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    Hearing this, Bernard looked puzzled. “Are you saying you suspect there’s something suspicious about Mrs. Elissa’s parents‘ deaths?”

    Frank’s gaze darkened. “Yes. But I’m afraid it won’t be easy to uncover the truth. For inow/i, I want you to make this your top priority.”

    Bernard nodded. “Understood.”

    He had lied to Elissa again.

    Up until now, Bernard’s investigation had focused solely on finding people–he hadn’t looked into the circumstances surrounding her parents‘ deaths at all. But he needed some way to keep her close. And, in truth, he never really believed what happened back then was just an ident.

    He would get justice for her–personally.

    Something else urred to Frank, and he added, “Dig into the Murphy family while you’re at it.”

    Based on what Marcia had overheard at the orphanage years ago, Matriarch Paige Murphy’s decision to adopt Elissa had always seemed intertwined with that notorious drug lord.

    So it was likely that the deaths of Elissa’s parents were, at least in part, connected to Matriarch Paige Murphy as well.

    At that thought, Frank nced back in the direction of the master bedroom.

    Elissa and Rowan had finally reconciled; if it turned out her parents‘ deaths were linked to Rowan’s grandmother…

    Bernard seemed to read his mind and couldn’t help but ask, a note of worry in his voice, “If this really does lead back to Matriarch Paige Murphy, do you think Mrs. Elissa can handle it?”

    Matriarch Paige Murphy was Rowan’s grandmother, after all. And Elissa had grown up with Rowan by

    her side.

    Frank’s concern echoed his own. “Let’s find out the truth first. Until we’re sure, don’t let her know anything.”

    As soon as Frank hung up, he saw Ednaing up the stairs with something in her hands, heading straight for the master bedroom.

    He called out, “Elissa’s still sleeping. What is it?”

    Edna paused and walked over to him, holding out a photograph. “Sir, the family photo that Mrs. Elissa asked to have restored after Mr. Hickey tore it up–it’s finished. She sent it out for repairs before she moved, so they mailed it here.”

    “Family photo?”

    Frank took the picture, and the moment he saw it, his knuckles whitened from the force of his grip. Regret spread through his chest, flooding every limb–so sharp it ached to breathe.

    He suddenly remembered where he’d seen the childhood photo of little Nine that Bernard had shown

    14:27

    himst time–it had been in Elissa’s bedroom.

    This family photo had always been disyed in the master bedroom, ever since he and Elissa got married. But he rarely set foot in there, never paid attention to her things.

    If he’d cared even a little more–if he’d just noticed–he would have recognized Elissa the moment Bernard sent the photo. She never would have been kidnapped.

    Edna nodded. “It arrived in the mail a couple of days ago. Since she’s back today, I thought I’d give it

    to her.”

    “There’s no rush.”

    Frank closed his eyes and let out a slow, shaky breath, trying to loosen the suffocating tension in his

    chest.

    When he opened his eyes again, a red haze rimmed his gaze, stubborn and unyielding. “She’s never leaving again,” he said quietly.

    His tone was steady, almost calm, but it sent a chill down Edna’s spine.

    After nearly twenty–four hours without eating, Elissa woke with a sharp pain in her stomach.

    Her sleep had been restless and disjointed; after everything that happened the night before, fear lingered, haunting her dreams in broken fragments.

    The ckout curtains kept the room in darkness. Reaching for her phone, she realized it was already

    evening.

    She rubbed her aching stomach and, as usual, went to the bathroom to freshen up before heading

    downstairs.

    Dusk had settled over the house. Only a few scattered lights kept the wedding home from being swallowed by gloom, the downstairs bathed in a dim, yellowish haze.

    Elissa never liked how the house felt after she’d just woken up–so heavy and somber, the darkness hanging in the air.