Chapter 136 Chapter One hundred and thirty-five
ARA
My sisters refused to look at me as we pulled out of the care home. Their fingers were laced together, their shoulders angled toward the window as if the city outside was safer than facing me.
They had every right to be angry.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly, my voice barely strong enough to carry across the backseat. “I’m close. I swear I am. I’m digging for answers,for you.”
Neither of them responded.
My mind wouldn’t slow down. Liliana. Nick. Reeds. Thayne. Jimmy. Slade Senior. Every name collided with the next until my thoughts felt like shattered glass.
At this point, I might as well legally change my name to Tinkerbell and disappear into thin air.
“Mrs. Slade,” the driver said suddenly, snapping me out of my spiral. “Uptown Manhattan is currently inaccessible. A massive trailer has fallen sideways on the road. All turning points are blocked. We can’t proceed to the hotel.”
My sisters stiffened at once.
“What do you mean a trailer fell?” Mollie asked, panic creeping into her voice. “What trailer?”
“The announcement didn’t specify, ma’am. Just that traffic is at a standstill and vehicles are barred from passing.”
“That road doesn’t allow heavy-duty trailers,” I said slowly. “Any casualties?”
“No, ma’am. None reported.”
That settled it. Why did stupid things always have to happen when things were complicated?
“That’s not normal,” I muttered. “Accidents don’t just happen there. Not like that.”
“Let’s go back,” Mollie said, her voice packed with panic. “Please. Let’s just go back to the care home.”
Suddenly, a thought struck me. Wasn't it weird that a trailer fell, just like that? The road wasn't even meant for heavyweight vehicles like trailers, so this felt a little off.
Thayne had immediately arranged for us to be driven back to the hotel as soon as Stuart alerted him of Jimmy's arrival.
What if this wasn't an accident but a way to make sure we'd never go back to where'd been seeking refuge?
Jimmy and Thayne's father found it difficult to locate us because Thayne had used one of his most powerful connections to secure the whole hotel for us in order to ensure privacy.
Jimmy knew we were all with Liliana, so he must have thought of a way to stop us from reaching the hotel when he sent in word that he was in his way.
He wanted us all in the care home. All of us in one building. Going back would make it so easy for him.
Oh, man. This was too clean. Too convenient for it to just be an accident. It wasn't an accident.
This was a reroute.
The driver tapped his earpiece, murmured something low and coded, then cleared his throat.
“Mr. Slade’s instructions are to return you and your sisters to the care home.”
Of course. Leave it to Thayne to give orders like that.
“No,” I said sharply. “We are not going back.”
The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror and chuckled lightly, as if indulging a nervous passenger.
“With all due respect, ma’am, I can’t disobey my employer. Your safety is my responsibility.”
“That accident isn’t an accident,” I said, leaning forward, my voice suddenly ice-cold. “And if we go back, we’re walking straight into a trap.”
“Ma’am, my employer—”
“—is my husband,” I cut in sharply. “Now shut up and drive.”
The driver swallowed the rest of his words. “To where?” He stuttered.
“The state library,” I said without hesitation. “No one expects a billionaire’s wife to disappear into a public building with two teenage girls. Jimmy won’t look there. Neither will Mr. Slade Senior.”
The driver hesitated for half a second, then grunted. “Copy.”
He switched lanes and did exactly as I ordered.
I leaned back, exhaling only when the skyline shifted and the care home disappeared behind us.
I was disobeying Thayne. That part didn’t bother me.
What did bother me was Liliana. She was still there, vulnerable, confused, and clueless about what way going on.
Would Thayne forget about the wrong he'd done to his mother by lying and actually face her? He had too much pride, and I wished I was there to force him to do the right fucking thing.
If something went wrong, I might never get another chance to ask about Nick. About if Nick's surname was Reeds. About the truth I could almost touch.
The thought clawed at me all the way to the library.
The moment we arrived, Thayne’s driver stepped out first, flashed his badge at the front desk, and issued quiet, firm instructions. Phones were to be surrendered. Anyone uncomfortable was free to leave with their devices.
It was meant to protect my privacy. Still… it felt extreme.
Eyes followed me as I passed. Curious. Whispering. But no one dared lift a phone. Maybe it wasn't so extreme after all.
We settled at the far end of the reading area, tucked behind towering shelves that smelled of old paper and dust. I tried to sit at one of the desks, but my stomach refused to cooperate.
Apparently, pregnant women were not part of the original architectural plan.
“Okay,” I muttered, shifting. “That’s not happening.”
“I need to pee,” Mollie announced barely five seconds later, hopping from one foot to the other.
I sighed. “Of course you do.”
“I really need to pee,” she insisted, clutching herself dramatically.
“Millie,” I said, already tired, “take her to the restroom. And don’t get lost, you two.”
Millie nodded stiffly, refusing to meet my eyes, and led her sister down the aisle between the shelves.
I watched them disappear, my chest tightening for reasons I couldn’t explain.
Thayne's driver sat in front of me, pretending to read a book he'd borrowed while Mollie was crying about wanting to pee. At least he was trying hard to give off the I-just-feel-like-reading-in-the-library vibes.
“Why aren't they back yet?” He whispered after a minute.
“Maybe they're having girl time in there?” I asked in return, trying to sound relaxed.
But more minutes passed. Then many more minutes. Too many. Now that was something.
A bad feeling curled low in my belly, sharp and insistent.
Would you believe me if I told you they did exactly what I asked them not to do? They got lost.