"Where can I find her?"
Thomas reached inside his jacket and removed a small piece of paper.
There was an address written on it.
Then his hand fell.
"Thomas?"
He closed his eyes.
Evelyn pressed her fingers against his neck.
His pulse was weak, but still there.
"He's alive!" she shouted.
James helped her move him away from the windows.
Minutes later, emergency personnel arrived.
As Thomas was carried into the ambulance, Evelyn stood motionless in the parking lot.
Her entire world had changed in less than twenty-four hours.
Her father was a murderer.
Her mother had helped conceal the truth.
Her brother had died trying to expose them.
And now a woman she had never truly known might hold the key to everything.
James approached her.
"We need to leave."
"Where?"
"Somewhere Richard won't find us."
Evelyn looked toward Victoria.
Her mother was sitting in the back of an ambulance, wrapped in a blanket.
"She's coming with us."
James frowned.
"Are you sure?"
"No. But she's the only person who can explain what happened to Daniel."
Two hours later, they arrived at a small safe apartment outside the city.
James locked the doors and checked the windows.
Victoria sat on the sofa, staring at her hands.
Evelyn stood across from her.
"Tell me about Catherine."
Victoria took a deep breath.
"Catherine Wells was my closest friend. We met when we were young. She was brilliant, stubborn, and far more courageous than I ever was."
"Was she involved with Dad's company?"
"Not at first. She worked in military intelligence. Richard approached her because he wanted access to certain government contracts. She introduced him to people who could make those contracts possible."
"And then?"
"She discovered that Richard was using the company to finance operations that were never officially authorized."
Evelyn crossed her arms.
"Why didn't she report him?"
"She tried. But Richard had already collected evidence against several officials. He threatened to expose everyone involved."
Victoria looked down.
"Eventually, Catherine became his biggest problem."
"And Daniel?"
"Daniel found her."
Evelyn's expression changed.
"What?"
"Three months before he died, Catherine contacted him. She told him she had evidence that could bring your father down."
"Did Daniel tell you?"
Victoria nodded.
"He begged me to help them."
"But you refused."
"I was terrified."
Evelyn laughed bitterly.
"Your fear has killed everyone around you."
Victoria began crying again.
"Please don't think I never loved you."
Evelyn looked at her.
"I don't know what to think anymore."
That night, Evelyn couldn't sleep.
She sat beside the window, holding Daniel's old photograph.
For the first time, she allowed herself to remember the day he died.
She had been stationed overseas when she received a short message from him.
Call me when you get a chance. Something important happened.
She had been preparing for a mission and never called back.
Three days later, she was captured.
She had spent months believing that she had abandoned her brother.
Now she understood that Daniel had been trying to save her.
At 2:17 a.m., her phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
A message appeared.
Evelyn, it's Catherine. I know what happened to Daniel. I also know who saved you in the desert.
A second message followed.
Come alone. And bring the silver key.
Evelyn immediately woke James.
He read the messages twice.
"Absolutely not."
"Jamesโ"
"No. We've already been ambushed once."
"She knows who saved me."
James stared at the phone.
Then he looked toward Victoria, who was sleeping on the sofa.
"Maybe we should ask your mother."
Evelyn turned.
"Why?"
"Because if Catherine is telling the truth, Victoria might already know who she is."
They woke her.
When Victoria saw the message, she went completely pale.
"Where did you get this number?"
"Who is Catherine?"
Victoria shook her head.
"No."
"Mom, tell me!"
Victoria grabbed Evelyn's hand.
"Listen to me. If Catherine contacts you, do not trust her."
"Why?"
Victoria's voice dropped to a whisper.
"Because she was the one who pulled the trigger that night."
Evelyn froze.
"Daniel's night?"
Victoria nodded.
"And if she's alive, it means the person who killed your brother is still watching you."
Evelyn looked at the message again.
Then she noticed something she had missed.
The final sentence had appeared beneath the earlier texts.
Your mother is lying about who fired the gun.
For the first time, Evelyn realized that even the truth could be used as a weapon.
And she had no idea which of the women she should believe.
YOUR FAMILY KNOWS WHY I DIED.
By sunrise, the story of Evelyn Ashford's return had become national news.
Every television station was broadcasting the same images: the wounded soldier standing outside her family's mansion, the confrontation with Victoria, and the mysterious shooting at the abandoned hotel.
The headlines were merciless.
THE DEAD DAUGHTER RETURNS: ASHFORD FAMILY IN SHOCKING SCANDAL.
BILLIONAIRE FATHER DISAPPEARS AFTER SHOOTING INCIDENT.
DID THE ASHFORD FAMILY HIDE A MURDER?
Evelyn watched the news from James's apartment.
A reporter stood outside the mansion.
"Authorities are investigating an alleged shooting involving members of the Ashford family. Sources close to the company claim that Sergeant Evelyn Ashford may have been suffering from severe psychological trauma following her captivity overseas."
Evelyn slowly turned toward James.
"They're calling me unstable."
James nodded.
"Richard's public relations team is working."
The reporter continued.
"An anonymous source has also questioned whether the woman claiming to be Evelyn Ashford is actually the missing soldier."
Evelyn laughed without humor.
"That's convenient."
"They're trying to destroy your credibility before you can release the documents."
James opened his laptop.
"Look at this."
He displayed a photograph of Evelyn leaving the hotel.
Someone had captured the image from a distance.
Beneath it was a statement allegedly issued by Ashford Corporation.
The Ashford family requests privacy during this difficult period. The individual claiming to be Sergeant Evelyn Ashford has exhibited increasingly erratic behavior, and the family is deeply concerned for her safety.
Evelyn stared at the screen.
"They're making me look like a dangerous stranger."
"That's the plan."
A notification appeared.
Then another.
And another.
Within minutes, thousands of comments were attacking her.
Some accused her of pretending to be a soldier.
Others claimed she was trying to steal her family's fortune.
One particularly cruel comment read:
If she really loved her brother, why did she disappear when he needed her?
Evelyn closed the laptop.
She had faced enemy fire.
She had survived captivity.
But watching strangers turn her suffering into entertainment was a different kind of pain.
James sat beside her.
"Don't read them."
"They don't know anything."
"Exactly."
"They don't know what happened to Daniel."
"They will."
At noon, James received a call from his editor.