The police officer wanted to ask for more, but Kyran stepped in. “Sorry, but I think we’ll have to stop here. She hasn’t exactly recovered from falling off the cliff. Coupled with the abduction incident, it’s only natural that her trauma is affecting her memory recall,” he said. “Once she has some time to process the entire thing again, she might remember something. We’ll come back and give new information by that point.”Although the police officer found the resolution quite disappointing, he could get behind Kyran’s explanation. Nodding, he said, “We’re counting on you, Miss McKinnon. Please contact us as soon as you remember anything more.”They shook hands, and Deirdre left with an icy feeling in her gut. She wondered how long she was supposed to hide from the public. Was she doing right by hiding?Was it right to accept injustice without raising any alarm or standing up against it so she could move to Germia with Kyran and start all over again?Why should Charlene McKinney be

The police officer thought it would be unkind to snuff out Deirdre’s hope, so he asked tactfully, “Do you have any solid proof, Miss McKinnon?”“Proof?”“We can’t sentence someone based on he-says-she-says. We need more witnesses and evidence.”“Don’t I count as an eyewitness?”“You do, but since you’re blind, the defendant can easily weasel her way out of this accusation. It’s really hard to make a solid case if you’re the sole witness.”A person came into Deirdre’s mind—and the color in her eyes darkened. She thinned her lips. “I… I know another eyewitness, but I don’t know if she’s willing to help. Regardless, I’m willing to try. Can you help me summon this person? Then I’ll talk to her alone.”Maeve O’Keefe was brought in a while later. Despite her seemingly calm expression, she was gripping the edge of her skirt tightly as though she had predicted this outcome. The police escorted her into an interrogation room, where Deirdre was already waiting.The older woman almost coul

After a long beat, Kyran finally found his voice. “And Steven?”“Fled.” Declan took another sharp inhale of smoke. “He is a smart man who knows you all too well. He foresaw things going south way ahead and withdrew his savings before disappearing. It’s impossible to find him.”Kyran’s eyes were nailed to the document. A maelstrom was kicking up in his chest, pressing itself against the inside of his chest and stinging him so much that his face turned white. It took him a while to recover. Exhaling a few breaths, he said, “He had no motive. He wouldn’t even have gained anything from it.”Declan flashed him a smile. “That much is obvious. What could he possibly gain from doing all of this to Deirdre? Nothing. As such, someone else must have ordered him to. Now, I don’t have any solid proof yet, but I’m sure who that mastermind could be. Question is… Do you want to hear it?’Kyran did not even blink. “Charlene.”“Huh? Right on the first strike. Only two people could have gained fro

It was as if Kyran had something he wanted to say…Deirdre closed her eyes. Maybe she was overthinking it because she was pretty tired too. If Kyran had anything he wanted to tell her, he would just say so. There was no reason for secrets between the two of them at this stage of their relationship.Deirdre slept soundly. A long, long while later, her bedroom door creaked open. A man snuck inside from that little crack, his movement featherlight and careful, to avoid waking up the young woman. He took his seat near her bed.Moonlight sprayed into her room through her window and drenched her. Her skin was clear, like the surface of a silvery lake. As he studied her, her eyes gleamed with hunger while his lips curled into a shadow of a smile. That was until, suddenly, the smile died. It was as if someone had sucked away every oxygen in his lungs, and now his ribcage and its fleshy contents were imploding. His face paled, he knelt a little forward, and his eyes rested on the you

Deirdre had expected Charlene to be arrested, but she did not expect it to happen as soon as two days later. When the police told her the woman in question was already detained, Deirdre was shocked.The police were careful to put a damp on whatever fervor Deirdre might have after hearing news like that. “We need to put this out there, though. We might not get to arrest her instantly on our first attempt.”She did not really need it—Deirdre knew it was next to a miracle to get Charlene to admit to guilt or be arrested on the first day. She splashed some water over her face, hoping the cold would wake her up from any stupor. She was so preoccupied that she missed out on her face's strange smoothness. She changed into a set of new clothes and went downstairs. Declan was on breakfast duty today while Kyran played his assistant. Hearing a commotion echoing from the stairs, Declan raised his head and greeted, “Miss McKinnon, good morn—”He did not finish his sentence.Kyran instincti