Adam opened his eyes slowly, blinking a few tis before he understood where he was. He looked around the room in confusion, then sat up too quickly. The movent made his chest ache, but he didn’t seem to care."Where is lanie?" he asked in a worried voice.
Richard, who had been watching him, looked older than his age. His shoulders sagged, and when he spoke, it was in a slow, tired voice."We don’t know."
Adam frowned, but before he could say anything more, Richard leaned forward quickly to reassure him."She escaped the fire," Richard said in a hurried voice. "Only one person died, and that was Marianne’s brother. But lanie—" he paused and shook his head, "—I haven’t been able to find her. I thought maybe you would know. The people who carried her away listened to you, so I assud she must be with them."
Adam was silent for a mont before asking in a calr voice, "What about Dr. Jung and Cadence Sint? It was their security team that got us out."
Richard shook his head. "I don’t know," he said in a quiet voice.
Adam gave a short nod and tried to push himself up again. The effort made him wince, but before he could move further Richard reached out and stopped him."You can’t sit up," Richard said in a firm voice. "Your ribs are fractured. If you keep moving like this, you’ll only hurt yourself more."
Adam leaned back slowly, frustrated but quiet. After a pause, he asked, "What about Marianne?" in a steady voice.
Richard’s expression changed at the na. When he answered, it was in a hard voice."I acted like I was heartbroken when I confronted her. Just like you told to. I made her think she had broken , and she couldn’t help herself."
"She started talking, and in front of everyone she told the truth. She wanted to hurt , but instead she confessed everything. The police didn’t need any more proof. They’ve already taken her away."
Adam nodded. That had been the end goal. To make Marianne confess everything. Because over the years, the woman had been so careful that it had been nearly impossible to find any evidence against her.
Adam sat in silence for a while, his eyes fixed on the wall but his mind far away. His breathing was uneven, and it was clear he was fighting to piece everything together. Finally, he turned back to Richard."How many days has it been since everything happened?" he asked in a low voice.
"Two days," Richard answered in a flat voice. His tone held no emotion, as if even speaking had drained what little strength he had left.
Adam frowned deeply. Two days. That was far too long. If lanie had truly been safe, she would have found a way to reach him. She would never have stayed silent for this long. He shifted slightly, ignoring the ache in his ribs, and looked straight at Richard."Give my phone," he said in a firm voice. "lanie should be with Cadence and Dr. Jung. It was their people who entered the house and took her away. If that is the case, then why hasn’t she contacted yet?"
Richard hesitated only for a mont. Without saying a word, he stood up, walked across the room, and picked his phone up from the table. His hands looked unsteady as he returned and placed it in Adam’s palm. Adam gripped it tightly, his jaw set, and wasted no ti. He scrolled quickly, found Dr. Jung’s number, and pressed the call button.
The phone rang once, twice, three tis. Adam felt each second drag out unbearably, his pulse hamring in his ears. Finally, the line connected, and a familiar voice ca through."Adam," Dr. Jung said in a calm voice. "How are you and lanie doing?"
Adam froze. His stomach dropped so suddenly that for a mont he thought he might be sick. He had expected reassurance, confirmation, sothing that would put his mind at ease. But the doctor’s words did the opposite. His heart skipped, his throat tightened, and for a mont he could not bring himself to respond.
Richard’s eyes were on him, confused, watching the color drain from Adam’s face."What is it?" Richard asked in a quiet voice, but Adam didn’t answer him.
He forced himself to speak into the phone, each word slow and deliberate. His voice shook slightly, but he tried to keep it steady."Isn’t lanie with you?" he asked in a careful voice.
There was silence on the other end. Too much silence. Adam could hear faint background noises, a door closing sowhere far away, and then Dr. Jung’s tone shifted. It was sharper and wary, as if he too had guessed sothing was wrong. "Why would lanie be with us?" the doctor asked in a questioning voice.
Adam’s grip on the phone tightened until his knuckles turned white. He closed his eyes for a brief second, trying to process what he had just heard. The ground beneath him felt unsteady, as though everything he had believed in the last two days had just been torn away.
"She isn’t with you?" Adam repeated, his voice rising slightly now. "Your team pulled us out. Your people entered the house. They took her away. Where is she then?"
On the other end of the line, Dr. Jung’s breathing grew heavier. His tone turned serious."Adam, my team only managed to get and Cadence out. And from what I understood, it was your people who took her away first, long before my people were able to get in."
Adam paled at that. He’d helped the two teams co into the balcony and because they had been together, he had assud that.... Dam* it! Had Marianne really succeeded in harming lanie sohow?
He disconnected the phone and was about to make another call when the phone rang. He answered hurriedly and almost breathed a sigh of relief when the other peson said," Are you looking for lanie?"
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