Chapter 281

Chapter 281

A week later, the doctor conducted another comprehensive examination and confirmed that Bradley's wounds were healing well. He finally approved his discharge.

The day he left the hospital, the weather was beautiful.

Elaine had completed all the paperwork in advance and helped Bradley walk slowly out of the hospital building.

Sitting in the car Bradley's people had arranged, they both fell silent for a moment.

This trip had been full of troubles and nearly led to disaster, but thankfully everything turned out okay in the end.

"We can finally go home."

Elaine said softly.

"Yeah, going home."

Bradley turned to look at her. "These past few days... thank you for everything."

Elaine shook her head. "Compared to what you went through, this is nothing."

She paused, looked at him, and said seriously, "Bradley, this time... thank you. Really."

Bradley looked into her clear eyes, smiled slightly, and said gently, "Between us, we don't need to say these things."

Soon, the plane landed smoothly at the familiar city airport.

The cabin door opened, and air carrying the local atmosphere rushed in.

With Elaine's support, Bradley slowly walked out of the jet bridge.

As soon as she turned on her phone, it started vibrating.

It was a call from the police department.

Her heart tightened slightly. She glanced at Bradley and walked aside to answer.

"Hello, is this Ms. Brown? I'm Luca Saunders from the Municipal Criminal Investigation Unit. Regarding the criminal gang members we arrested across provinces recently, there are some updates I need to share with you."

Elaine gripped her phone tightly, her fingertips feeling cold. "Hello, Mr. Saunders. Please go ahead."

"We interrogated the woman who impersonated your mother through the night. She admitted to being hired by the organization and undergoing plastic surgery to impersonate Kathy. Her purpose was to get close to you, obtain your research materials, and find opportunities to sabotage the vaccine project you're involved in."

Elaine held her breath, waiting for the most critical information.

"However,"

Luca's tone carried a hint of regret, "regarding your biological mother's whereabouts... all the suspects insist they don't know. Their orders were only to impersonate her. As for where the real person is, they claim to have no information and no contact with anything related."

There was a pause on the other end, seemingly giving Elaine time to process.

"We've verified their statements, and currently... there's really no direct evidence pointing to Kathy's specific whereabouts. We'll continue digging into the case, but as things stand now, this lead... has gone cold for now. I'm very sorry, Ms. Brown."

Her suspended heart completely emptied.

Elaine pressed her lips together, unable to speak for a long time.

Even though she had already guessed this outcome, deep in her heart, there had always been a faint glimmer of hope.

Now, even that bit of hope was completely shattered.

"I... I understand."

Elaine's voice was somewhat hoarse. "Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Saunders. Thank you."

After hanging up, she stood there, feeling cold all over.

"Elaine?"

Bradley's voice sounded beside her.

He had noticed how her eyes dimmed instantly after the call.

Elaine came back to herself and forced a smile. "I'm fine. It was the police. They said... the interrogation has results."

Seeing her trying so hard to hold up, Bradley immediately guessed most of it.

He didn't rush to ask for details, just looked at her, his voice gentle and steady. "Whatever the result is, you can tell me, or not. Either way is fine. I'm here."

Elaine lowered her eyes, looking at the clean floor reflecting hurried figures. After a long while, she finally spoke softly, "They said the people they caught don't know where my mom is. The lead... has gone cold again."

She tried to keep her tone calm, but Bradley still heard the disappointment beneath that calmness.

He reached out and gently patted her arm.

"If this road doesn't work, we'll find another one. As long as we don't give up, there will always be new directions. Dr. Harris has her own good fortune. Maybe... it's just not the right time yet."

Elaine looked up at him.

Her eyes suddenly felt sore.

She blinked rapidly several times, forcing the moisture back, then shook her head with a smile that held more acceptance. "Actually... I've already accepted it. It's just... I never wanted to completely give up hope. I kept thinking, what if?"

She paused, looking toward the vast sky outside the airport. "Now, there's no more 'what if.' Maybe that's better. At least... I don't have to keep holding onto false hope, only to be disappointed again and again."

She said it lightly, but Bradley heard the torment in her words.

He didn't offer any more empty words of comfort, just nodded and held his arm more steadily. "Let's go home first. Vera is waiting for you at home. Other things, we'll take them slowly."

"Okay."

Elaine took a deep breath and, using his support, slowly walked forward.

Yes, go home first. Life goes on, her daughter is waiting for her, and her unfinished research is waiting for her.

Her mother's whereabouts remaining a mystery might be a permanent regret, but she couldn't let herself drown in it.

Carrying this regret while walking forward more firmly—perhaps that would be the best way to honor her mother.

The two walked together toward the airport exit, merging into the bustling crowd.

The next morning, Elaine put on a clean, professional lab coat, tied her long hair neatly behind her head, picked up a small portable cooler, and walked into the National Virus Research Institute she had been away from for over half a month.

Inside the cooler were the original research materials she and Bradley had fought to recover from that warehouse.

As for the laboratory that had been ransacked by the fakeKathy, the police had found most of the items at their hideout and, along with the case report, returned them to the institute.

Her appearance immediately caused quite a stir at the institute.

Researchers she passed along the way couldn't help but focus their eyes on her.

Elaine could clearly feel those gazes, but she didn't stop walking. Her back was straight, her eyes calmly looking ahead.

The innocent need no explanation. She didn't need to explain herself to anyone.

The official report was her strongest defense, and returning to the research frontlines to let her results speak for themselves was the best way to clear all doubts.

She walked straight to the director's office, knocked on the door, and placed the cooler and a detailed inventory list on the desk.

"Director, these are the recovered materials and samples. The list is here. The stolen items related to my work have also been organized and returned with police cooperation."

The gray-haired old director pushed up his glasses, carefully reviewed the list, then looked up at her.

The old director's gaze held some sympathy.

"Elaine, these past few weeks... it's been hard on you. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, thank you for your concern, Director."

Elaine nodded slightly. "I'm requesting to immediately return to the project team and participate in further development. I'll do my best to make up for the lost time."

The old director thought for a moment and nodded. "The organization recognizes your professional capabilities. The project needs you too. Go ahead. The project leader will coordinate the specific work arrangements with you."

"Yes."

Elaine turned and left the office decisively, heading straight for her original laboratory.