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The hum of the Bentley's V8 engine was the only sound slicing through the suffocating silence of the night. Robert’s eyes flicked constantly to the rearview mirror, tracking the soft, rhythmic rise and fall of Emma’s chest as she drifted off to sleep against the plush leather headrest. Her blonde hair spilled over her shoulders, framing a face that was an uncanny, impossible mirror image of the woman he had buried five years ago. / Chapter 7 / 10

Chapter 7 - The Final Mask FallsJames—or rather, Arthur Pendelton—stared at Marcus in sheer, unadulterated disbelief. The immaculate, untouchable facade he had meticulously built over twenty-five years completely crumbled in a single second.

"That's... that's a fabrication," Arthur stammered, taking a panicked step backward. "You have no proof! The documents—"

"The documents were seized by Interpol thirty minutes ago from your Swiss server, courtesy of a cyber-warrant signed by a federal judge while we were driving up here," Marcus interrupted, holding up the tablet. "Every penny you looted, every shell company you used to try and hijack Stellar Retreats, and every threat you made against Catherine Blackwood has been recorded, timestamped, and transmitted to the federal prosecutor's office."

Robert, having pushed himself up from the floor with a groan, wiped a streak of dirt and blood from his forehead. He walked slowly out of the shed, his eyes burning with a cold, righteous fury that made even the armed guards flinch.

He didn't say a word. He just walked up to Arthur, raised his fist, and drove it straight into the imposter's jaw with the full force of five years of agonizing grief and stolen life.

Arthur crumpled instantly into the mud, spitting blood onto his expensive Italian leather shoes.

"Take him away," Robert said quietly, his voice deadly calm.

Two state troopers hauled Arthur to his feet, slapping heavy steel handcuffs onto his wrists before shoving him roughly into the back of a police cruiser. The remaining thugs didn't even attempt to reach for their weapons; they dropped to their knees, hands locked behind their heads as the tactical team zip-tied them.

As the red and blue flashing lights painted the abandoned property in a chaotic dance of color, Robert turned his attention away from the arrests.

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My phone was still pressed against my ear. On the other end, Marcus—my most trusted lieutenant—was breathing heavily. The sound of muffled police radios and shouting filtered through the speaker.

My phone was still pressed against my ear. On the other end, Marcus—my m...

Detective Maria Santos tapped her fingernail against the glossy photograph spread across the metal interrogation table. The overhead fluorescent light hummed, casting a sterile, buzzing shadow over the room.

Detective Maria Santos tapped her fingernail against the glossy photogra...

Katherine did not cry when she walked into their immaculate suburban home. The silence of the empty house, which usually felt lonely on the nights Reginald claimed to be working late, now felt like a tactical advantage.

Katherine did not cry when she walked into their immaculate suburban hom...

Catherine was still standing by the door of the shed, trembling uncontrollably, holding Emma tight against her chest.

Robert walked toward them slowly, his heart hammering against his ribs. The ghosts of the past five years seemed to melt away with every step he took.

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