Within minutes, both Peter and Grace were handcuffed.

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    “Officer, you have to believe us,” Peter pleaded. “They’re the ones who broke my leg. They should be the ones under arrest!”

    “Yes, that’s right,” Grace chimed in. “We didn’t intend to kidnap anyone. We just wanted to scare them a little and stand up for my daughter. This isn’t fair!”

    Tears streamed down their faces as they scrambled to justify their actions. They tried to reframe the incident as retaliation against a mistress, attempting to downy the seriousness of their crime. Even more brazenly, they soughtpensation from Brian over Peter’s injured leg.

    But the officers, having thoroughly reviewed the evidence, remained unmoved. Without a word, they escorted the two into the interrogation room, their expressions unreadable.

    Shortly afterward, the attorney Brian had contacted arrived, a seasoned expert in criminal litigation.

    “Mr. Brooks? I didn’t expect you to be on this case,” Jackson remarked, visibly surprised upon seeing him.

    He knew then that Brian was truly furious. Hiring Jonathan Brooks, one of the country’s most formidable criminal attorneys, left no doubt. Brian was determined to see Grace and Peter imprisoned for as long as thew would allow.

    “Mr. Atkinson is generous,” Jonathan replied with a polite smile. He epted the backup files and went straight to confer with the authorities.

    Brian had spared no expense in hiring him, with one clear directive, to secure the maximum sentence possible.

    Jonathan, being a professional, intended to deliver exactly that.

    Later that afternoon, at the hospital, Brian received Jonathan’s update. The case looked strong. With the avable evidence, a sentence of over a decade was all but certain. The fury that had simmered within him for days finally began to case.

    “Good,” he said simply. “You have full authority. If anythinges up, contact my assistant directly.”

    He ended the call and immediately rang the bodyguard assigned to Madeline, instructing him to share the news.

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    It was no ident. The entire ordeal involving Grace and Peter had been set in motion by Madeline. Brian had no intention of letting her walk away untouched.

    The bodyguard soon reported back. Madeline had broken down in tears upon hearing the oue, repeatedly apologizing and begging to see him.

    “She can forget it,” Brian replied coldly. “Let her get used ito /iwhere she is. She won’t be leaving anytime soon.”

    He hung up, nced at the clock, and was about to prepare dinner for Jessica when his phone rang again.

    It was Jackson. “Mr. Atkinson, Miguel showed up at the station. He’s threatening to press charges for the injuries to his parents.”

    Brian’s tone remained even. “Is that so? Then let him know, if he’s not afraid of going down with them, he’s wee to try.”

    Truthfully, Brian had almost forgotten about Miguel. That the boy had the nerve ito /ie forward now only proved how little he understood the situation.

    Jackson passed the message along.

    Miguel’s face drained of color. “Forget it. I’m not pressing charges. They got what they deserved. I’m staying out of it,” he muttered before turning on his heel and leaving without a backward nce at his parents.

    “Miguel! Come back…” Grace cried, her voice cracking with disbelief.

    Peter and Grace were nearly hysterical, watching their beloved son abandon them without hesitation.

    Everything they had done had been for his sake, yet now, he wanted nothing to do with them.

    “Poetic justice,” Jackson murmured before pulling out his phone to update Brian and ask how he wished to proceed.

    At the time, Brian was in the hospital kitchen, carefully preparing soup for Jessica. Upon hearing thetest development, he responded with measured calm, “Keep someone on him. If he stays quiet, we leave him be.”

    He never believed in dragging others into his conflicts, but after all that had happened, caution was no longer optional.

    “Understood, Mr. Atkinson. I’ll make the arrangements,” Jackson replied before assigning two bodyguards to watch Miguel around the clock.

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    Thanks to Brian’s meticulous care, Jessica was discharged from the hospital by the third day.

    The moment she stepped inside their home, a sense of case washed over her.

    Brian was still moving around, organizing the items they’d brought back, most of them gifts from friends who hade by once word of her hospitalization spread.

    If she had stayed longer, the pile might have doubled.

    “Leave the food out here. Everything else can go in the storage room,” Jessica called out from the sofa, sipping the warm milk Brian had poured for her.

    He followed her instructions without question, amodating her every word with quiet

    attentiveness.

    Once everything was put away, Brian washed his face, changed into loungewear, and finally

    settled beside her.

    Jessica looked down as he rested his head gently on herp, turning slightly to listen for the baby’s heartbeat. She couldn’t resist reaching out to smooth his hair.

    “Stop listening,” she said softly. “The baby’s fine. I’m fine. This wasn’t your fault. They’d been following me for a while, and we just weren’t prepared. Even if it hadn’t happened then, it would’ve happenedter.”

    She spoke inly, but without resentment. Grace and Peter had clearly been nning something. She had no reason to believe they would’ve stopped.

    In fact, part of her was relieved it had happened now. If they’d waited until she was near term, the oue might have been far worse.

    “I should’ve been more careful,” Brian said, voice low. “I didn’t treat them as enough of a

    threat.”

    Jessica sighed and gently lifted his face until their foreheads touched. “No. You’ve done everything you could. Don’t let what they did make you question yourself.”

    She meant it. Brian had been extraordinary. He didn’t deserve the weight of guilt he was carrying.

    Seeing the calm in her eyes, Brian felt something inside him begin to settle.

    She didn’t me him, not even a little. That alone gave him the strength to stop ming

    himself.

    What mattered now was protecting her, being present. Everything else could wait.

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    He gave a small nod. “You’re right. I got stuck in my own head. I’m just d you pulled me out

    of it.”

    Jessica smiled, relieved to see the heaviness lifting from his expression. “Good. Don’t slip back into it, okay?”

    She had worried he might spiral. His recovery had only just begun. Another setback would have been too much.

    “Alright,” she said, shifting the conversation. “Let’s talk about something else. Aren’t we filming again next week?”

    “We are. I checked with Mr. Scott. The next shoot is in a week,” Brian replied. “Is there anywhere you’d like to go? I can make it happen.”

    To him, it was nothing out of the ordinary. The show revolved around travel, and as long as the funding was there, the destination made little difference.

    Jessica considered for a moment. “Let’s go to Willowridge.”

    She’d been meaning to visit for some time but never found the chance. This seemed like the perfect opportunity tobine work with a bit of leisure.

    Brian nodded. “Alright, Willowridge it is.”

    Without dy, he pulled out his phone, got in touch with Raymond, passed along the location, and secured a favorable response with the promise of additional investment.

    Watching him finish the call, Jessica was suddenly reminded of something. “Is Jake still at Atkinson Manor? His birthday is on Saturday. Any thoughts on that?”

    AD