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    (Connor''s POV)


    The silence in Lucas ckwood''s Private Estate was oppressive. I sat alone on the plush sofa, turning my phone over and over in my hands.


    Security guards patrolled outside, their footsteps asionally audible as they passed the windows. I wasn''t a prisoner, but I wasn''t free either.


    My ribs ached from the earlier confrontation, a physical reminder of my failure to reach Emma. My own daughter had rejected me, clinging to Ethan Stone as if he were her salvation rather than the man who had enabled Victoria''s abuse.


    I unlocked my phone screen, staring at the nk message field. The decision I was about to make would change everything-for me, for Emma, for Victoria Frost, and perhaps even for Olivia Winters.


    There would be no going back once I sent this message. Victoria would know I wasing for her, and she would strike back with everything she had.


    But for Emma''s sake, I had to try. Even if she hated me now, I couldn''t stand by while Victoria continued to manipte and abuse


    her.


    My fingers moved across the screen as Iposed the text message. The words were simple but devastating:


    "I know what you did to secure that kidney donor for Emma. How you deliberately redirected Lily''s donor and condemned her to


    death. Does Ethan know the truth about your ''sacrifice'' for Emma?"


    I stared at the message for a long moment, my thumb hovering over the send


    button. This was my nuclear option-the


    information that could destroy Victoria''s carefully constructed world.


    I had discovered the truth by ident. As a former employee at the Silvercrest Pack Medical Den, I had overheard a heated


    argument between Victoria and Dr. Marcus Fletcher about the "redirected" kidney donor. It had taken months of discreet


    investigation to piece together the full story.


    Victoria had used her connections to ensure that apatible kidney meant for Lily Winters was instead given to Emma, who had


    been diagnosed with a simr condition. She had effectively sentenced Olivia''s daughter to death to save her own.


    With a deep breath, I pressed send. The message disappeared from my screen, winging its way to Victoria''s phone.


    I set my phone down on the coffee table and leaned back, a strange sense of calm washing over me. I had just lit the fuse on a bomb that would either free my daughter or destroy any chance I had of ever reconnecting with her.


    Either way, Victoria Frost would finally face the consequences of her actions. (Victoria''s POV)


    "Can I sleep in your bed tonight, Mommy?" Emma asked, her eyes wide and hopeful.


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    I considered her request, weighing the inconvenience against the benefits of


    indulging her. After the confrontation with Connor


    ckthorn, keeping Emma close seemed prudent.


    "Just for tonight," I conceded with a practiced smile. "As a special treat."


    Emma''s face lit up with genuine joy. "Thank you, Mommy! I''ll go take my bath right now!"


    She scampered off toward the bathroom, her excitement palpable. I watched her go, satisfaction warming my chest. Despite


    Connor''s interference, Emma remained firmly under my control.


    The confrontation at Rosewood Haven had been a close call. If Emma had wavered, if she had admitted to Connor''s usations,


    everything I had built could have crumbled.


    But my careful conditioning had paid off. Emma had chosen Ethan''s protection over Connor''s truth, just as I had trained her to


    1. do.


    I moved to my bedroom, sinking onto the edge of my bed with a sigh of relief. The day had been exhausting, but ultimately sessful. Ethan had defended me against Connor''s usations, and Olivia''s attempt to use Connor against me had failed.


    My phone chimed with a new message. Probably Ethan, checking on us after the confrontation.


    I reached for my phone, a smile already forming on my lips. The smile froze when


    I saw the sender''s name: Connor ckthorn.


    With growing dread, I opened the message. The words on the screen sent ice through my veins:


    "I know what you did to secure that kidney donor for Emma. How you deliberately redirected Lily''s donor and condemned her to death. Does Ethan know the truth about your ''sacrifice'' for Emma?"


    My hands began to tremble as panic set in.


    "How would Connor know about my maniption of the kidney donor situation?" I whispered to myself, my mind racing


    through possibilities.


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