Ayla cried even harder, feeling both relieved and sad all at once. "I thought I was going nuts. For years, I thought maybe they were right, maybe I just imagined the whole thing."

"You didn’t," Aylin said with determination. "Your memory is real. You saw a murder, and everyone made you feel like you were the one with issues. But you weren’t. You were the only one who told the truth."

They hugged tightly for a long time, letting go of all the doubt and guilt they’d carried for years.

Finally, Ayla pulled back, feeling worn out. "What’s next?"

"Now, you just need to rest," Aylin said, gently laying her sister back against the pillows. "And I’ll make sure Alexander Kane can’t hurt anyone ever again."

"I’m scared," Ayla whispered. "What if he comes after me? He knows I saw him today. He looked right at me."

"He won’t get close to you," Aylin promised. "Zayden has guards outside this room. Once you’re out of here, you’ll come stay at the mansion with me, and you’ll have protection 24/7. You’ll never be alone."

"Okay," Ayla replied softly, her eyes already drooping with tiredness.

Before long, she was asleep again, completely wiped out.

Aylin carefully tucked the blanket around her sister, then headed to the door, her face growing serious with every step.

She had to fill Zayden in on everything.

Then they needed to find Alexander Kane before he realized his cover was blown.

*****

Zayden and Liam jumped up as soon as they saw her.

"Did she say anything?" Zayden blurted out right away.

Aylin nodded, her jaw set. "Yeah, everything."

For the next ten minutes, she broke down everything Ayla remembered: the poison, how Alexander had planned their mom’s murder, and how they made everyone think that a traumatized nine-year-old was just imagining things.

When she finished, Liam looked like he might throw up. "Jesus Christ. She actually saw him do it?"

"She was there," Aylin confirmed. "She watched Alexander put something in the water glass. She saw him hand it to our mom. She saw Mom drink it and collapse. And when she tried to tell everyone, they called her crazy."

"That’s how he got away with it," Zayden said darkly. "The only witness was a nine-year-old. It was easy to make her sound unreliable."

"He probably set it up that way," Aylin said with bitterness. "Ayla told me that Dad mentioned Alexander asked Mom to help him with something in his car. He split them up on purpose, then came back with the poisoned drink and made it look like it was just a coincidence."

"A heart attack," Liam added. "Untraceable, especially fourteen years ago when toxicology wasn’t as advanced."

"And now Ayla is a witness again," Zayden pointed out. "That makes her a target."

"I get it," Aylin said quietly. "If Alexander figures out she remembers, or if he spots Ayla and worries she might spill the beans—"

"He’ll go after her," Zayden finished. He pulled out his phone. "I’m boosting security. No one gets in or out of her hospital room without clearance. Once she’s out of here, she’s staying with us at the mansion."

"Sounds good," Aylin agreed, then turned to Liam. "Your dad needs to know about this. If Alexander was working with Alpha back then—"

"He could still be," Liam realized. "Which means Alpha might already know Ayla saw him."

They all exchanged serious looks.

"We need to move fast," Zayden urged. "We have to track down Alexander before he has time to run or make a move."

Aylin took a deep breath. "And we need to talk to Azalea. Right now."

Zayden raised an eyebrow. "You want to confront my sister about being Ghost Net?"

"We can’t handle this alone, Zayden." Aylin’s voice was calm and confident. "This whole mess, Alexander, the Alpha, everything, is too huge for us to tackle on our own. Azalea has resources we don’t and connections we really need. Plus, she’s on our team."

"Are you really sure about that?" Zayden asked, doubt creeping into his voice.

"I know she’s your sister," Aylin replied. "And I believe she wouldn’t pick the wrong side when it comes to family. She might have her own plans and reasons for running Ghost Net, but at the end of the day, she’ll have your back."

Zayden was quiet for a while, thinking over what she said.

Finally, he nodded. "Alright. Once Ayla is all set and secure, I’ll reach out to Azalea. We’ll lay everything out, we know who she is and what she’s been up to. We’ll make it clear that we’re all in this together now."

"And what about Alexander?" Liam asked quietly.

Aylin’s expression turned serious. "We track him down. We expose him, and we make sure he pays for every life he’s messed with."

*****

The next day, after Emma’s classes wrapped up, they headed to the shopping district, buzzing with excitement.

"Dad, can we go in here?" Emma pointed at another boutique, her eyes lighting up.

Alexander checked his watch. They had been shopping for three hours, and he was already carrying ten bags of all different sizes.

"Isn’t that enough for one day?" he asked, trying to dial down her excitement.

"There’s no such thing as ’too much’ when it comes to shopping," Emma declared confidently. She was someone who never had to stress about money. "Besides, you promised."

She wasn’t wrong; he had made that promise.

"Fine. Just ten more minutes. Then we’re getting dinner."

"Deal!" Emma exclaimed, racing into the store, a fancy boutique that made Alexander’s carefully crafted cover feel a bit uneasy. He hung back, shifting the bags to get comfy while casually scanning the area.

Always watch the exits. Always know who’s around you.

Old habits are tough to shake. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

His phone buzzed again with another text from the same unknown number, ’Your package is at your place. Check your car.’

Alexander’s jaw tensed up.

Not now. Not here.

He shot back a reply, ’I’m with...’