If what Marcia said was true, then at least… little Nine was still alive.


    “Frank, at this point, I have no reason to lie to you.”


    And Marcia really wasn’t lying.


    Back then, when that little brat was taken away, everyone thought she’d been adopted by some wealthy family, destined for a life offort.


    Only Marcia had been so delighted she could hardly sleep.


    But it wasn’t a life offort she was headed for–it was a death


    sentence.


    Marcia didn’t miss the sh of tension and worry that crossed Frank’s face. “You’ve heard about the kind of things those traffickers do, haven’t you?”


    “You can’t bring yourself to divorce Elissa, but you’re willing to risk the life. of the Jade Pendant’s owner? If you divorce Elissa, she’ll just be a divorcée, but if you don’t… Well, the owner of the Jade Pendant will probably die. Maybe she already has.”


    “I’ll ask you one more time.”


    Frank tried to keep his emotions in check, his probing gaze fixed on Marcia. “Are you sure you know where the family who adopted her lives?” “I only know the city,” Marcia admitted, not daring to lie.


    A city was enough. With that, he could narrow things down quickly.


    Frank lowered his eyes, deep in thought. When he looked back at her, hist mind was made up. “So all I have to do is marry you, right?”


    “Of course.”


    As long as she became Mrs. Frank, she’d have all the means she needed to keep that position for life.


    Elissa sat in her car for a long while, only snapping out of her daze as dusk crept in. She finally started the engine and headed back to Vistapeak Gardens.


    There was still time.


    She would figure something out–she had to..


    When she parked in front of her building, she checked the clock.


    Less than three hours until her mentor and Jacqueline’s flightnded.


    Her mentor’s connections were every bit as extensive as the Atwater family’s. The thought settled her nerves a little. Shutting off the ignition, she grabbed her bag from the passenger seat and stepped out into the evening.


    “Elissa-”


    A familiar voice called out just as she was about to enter the building.


    She turned, a beat slower than usual, and when she saw Frank standing beside his car in the shadows, looking as refined andposed as ever, she finally exhaled.


    “When did you get here? Sorry, I was lost in thought and didn’t notice.


    you…


    As she spoke, she was already running through ways to bring up Tanya


    Foster.


    Honestly, knowing Frank’s personality, even if she came right out and asked, he’d probably help her.


    But she couldn’t risk even the slightest chance.


    Frank’s gaze dropped to her, taking in the sheen of water on her skin, her damp hair clinging to her pale cheeks. Her eyes, always so clear, now held a trace of uncertainty, and her longshes cast delicate shadows across her face.


    09:19


    Frank had rarely seen her like this.


    There was something about her, right now, that made him want to believe that if he pulled her into his arms and spoke gently to her, she’de home with him without a word of protest.


    Go back to being the gentle, understanding Mrs. Frank she’d always been. But seeing her this disheveled, it was as if his heart had been wrapped in a dense, suffocating. The words he wanted to say stuck in his throat.


    He took a moment topose himself, then slipped off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. “What happened to you? Why are you like this?”


    “I…<b>” </b>


    Elissa had already rehearsed her opening line. “I need your help with something.”


    “Good, I was looking for you too. You go first.”


    “No, you go first.”


    They spoke at the exact same time.


    She pressed her lips together. “You go ahead.”


    It would be easier for her to speak once he’d said his piece.


    Frank went back to his car and fetched a clean, soft towel, gently drying her damp hair. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he struggled to speak. “Elissa…”


    “Let’s get a divorce.”


    He said it.