{"id":31375,"date":"2026-10-06T14:37:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T14:37:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=31375"},"modified":"2026-10-06T14:37:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T14:37:24","slug":"part-22-elena-explained-grandpas-final-safeguard-then-matthew-mercer-contacted-me-directly-and-offered-something-i-couldnt-ignore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=31375","title":{"rendered":"PART 22 \u2013 Elena Explained Grandpa\u2019s Final Safeguard, Then Matthew Mercer Contacted Me Directly and Offered Something I Couldn\u2019t Ignore"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>They brought Elena to the state facility through a rear entrance.<\/p>\n<p>She refused handcuffs.<\/p>\n<p>Hayes refused to let her enter otherwise.<\/p>\n<p>They compromised.<\/p>\n<p>She wore one cuff linked to Ortiz.<\/p>\n<p>Elena seemed almost amused.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou always this cautious?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hayes answered, \u201cOnly around people who vanish for six years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReasonable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas watched her from across the room.<\/p>\n<p>Mom watched both of them.<\/p>\n<p>I watched everyone.<\/p>\n<p>Adults become transparent when they think a child isn\u2019t paying attention.<\/p>\n<p>Mom wanted to know whether Thomas and Elena had ever been more than partners.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas wanted to know why Elena had abandoned contact.<\/p>\n<p>Hayes wanted her evidence.<\/p>\n<p>Elena wanted control.<\/p>\n<p>I wanted one person to answer a question directly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is the living-consent layer?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elena looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSamuel built two parts into the final encryption.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe old recording.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd me now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou speak the phrase.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course not.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou answer a question.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat question?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou just said\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know how the architecture works. Samuel never gave me the final challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas asked, \u201cWho did he give it to?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat doesn\u2019t make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt does if the question is embedded in the system.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hayes leaned forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Mirror generates a prompt?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBased on what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSamuel\u2019s final file.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happens if Chloe answers wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing opens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happens if she refuses?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing opens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mom finally relaxed by half an inch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Matthew cannot force her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elena looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe can force her to speak.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot to answer correctly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That distinction mattered.<\/p>\n<p>Grandpa had built coercion resistance into the archive.<\/p>\n<p>He had known someone might eventually hold me at gunpoint.<\/p>\n<p>That realization didn\u2019t make me feel safe.<\/p>\n<p>It made me wonder how much danger he had expected.<\/p>\n<p>Hayes asked for Elena\u2019s recording.<\/p>\n<p>She placed the digital recorder on the table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou walked into a law-enforcement facility carrying evidence in an active conspiracy investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd I\u2019m still not giving it to you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou do not control\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do until you can prove your chain isn\u2019t compromised.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is state police.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMatthew has contracts with state systems too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hayes stopped.<\/p>\n<p>Elena looked at Ortiz.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCheck procurement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz did.<\/p>\n<p>Five minutes later she found it.<\/p>\n<p>A cybersecurity vendor contracted to maintain part of the state evidence-management system.<\/p>\n<p>Parent company connected indirectly to Matthew Mercer.<\/p>\n<p>Hayes stared at Elena.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long have you known?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFour years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy not expose it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith what safe system?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nobody answered.<\/p>\n<p>Elena sat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is why Matthew survives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe does not need every officer. He needs software.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That made him seem more dangerous than Cole ever had.<\/p>\n<p>Cole needed guns.<\/p>\n<p>Matthew needed passwords.<\/p>\n<p>Mom asked, \u201cWhere is Matthew now?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re the person who has spent six years studying him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you don\u2019t know where he lives?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe owns fourteen residences through trusts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen where does he work?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hayes paced.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFine. Tell us his objective.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elena\u2019s expression became serious.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wants to close the archive permanently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDestroy it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cControl it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy now?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Samuel is dead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSamuel has been dead almost a year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReturned.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo my return accelerated him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cElena\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd because Chloe is old enough to activate the final layer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I felt everyone look at me.<\/p>\n<p>I hated being the center of systems built before I understood multiplication.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn\u2019t he take me earlier?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elena answered immediately.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSamuel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrandpa protected me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMore than you know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe held a dead-man release.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hayes leaned forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Chloe disappeared before reaching the age Samuel specified, portions of Mirror would automatically go to journalists, federal prosecutors, and three foreign repositories.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas blinked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe never told me that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe stopped telling you many things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad accepted the hit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat age?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elena looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThirteen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>I had turned thirteen six months ago.<\/p>\n<p>That explained the timing.<\/p>\n<p>Derek.<\/p>\n<p>Valerie.<\/p>\n<p>The box.<\/p>\n<p>My school.<\/p>\n<p>Everything had accelerated because Grandpa\u2019s protection changed when I became old enough to choose.<\/p>\n<p>Mom whispered, \u201cHe set this in motion around her birthday?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMatthew did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSamuel\u2019s dead-man release ended?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChanged.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConsent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Grandpa had turned me from protected asset into decision-maker.<\/p>\n<p>Without asking me.<\/p>\n<p>Again.<\/p>\n<p>I stood and walked away from the table.<\/p>\n<p>Mom followed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChloe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That answer stopped her.<\/p>\n<p>I stared at the blank wall.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m tired of Grandpa being clever.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mom almost smiled, then didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo am I.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe loved me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd he used me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her eyes filled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Both things could be true.<\/p>\n<p>I was learning to hate that sentence.<\/p>\n<p>My phone had been replaced with a state-issued device disconnected from my normal accounts.<\/p>\n<p>It buzzed anyway.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone froze.<\/p>\n<p>One message appeared on the screen.<\/p>\n<p>Hello, Chloe.<\/p>\n<p>No number.<\/p>\n<p>No sender identification.<\/p>\n<p>Hayes took the device.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elena looked unsurprised.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMatthew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another message appeared.<\/p>\n<p>You have heard terrible things about me.<\/p>\n<p>Hayes powered the phone off.<\/p>\n<p>It turned itself back on.<\/p>\n<p>That frightened him.<\/p>\n<p>Elena said, \u201cHe has device management access.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz pulled the battery pack.<\/p>\n<p>The screen stayed on for three seconds before dying.<\/p>\n<p>Then the room television switched on.<\/p>\n<p>Black screen.<\/p>\n<p>White text.<\/p>\n<p>I would prefer to speak without people pretending they can stop me.<\/p>\n<p>Hayes unplugged it.<\/p>\n<p>The projector activated.<\/p>\n<p>Mom whispered, \u201cJesus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elena looked toward the ceiling camera.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMatthew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A voice came through the room\u2019s speaker.<\/p>\n<p>Male.<\/p>\n<p>Calm.<\/p>\n<p>Middle-aged.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHello, Mother.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Diane.<\/p>\n<p>She wasn\u2019t physically there, but Matthew knew she had been speaking with us.<\/p>\n<p>Elena\u2019s expression remained cold.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas looked toward the speaker.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve been listening.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere\u2019s Vale?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProve it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The projector displayed a live video.<\/p>\n<p>Martin Vale sat in a chair.<\/p>\n<p>No visible restraints.<\/p>\n<p>Bruised from his earlier assault but conscious.<\/p>\n<p>A digital clock behind him showed the current minute.<\/p>\n<p>Vale looked into the camera.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas stepped closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you being held?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vale gave a tired smile.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDepends how philosophical you want to get.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Matthew\u2019s voice returned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMartin is here voluntarily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hayes said, \u201cVale was abducted from a hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was extracted from a compromised facility.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy people who assaulted security.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019ll recover.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hayes looked disgusted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou justify everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Matthew\u2019s voice stayed calm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI classify consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elena finally spoke.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou sound more like Raymond every year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Then:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou look well, Elena.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDisappointed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRelieved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She almost laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou tried to erase me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI tried to keep you from releasing something that would expose children in protected identities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou could have separated those records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo could you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI tried.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou failed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Their history felt intimate in the worst possible way.<\/p>\n<p>Not romance.<\/p>\n<p>War between people who understood each other too well.<\/p>\n<p>Matthew addressed me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChloe, I owe you an explanation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI expected that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou framed my mom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour people did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDerek exceeded instructions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elena laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s your defense?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis instruction was to pressure Rachel into leaving the apartment temporarily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mom stepped forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe planted a stolen bracelet worth four hundred thousand dollars in my bag.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd planned to have me arrested.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you\u2019re saying that wasn\u2019t your plan?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m saying Derek chose a method I did not approve.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s meaningless.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For the first time, Matthew\u2019s voice hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s the difference between control and chaos.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I suddenly understood him better.<\/p>\n<p>He did not object to manipulating us.<\/p>\n<p>He objected to sloppy manipulation.<\/p>\n<p>That was worse.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy did you want Mom removed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo speak with you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou could\u2019ve called.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSamuel\u2019s protocols prevented direct contact.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUntil I turned thirteen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe final archive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo remove material that should never be public.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRelease the criminal evidence through a controlled channel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elena said, \u201cLie.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Matthew ignored her.<\/p>\n<p>I asked, \u201cWould you expose yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Everyone reacted.<\/p>\n<p>Even Elena.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou expect us to believe that?\u201d Hayes asked.<\/p>\n<p>Matthew answered, \u201cMy role cannot continue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause the system has become unstable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas said, \u201cBecause Cole failed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCole was always going to fail.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why make him Bishop?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause the network required someone visible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou sacrificed him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cole thought he was powerful.<\/p>\n<p>Matthew had known he was expendable.<\/p>\n<p>I asked, \u201cWhy should I help you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room became quiet.<\/p>\n<p>Matthew answered gently.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I can give you your childhood back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then the projector displayed photographs.<\/p>\n<p>Hundreds.<\/p>\n<p>Me at age five.<\/p>\n<p>Six.<\/p>\n<p>Seven.<\/p>\n<p>School plays.<\/p>\n<p>Birthdays.<\/p>\n<p>The hospital where I broke my wrist.<\/p>\n<p>Mom carrying groceries.<\/p>\n<p>Grandpa sitting with me in the park.<\/p>\n<p>Photos Thomas had never shown us.<\/p>\n<p>Different angles.<\/p>\n<p>Different years.<\/p>\n<p>I stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat are those?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour father\u2019s surveillance archive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas went white.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI destroyed those.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Matthew replied, \u201cYou destroyed copies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mom turned on Dad.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou photographed her that much?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas looked sick.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI needed to know she was safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I couldn\u2019t look at him.<\/p>\n<p>Matthew continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI also have Thomas\u2019s letters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat letters?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe ones he wrote and never sent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>That hurt more than the photographs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou wrote to me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He barely answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHundreds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere are they?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas looked toward the speaker.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMatthew stole them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI preserved them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I hated that word.<\/p>\n<p>Preserved.<\/p>\n<p>Like lives were documents.<\/p>\n<p>Matthew said, \u201cHelp me separate the innocent identities from the criminal archive, and every letter, photograph, and recording Thomas made belongs to you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elena stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo not bargain with him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I barely heard her.<\/p>\n<p>Hundreds of letters.<\/p>\n<p>Thirteen years of the father I never knew.<\/p>\n<p>Every birthday he missed.<\/p>\n<p>Every explanation he never gave.<\/p>\n<p>I asked, \u201cWhat happens if I refuse?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Matthew was silent for several seconds.<\/p>\n<p>Then he answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVale stays with me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas stepped forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThreatening Martin won\u2019t move her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not threatening Martin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The projector changed.<\/p>\n<p>Another camera feed.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Henderson.<\/p>\n<p>Hospital bed.<\/p>\n<p>Sleeping.<\/p>\n<p>Then Mom\u2019s workplace.<\/p>\n<p>Live feed.<\/p>\n<p>Her empty register.<\/p>\n<p>Then my school entrance.<\/p>\n<p>Live.<\/p>\n<p>Matthew could see all of them.<\/p>\n<p>My skin went cold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re threatening everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m showing you reality.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re showing me that you can\u2019t stop controlling people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For the first time, Matthew did not answer immediately.<\/p>\n<p>Elena looked at me differently.<\/p>\n<p>Almost proud.<\/p>\n<p>I continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you really want to expose the network, send the innocent-record index to Elena.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou said she failed to separate them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen help her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI cannot trust Elena.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe can\u2019t trust you either.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is precisely the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked toward the speaker.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s your problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room stayed silent.<\/p>\n<p>Then Matthew said something unexpected.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou sound like Samuel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not Grandpa.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A faint sadness entered his voice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou may be better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The projector switched off.<\/p>\n<p>One final line remained before the screen went dark.<\/p>\n<p>If you want the letters, come to the place Thomas should have come home to thirteen years ago.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas stared.<\/p>\n<p>Mom whispered, \u201cWhat place?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad already knew.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur old apartment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The apartment he had shared with Mom before disappearing.<\/p>\n<p>The place where he had promised to return after seventy-two hours.<\/p>\n<p>Matthew had chosen it deliberately.<\/p>\n<p>Not simply as a meeting site.<\/p>\n<p>As a wound.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=31376\">Click here to continue reading: PART 23: Matthew Waited in the Apartment My Father Never Returned To, Surrounded by Thirteen Years of Letters Addressed to Me<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>They brought Elena to the state facility through a rear entrance. She refused handcuffs. Hayes refused to let her enter otherwise. They compromised. She wore one cuff linked to Ortiz. &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31375","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\/31375","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=31375"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31410,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31375\/revisions\/31410"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/31353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}