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Chapter 442
That night, Eleanor Wayne lay awake in the darkness, the letter tucked beneath her pillow like a secret she couldn't let go.Beside her, William's breathing was slow and even, but she knew he wasn't asleep either. The tension in his shoulders, the way he held himself perfectly still, he was waiting, just as she was, for something neither of them could name.She closed her eyes, and the memories came unbidden.The hospital room, sterile and bright, the smell of antiseptic and the sound of machines beeping. Twenty-five years ago, but she remembered it like yesterday. The exhaustion after twenty-seven hours of labor, the relief when it was finally over, the nurse placing a bundle in her arms.And the thought that had flashed through her mind, so quickly she'd dismissed it, buried it, forgotten it for twenty-five years:He doesn't look like us.She had blamed the exhaustion. The pain. The drugs. She had told herself that all newborns looked like wrinkled potatoes, that she was imagining t
Chapter 441
The afternoon mail had brought nothing more remarkable than bills, a catalog, and a postcard from a cousin traveling in Europe. William Wayne had carried the small stack into the kitchen, sorting through it absently while Eleanor finished the dishes.And then he saw the envelope.The handwriting was unfamiliar, neat but with a slight tremor in the letters. The return address was from a city across the country, a name he didn't recognize. He almost set it aside, almost dismissed it as junk or a wrong address.Something made him open it.The letter was longer than he expected, filled with words that made no sense, that couldn't be true, that upended everything he thought he knew about his life, his family, his son.When he finished reading, his hands were already shaking.Eleanor found him in the living room, the letter spread across his knees, his face the color of old ash."William? What is it?"As far as Eleanor was concerned, William wasn't the type of man whom one could easily see
Chapter 440
The landing was rough, the small plane buffeted by winds that seemed to come from nowhere. Harry gripped the armrest, his knuckles white, and beside him, Sparrow sat motionless, his face unreadable.When the wheels finally touched down and the plane taxied toward the terminal, Harry let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding."We're here," Sparrow said quietly.Harry nodded. "We're here."They gathered their bags, light, just the essentials and moved through the small airport toward arrivals. The terminal was gray and functional, with none of the polish of the international airports Harry was used to. The signs were in Romanian, the announcements in a language he couldn't understand. He had never felt so far from home.And then, there she was.Magda stood just beyond the glass doors, a small woman with a weathered face and sharp eyes that softened when she saw them. She was holding a sign with Sparrow's alias, but she lowered it as they approached, her smile warm and wide."Sp
Chapter 439
The plane lifted off with a roar that seemed to echo Harry's fractured thoughts.He pressed his forehead against the cold window, watching the city shrink beneath him, the buildings becoming toys, the streets becoming threads, the people becoming nothing. Somewhere down there, Wilfreda was standing in an airport terminal, her face still frozen in that moment of desperate pleading.He had seen it. He had seen her reach for him, her fingers inches from his, and he had turned away.The guilt was a stone in his chest, heavy and unyielding.Sparrow sat beside him, silent, his hands folded in his lap. He didn't offer comfort—what comfort was there to offer? He didn't offer absolution—they both knew there was none to be had. He simply sat, present, a steady presence in the turbulence of Harry's mind.The seatbelt sign flicked off. Around them, passengers began to stir, to reach for bags, to settle into the long flight ahead. Harry didn't move."I should have stayed," he whispered, the words
Chapter 438
"We have more than a chance, Harry. We have a plan. We have resources. And we have each other." He paused, his voice softening. "Viktor's network, it's still alive. Magda is proof of that. People who loved him, who believed in what he was doing, who've been waiting for a chance to make things right."Harry wiped his eyes quickly, embarrassed by his tears but unable to stop them. "She's really going to help us? After everything?""She is." Sparrow's voice was firm. "She told me, she's been carrying guilt for years. For not being able to save Viktor. For not protecting Marta when she had the chance. This is her redemption, Harry. She won't fail us."They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of the conversation settling around them.Then Sparrow leaned forward, his expression intense. "But I need you to understand something, Harry. This is still dangerous. More dangerous than anything you've ever faced. Magda can guide us, but once we're in those mountains, once we're near Robert's c
Chapter 437
Dana Voss moved through the crowd like a ghost, her face hidden behind oversized sunglasses, her dark hair pulled back severely. She carried a single bag, light and nondescript. She spotted Magda immediately, a sturdy woman in her sixties with sharp eyes and a weathered face, holding a sign with a name that wasn't Dana's. A precaution. Always precautions.Dana approached. "The mountains are cold this time of year."Magda's eyes flickered with recognition. "But the caves stay warm." The coded phrase completed, she lowered the sign. "Come. The car is this way."They walked in silence through the parking lot, Dana's senses on high alert, scanning for tails, for threats, for anything out of place. But the lot was quiet, the few travelers already gone.Magda's car was an old sedan, unremarkable, perfect for blending into the rural landscape. Dana slid into the passenger seat, and they pulled away.The drive to Magda's village took two hours, winding through increasingly remote terrain. Ma
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