Anna knew her mother had been hiding many things over the years. The truth that had been revealed so far felt incomplete, as if there were pieces deliberately left unsaid. Every answer seed to open the door to more questions.
And now Anna was determined to uncover everything.
She could no longer ignore the feeling that sothing much deeper was buried in the past.
A part of her believed that Collin might have been the reason her mother married Hugo. The thought had crossed her mind several tis, especially after everything she had recently learned.
But there was one thing she still could not understand.
If Collin truly had feelings for her mother, if jealousy had driven him all these years, then what exactly had pushed him to seek revenge now?
Why after so many years?
Anna leaned back slightly on the couch, her eyes fixed on the floor as her thoughts tangled together.
None of it made complete sense.
The pieces of the story refused to fit neatly together, and the more she tried to arrange them, the more confusing everything beca.
A quiet sigh escaped her lips.
Just as she was lost in her thoughts, a familiar voice interrupted her.
"Huh, you’re still sitting there?"
Anna blinked and looked up imdiately.
Daniel’s sleepy voice had broken her chain of thoughts.
He was slowly pushing himself up on the bed, his movents still sluggish from the dicine.
Anna’s eyes widened.
"Wait!"
She imdiately jumped up from the couch, dropping the phone she had been holding onto the cushion. Within seconds she hurried toward the bed.
"Don’t move," she said quickly.
Reaching him, she placed a steady hand on his shoulder and helped him sit upright properly.
Daniel watched her with a faint, amused expression despite the exhaustion still visible on his face.
"You’re acting like I’m seriously injured," he murmured.
Anna frowned at him.
"You had an accident last night," she reminded him again, her voice filled with concern.
"And the doctor clearly said you need rest."
Daniel leaned back slightly against the headboard while Anna adjusted the pillow behind him to make him comfortable.
Only after making sure he was settled did she finally look at him properly.
"You should still be sleeping," she added.
Daniel studied her for a mont.
Even though she tried to act calm, he could clearly see the worry lingering in her eyes.
"You haven’t slept either," he said quietly.
Anna did not answer imdiately.
Her silence was enough for him to understand.
Daniel sighed softly.
"Co here," he said, gently reaching for her hand.
Anna hesitated for a second before sitting beside him on the edge of the bed.
Daniel’s fingers closed around hers.
"You’ve been overthinking again, haven’t you?" he asked.
Anna looked down briefly before eting his gaze again.
"There are too many things that don’t make sense," she admitted.
Daniel watched her carefully.
"You’re thinking about Collin."
It was not a question.
Anna nodded slowly.
"I feel like we still don’t know the full truth," she said. "Mom has been hiding things for years. Whatever she told us is probably only one side of the story."
Daniel remained silent, letting her continue.
"I keep thinking that maybe Collin had sothing to do with why she married Hugo," Anna said quietly. "But if that’s true, I still don’t understand what he’s trying to achieve now."
Her brows furrowed slightly.
"If this is revenge, then what exactly is he avenging?"
Daniel listened thoughtfully.
Anna’s thoughts were not unreasonable. The situation surrounding Collin and her mother was clearly more complicated than they initially believed.
But speculation alone would not give them answers.
"We’ll figure it out," Daniel said calmly.
Anna looked at him.
"For now," he continued, "you should stop trying to solve everything in one day."
A small, tired smile ford on his lips.
"And maybe get so rest."
Anna shook her head lightly.
"I’m fine."
Daniel gave her a look that clearly said he did not believe her.
Still, he did not argue further.
Instead, he gently squeezed her hand.
"Fine," Anna said after a mont, finally giving in to the soft, pleading look Daniel was giving her. "But I’m not sleeping."
Daniel’s lips curved into a faint smile. The stubbornness in her voice was familiar, yet the way she surrendered to his expression made him find the situation strangely adorable.
Without arguing further, he lifted the edge of the duvet and made space for her.
Anna slipped under the covers and settled beside him. The two of them lay facing each other, the quiet of the room wrapping around them as the outside world faded away.
***
anwhile, Kathrine remained seated at her desk, her mind still circling around the conversation she had just had with Anna.
The words refused to leave her head.
Daniel had been attacked the previous night. The accident that followed had nearly cost him his life. And the man responsible for causing it was now dead.
The more she thought about it, the more suspicious it seed.
Accidents happened, but this felt different.
Too precise.
Too convenient.
And when Anna ntioned that the pattern resembled what had happened to Kira, everything suddenly started pointing in a very specific direction.
Kathrine leaned back in her chair slowly, her brows knitting together.
If the situations were truly similar, then the person responsible was soone who knew exactly how to erase evidence and eliminate witnesses.
Soone careful.
Soone calculating.
Soone who never allowed loose ends to remain.
Which was why Anna had imdiately suspected Collin.
Kathrine could understand that conclusion. Collin Ford was certainly capable of such things.
But there had been another question Anna had asked during the call.
One that Kathrine had not been expecting.
Anna had asked about Daniel’s father.
The question had caught her off guard.
At the ti, Kathrine had not given Anna a clear answer. Instead she had simply listened and ended the conversation, but now the question kept resurfacing in her mind.
Slowly, a particular mory began forming in her thoughts.
Kathrine let out a quiet breath as she recalled a conversation she had once had with Hugo.
It had happened not too long ago.
That day Hugo had shown her an old photograph.
She could still picture it clearly.
The photo had been taken during his wedding. Hugo stood in the center with a bright smile, and beside him was a man he had introduced as George.
Daniel’s father.
Kathrine rembered studying the photograph carefully. George had looked calm and composed, the kind of man who carried quiet confidence.
Hugo had spoken about him with genuine admiration.
At the ti, his voice had carried pride.
He had talked about George as though he were more than just a friend.
There had been respect in his words.
Hugo had ntioned how reliable George had been. How intelligent he was. How he had built his reputation through his own abilities rather than relying on others.
For a mont it had almost sounded like Hugo was speaking about soone he deeply valued.
Kathrine had noticed the warmth in his tone back then.
But that warmth had not lasted.
As the conversation continued, sothing in Hugo’s expression had changed.
The pride in his voice slowly faded.
In its place ca sothing colder.
Sothing bitter.
Then he reached the part where he spoke about George’s betrayal.
The word itself had been spoken with a heaviness that Kathrine had not missed.
Hugo had not explained every detail that day. He had only hinted that George had crossed a line that should never have been crossed.
Sothing that had destroyed their trust.
Kathrine had sensed that there was far more to the story than what Hugo had chosen to reveal.
And now, rembering that mont again, a faint unease crept into her thoughts.
If Anna was asking questions about Daniel’s father now, it ant she suspected that the past between these people was not as simple as it appeared.
Kathrine leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on the desk.
Her fingers tapped lightly against the surface as she thought.
There were too many threads connecting these events.
Collin.
Hugo.
George.
And now Daniel.
Whatever had happened years ago clearly had not ended there.
And with the case reopening again, the past was repeating itself.
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