/p>\n
Do not confuse protecting the company with protecting the family.<\/p>\n
Sometimes they will require opposite choices.<\/p>\n
When she opened them again, she looked exhausted.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hate him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hate that he left me this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat I believe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat would you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is your decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re my husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word caught both of us.<\/p>\n
Not contractual husband.<\/p>\n
Not temporary husband.<\/p>\n
Just husband.<\/p>\n
I leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen I\u2019ll sit here while you make it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is incredibly annoying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been told.\u201d<\/p>\n
She reached across the desk.<\/p>\n
I took her hand.<\/p>\n
We stayed that way for a long time.<\/p>\n
Then she picked up the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet general counsel.\u201d<\/p>\n
The board meeting began at three.<\/p>\n
Derek attended.<\/p>\n
So did Eleanor.<\/p>\n
I did not.<\/p>\n
Luna asked me to wait outside.<\/p>\n
Not because she was ashamed of me.<\/p>\n
Because this was hers.<\/p>\n
I respected that.<\/p>\n
Forty minutes passed.<\/p>\n
Then an hour.<\/p>\n
At seventy-three minutes, the doors opened.<\/p>\n
One director left furious.<\/p>\n
Another looked pale.<\/p>\n
Derek came out next.<\/p>\n
He stopped beside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe disclosed everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery archive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInvestigations. Lawsuits. Possibly restructuring.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked through the glass toward his sister.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe may lose control.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you still want it?\u201d<\/p>\n
He laughed quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
That surprised me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spent half my life wanting Father\u2019s chair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat changed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI finally saw what sitting in it cost him.\u201d<\/p>\n
He walked away.<\/p>\n
Luna emerged ten minutes later.<\/p>\n
She looked exhausted.<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI informed the board that Sterling will voluntarily provide the complete historical archive to investigators.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did they react?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPoorly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour job?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUncertain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso uncertain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cTerrified.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
She almost smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cStill improving.\u201d<\/p>\n
We left through the private elevator.<\/p>\n
Outside, reporters already gathered.<\/p>\n
News traveled quickly inside companies built on information.<\/p>\n
Elise called.<\/p>\n
Then Martin.<\/p>\n
Then three board members.<\/p>\n
Luna ignored everyone.<\/p>\n
In the car, she leaned her head against the seat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens if Sterling collapses?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not a plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is what people say when they love each other and don\u2019t have one.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words left my mouth before I realized where they came from.<\/p>\n
Mom.<\/p>\n
Luna turned toward me.<\/p>\n
Neither of us spoke.<\/p>\n
I had said love.<\/p>\n
Not directly.<\/p>\n
But close enough.<\/p>\n
Her eyes searched mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam.\u201d<\/p>\n
My phone rang.<\/p>\n
Saved number.<\/p>\n
Mom.<\/p>\n
I almost laughed from relief.<\/p>\n
Then I answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey.\u201d<\/p>\n
She did not say hello.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam, somebody came to see me.\u201d<\/p>\n
My body went rigid.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna sat upright.<\/p>\n
Mom\u2019s voice shook.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everything stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s here.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward Thomas\u2019s empty seat.<\/p>\n
He had told me that morning he needed to take care of something.<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs he okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know whether I\u2019m going to hug him or hit him with my cane.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite everything, I laughed.<\/p>\n
Mom started crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I suppose he really is your father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice steadied.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he gave me something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA letter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt Luna watching me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard Sterling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom went quiet.<\/p>\n
Then she said, \u201cIt says the trust has another provision.\u201d<\/p>\n
I put the call on speaker.<\/p>\n
Luna leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat provision?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
Mom recognized her voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cLuna?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you should sit down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom unfolded paper.<\/p>\n
I heard it through the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard wrote that if evidence of misconduct by Sterling leadership ever became public through voluntary disclosure by the controlling heir, the marriage condition becomes irrelevant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says the voting shares remain permanently with the heir who authorized the disclosure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
Her father had built an escape into the trust.<\/p>\n
Not through marriage.<\/p>\n
Through honesty.<\/p>\n
I understood before she did.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted to know which mattered more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe company or the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course there was.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe provision only activates after an independent trustee verifies the disclosure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is the trustee?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas Bennett.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Luna whispered, \u201cYour father controls my trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom said, \u201cThomas says Richard appointed him because nobody in the Sterling family could pressure him without exposing that he was alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was absurd.<\/p>\n
Complicated.<\/p>\n
Infuriating.<\/p>\n
Exactly like everything Richard had left behind.<\/p>\n
Luna started laughing.<\/p>\n
Not because it was funny.<\/p>\n
Because the alternative might have been screaming.<\/p>\n
Then the elevator doors opened.<\/p>\n
Naomi stood in the penthouse.<\/p>\n
Bandage on her forehead.<\/p>\n
Arms crossed.<\/p>\n
Luna stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPreventing you from firing me by returning to work before you can.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have a concussion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have email.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNaomi.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso, there are approximately eighty reporters downstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the board issued a statement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes opened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat statement?\u201d<\/p>\n
Naomi handed her the phone.<\/p>\n
STERLING MARKETING ANNOUNCES FULL COOPERATION WITH FEDERAL INVESTIGATION; LUNA STERLING TO REMAIN CEO DURING INDEPENDENT REVIEW.<\/p>\n
Luna read it twice.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re still standing,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Naomi looked between us.<\/p>\n
\u201cShould I leave?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Luna said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said simultaneously.<\/p>\n
Naomi smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarriage appears healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n
She disappeared toward the kitchen.<\/p>\n
Luna looked at me.<\/p>\n
The penthouse was quiet again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens to our contract now?\u201d<\/p>\n
I had been wondering the same thing.<\/p>\n
If the trust no longer required marriage, she no longer needed me.<\/p>\n
Mom\u2019s surgery was paid.<\/p>\n
My debts were gone.<\/p>\n
The company had acknowledged the investigation.<\/p>\n
The entire reason for our arrangement had just disappeared.<\/p>\n
Luna slowly removed her wedding ring.<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.<\/p>\n
She looked at it.<\/p>\n
Then at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe condition is irrelevant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you can leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
The door she had offered before.<\/p>\n
Only now nothing forced me to stay.<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
Luna\u2019s expression became carefully blank.<\/p>\n
The executive mask.<\/p>\n
I hated it.<\/p>\n
I crossed the space between us.<\/p>\n
Then I took the ring from her fingers.<\/p>\n
Her eyes widened.<\/p>\n
I slid it back onto her hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaking a choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said I could leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her composure cracked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not the hospital anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t need the money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t need the marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the woman who had investigated me, hired me, frightened me, trusted me, infuriated me, sat beside me through my mother\u2019s surgery, held my hand in a storm, kissed me when nobody was watching, and chosen the truth even when it might have cost her everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause somewhere between the contract and your brother spying on us and finding my allegedly dead father, this stopped feeling temporary.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is an appalling declaration.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had limited preparation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re a professional writer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAdvertising.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes it worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
She was crying now.<\/p>\n
Barely.<\/p>\n
But she was.<\/p>\n
I touched her cheek.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou asked why.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna covered my hand with hers.<\/p>\n
Then kissed me.<\/p>\n
Slowly this time.<\/p>\n
No cameras.<\/p>\n
No family.<\/p>\n
No contract clause.<\/p>\n
When we separated, she rested her forehead against mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly one?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur contract.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt still exists.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen maybe we should rewrite it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Behind us, Naomi called from the kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease do not make me schedule that meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna laughed against my shoulder.<\/p>\n
For one brief moment, with investigations beginning, Voss in custody, Thomas returned, Derek disgraced, and Sterling\u2019s future uncertain, the world felt almost manageable.<\/p>\n
Then Naomi\u2019s phone rang.<\/p>\n
She answered.<\/p>\n
Her expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cLuna.\u201d<\/p>\n
We turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Naomi looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cVoss.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe never reached federal custody.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe transport vehicle was intercepted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Naomi swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo officers are injured.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Voss?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGone.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hand tightened around Luna\u2019s.<\/p>\n
The contract might no longer be holding us together.<\/p>\n
But the man who had spent twenty-two years tearing both families apart was free.<\/p>\n
And this time, he knew exactly what we had chosen.<\/p>\n
Each other.<\/p>\n
Nobody confronted Eleanor until the police finished searching the house. That took three hours. Voss went to the hospital under armed guard. The bullet had shattered no major artery. Victor … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16851,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16867"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16867\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16893,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16867\/revisions\/16893"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}