Evelyn remembered the scratched-out face in the childhood photograph.
"Was Catherine the woman in that picture?"
Victoria nodded.
"She was my closest friend."
Evelyn stared at her.
"Why was her face scratched out?"
"Because she disappeared after Daniel's death."
Victoria reached into her handbag again.
This time, she removed a small memory card.
"Daniel gave me this."
Evelyn took it.
"What's on it?"
"An original recording. The one you heard was incomplete."
"Why didn't you give it to the police?"
Victoria looked toward the broken windows.
"Because the recording proves that I was there when Daniel died."
Evelyn felt her heart stop.
"You were there?"
Victoria nodded.
"I arrived after your father and General Hale. Daniel was already injured. He was begging them to stop."
Tears rolled down her face.
"I tried to take him away, but Richard said it was too late."
Evelyn stepped backward.
"Did you see who shot him?"
Victoria whispered.
"Yes."
"Who?"
Victoria looked directly into her daughter's eyes.
"Your father."
The room seemed to tilt.
Evelyn struggled to breathe.
"You're lying."
"I wish I were."
"Why didn't you stop him?"
"I tried!"
"You could have called an ambulance!"
"I did! But your father took my phone!"
Evelyn turned away.
Her entire childhood flashed before her eyes.
Family dinners.
Birthday celebrations.
Christmas mornings.
Her father's warm smile.
His hand resting on her shoulder.
The man who had taught her how to ride a bicycle.
The man who had watched her graduate from military academy.
The man who had sent her into a battlefield.
The man who had killed her brother.
"Why did you let him get away with it?" she whispered.
Victoria stood.
"Because he threatened you."
Evelyn turned sharply.
"What?"
"He said that if I reported him, you would be next. He already knew where your unit was being deployed. He had people monitoring your movements."
Victoria reached for her daughter.
"I thought if I cooperated, he would leave you alone."
Evelyn pulled away.
"And when I disappeared?"
Victoria began crying harder.
"Richard told me that you were dead."
"But you knew I might still be alive."
"Yes."
"Then why did you sign the death certificate?"
Victoria could not answer.
Evelyn stared at her.
"You buried me because it was convenient."
"No!"
"You accepted the money. You stood in front of cameras. You let people mourn me while you knew there was a chance I was alive."
Victoria dropped to her knees.
"I was trying to protect you!"
Evelyn looked down at her mother.
"From whom?"
Victoria raised her eyes.
"From your father."
Suddenly, a loud noise echoed through the lobby.
Someone had opened the main entrance.
Victoria immediately stood.
"No."
Evelyn turned.
A man walked into the building.
Richard Ashford.
He was accompanied by two security officers.
His face was calm.
Almost amused.
"Well," he said. "This is a touching family reunion."
Victoria stepped in front of Evelyn.
"Richard, please."
He ignored her.
"Evelyn, come home."
She shook her head.
"I'm not going anywhere with you."
Richard sighed.
"I was hoping we could handle this quietly."
"Did you kill Daniel?"
His expression changed.
For the first time, his perfect composure disappeared.
"Your brother made some unfortunate decisions."
"Did you shoot him?"
Richard looked at Victoria.
"She told you that?"
"Answer me!"
He took a slow breath.
"Daniel was going to destroy everything we had built."
Evelyn felt tears running down her face.
"He was your son."
"He was a threat."
Victoria screamed.
"Richard, stop!"
He turned toward her.
"You have already done enough damage."
One of the security officers approached Evelyn.
She immediately stepped backward.
"Don't touch me."
Richard raised a hand.
"Nobody needs to get hurt."
Evelyn looked at him.
"That's what you said to Daniel, isn't it?"
For several seconds, Richard said nothing.
Then he smiled.
"You really are your mother's daughter. You believe that emotions can change reality."
He pointed toward the door.
"Take her home."
But before the guards could move, the sound of a car engine roared outside.
James entered the lobby with Thomas.
Behind them were two uniformed officers.
"Nobody moves!" James shouted.
Richard's face turned pale.
James raised his phone.
"I've been recording this entire conversation."
Richard stared at him.
"You have no idea who you're dealing with."
James smiled coldly.
"I think I do."
He turned toward Evelyn.
"There's something else you need to know."
Evelyn looked confused.
"What?"
James held up another photograph.
It showed Catherine Wells standing beside Daniel.
But this time, someone else was visible in the background.
A young woman wearing a military uniform.
Evelyn.
The photograph was dated three weeks before Daniel's death.
And beneath it was a handwritten note.
If Daniel fails, Evelyn becomes the next witness.
Evelyn felt her legs weaken.
She looked at her father.
Then at her mother.
"How long have you known?"
Neither answered.
James stepped closer.
"There's one more thing."
He turned the photograph over.
On the back was a name.
GENERAL MARCUS HALE.
And beneath it, a sentence that changed everything.
The operation was never designed to kill Evelyn.
Evelyn stared at the words.
"What does that mean?"
James lowered his voice.
"It means someone needed you alive."
Before anyone could respond, a gunshot shattered the windows.
Thomas threw himself in front of Evelyn.
Victoria screamed.
And when the smoke cleared, Richard Ashford was nowhere to be seen.
The gunshot echoed through the abandoned hotel.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Evelyn was lying on the floor, her ears ringing. Thomas was beside her, one hand pressed against his shoulder. Blood was spreading through his shirt.
"Thomas!"
"I'm all right," he muttered.
But he wasn't.
James rushed toward the broken windows, trying to see where the shot had come from.
"Everyone stay down!"
Victoria was crouching behind an overturned table, trembling uncontrollably.
Richard was gone.
One of the security officers lay unconscious near the entrance. The other had disappeared through the back door.
Evelyn crawled toward Thomas.
"Look at me. Stay awake."
Thomas forced a weak smile.
"Your brother used to say the same thing."
Evelyn swallowed.
"Don't talk."
"I should have told you sooner."
"Thomas, please."
He grabbed her wrist.
"There's someone you need to find. Her name is Catherine Wells."
Evelyn froze.
"The woman in the photograph?"
Thomas nodded.
"She's alive."
James turned around.
"What did you just say?"
Thomas struggled to breathe.
"She was the one who helped Evelyn survive the operation. She knows why Richard needed her alive."
James immediately called for medical assistance.
Evelyn looked at Victoria.
"Did you know Catherine was alive?"
Victoria shook her head.
"No. Richard told me she had been killed."
"Of course he did."
Evelyn looked at Thomas again.