"I hated my father. I hated him for ruining my mother''s life, and for bringing me into this world only to trap me in a childhood that felt endless and dark."


    "When he died, I didn''t cry. Not even a little. Honestly, I felt relieved, like justice had finally caught up with him. It was what he owed my mom and me, and now it was finally over."


    Matthew squeezed Reese''s hand. "Reese, none of this is your fault. Not how you feel about Bailey, not any of it."


    "He was the one who failed you as a father. He hurt you, he used you, over and over, pushing you away every time. He was the one who broke your bond, not you."


    "You don''t have to force yourself to love him or feel sad just because he was your dad. Family isn''t supposed to be a one-way street.”


    "The real you, the honest you, no masks, no pretending... that''s what I treasure most."


    Reese looked up and saw the raw concern and love in Matthew''s eyes. The confusion and self-doubt swirling inside her slowly faded, reced by something softer, something that felt like hope.


    He really saw her. He understood that her coldness came from pain, and that her strength was hiding how fragile she felt inside.


    She couldn''t keep it in any longer. She reached for him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her face against his chest, like she''d finally found a ce she could rest.


    She could feel his heart beating, steady and strong, right through his shirt. That simple rhythm made her feel safe.


    "Matthew, we don''t get to pick where wee from."


    The scent of his soap lingered between them, and all her tension and exhaustion just melted away.


    Matthew held her close, gentle as if he wereforting a scared kitten. He rubbed her back and whispered in her ear.


    "I know."


    "I''m just grateful the universe let me meet you."


    He leaned down and kissed her forehead, slow and soft, pouring all his tenderness and affection into that touch, as if she was the most precious thing in the world.


    "I''ll always love you. No matter what."


    Reese felt her eyes sting. Her heart was so full she could barely breathe.


    She''d spent so many years weathering storms alone, always putting on a brave face. But in Matthew''s arms, surrounded by his warmth, all her defenses broke apart.


    She looked up, caught the tenderness shining in his eyes. On impulse, she rose up on her toes and kissed him.


    The kiss was gentle and light, but it was filled with everything they felt, all the love andfort they had for each other.


    For a moment, the world slipped away. The hallway noises, footsteps, voices, even the distant beeping... it all faded, leaving only the heat of their bodies and the steady thud of their hearts.


    After a while, they pulled apart. Matthew rested his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling, his gaze soft and full of unspoken promises.


    "Do you feel better?" he asked quietly, his voiceced with a hint of worry.


    Reese nodded, feeling her cheeks burn. The heaviness in her heart was gone. "Yeah. Way better."


    Having him here made everything seem possible.


    No matter what happened, just thinking of him made her feel stronger.


    Right then, Matthew''s phone buzzed in his pocket, shattering the quiet between them.


    He frowned, let go of Reese, and checked his phone.


    As he read the message, the warmth in his eyes vanished, reced by a sharp, focused look.


    Reese immediately caught the shift in his mood and tensed up. "What is it?"


    Matthew slipped his phone away, and took her hand again. The touch


    of his fingers calmed her just a little


    gave me a note he found in


    "Hank ga


    that metal box. I had someone


    check out the address on it."


    "What did they find?" Reese pressed.


    Matthew''s eyes narrowed. "Warehouse Three, Pier Three, on the west side of Brookfield. It was rented out twenty years ago by someone named Drew. It''s still in use."


    Reese felt her heart jump. "Drew?"


    Wasn''t that the guy Hank found sending money to Grace''s ount? Some distant cousin of Dous, and the CEO of one of Nathaniel''spanies?


    "Yeah." His eyes shed cold.


    "Twenty years ago lines up exactly with when Bailey and Nathaniel


    started their illegal organ trade. The warehouse rental matches that timeline.


    "And get this, the rent''s always been paid through an anonymous ount. Not a single missed payment, all these years."


    "The ce is locked down tight, too. Multiple hidden cameras, regr patrols."


    "My people tried getting close, but they were chased off by guys they couldn''t identify. Someone''s definitely running the ce, keeping whatever''s inside protected."


    "That warehouse must mean a lot to Nathaniel. There''s got to be something in there he really doesn''t want found."


    Reese''s face lit up with a glimmer of


    hope. If they could get their hands on whatever was inside, and add it


    to the evidence they already had, maybe they could finally prove what Nathaniel and Batley did all those. years ago.


    Matthew clearly had the same thought. He gently ruffled her hair, then pulled out his


    phone and dialed Frank, the head of the special police unit.


    "Captain Frank, it''s Matthew."


    He got right to the point.


    "My team traced a warehouse at Pier Three, west Brookfield. It''s been under Drew''s


    name, one of Nathaniel''s men, for twenty years."


    "I think there''s something seriously important to Nathaniel hidden there."