Chapter 145 Chapter One hundred and forty-four
ARA
“Somehow, your father engaged the use of AI to switch himself with a masked man. He isn’t featured in the video he uploaded. Now he’s on the defensive, and we’re on the offensive,” Sasha explained.
The words pressed down on me harder than the weight of the past hour.
I sagged against Thayne’s solid frame, letting his warmth hold me upright when my own strength faltered.
“People will find out in an instant, right?” I asked, my voice smaller than I intended. “Everyone can identify anything AI these days… right?”
Hope sounded pathetic when spoken aloud.
Sasha’s expression softened for half a second before professionalism snapped back into place.
“Unfortunately, your father’s public relations team didn’t make the release public like we did ours,” she said. “It went straight to the District Attorney’s office.”
The air shifted.
Of course it fucking did. Jimmy never fought battles in the open. He buried them under paperwork, power, and men in expensive suits who knew how to make problems disappear.
“So he’s hiding behind procedure,” I murmured.
“More like buying time,” Stuart corrected from across the room, his voice quiet but edged. “The DA will have to review, authenticate, and determine relevance before anything becomes public record.”
Time. Time for Jimmy to spin the story. Time to threaten witnesses. Time to erase whatever else still existed.
I wanted to find Jimmy and strangle him myself. I wanted to do what my mother had never been able to do, to stand before him without fear, without trembling, without breaking.
“There's only one person who can testify against my father,” I blurted, the words escaping before courage could abandon me.
The room stilled.
Thayne sucked in a sharp breath, like I’d just driven a blade between his ribs.
“Don’t bring my mother into this, Ara. We’ve dragged her enough,” he said, his voice tight, controlled in that dangerous way that meant he was barely holding himself together.
“But my mother told her… she confided in her.”
Memories didn’t vanish simply because illness crept in and rearranged the mind. Secrets left stains. They lingered.
Thayne’s jaw ticked.
“My mother remembers nothing useful,” he said. “She talks gibberish and murmurs to herself most of the time. She hates me as we speak. That is the woman you want to bring into this?”
His words hit harder than he intended. Or maybe exactly as he intended.
“Do not speak of her like that,” I snapped, the protectiveness rising before I could stop it. “She’s sick. And on top of everything, you lied to her. It was to protect her, I understand that, but you refused to apologise. Your mother remembers more than you think.”
Silence stretched between us.
“You don’t know my mother,” Thayne said finally, each word was strained. “You can’t talk like you’ve known her all your life. She’s not your friend. She’s not your mother. She’s your sick mother-in-law, and I think it’s time we dropped this topic and moved on.”
The dismissal stung. Not because he was wrong. But because he was afraid.
I stepped closer, lowering my voice so only he could hear.
“No,” I whispered. “You think I don’t recognise fear when I see it? You’re not protecting her, Thayne. You’re protecting yourself from what she might remember… and what that would mean.”
His eyes darkened, something wounded flickering beneath the anger.
And for a moment, I saw it clearly. This wasn’t about his mother. This was about the boy who had watched her fade.
The son who had made impossible choices.
The man terrified that dragging her back into the past might break whatever fragile pieces remained.
But this wasn’t just his war. It was mine too.
“My mother died without justice,” I said softly. “If there’s even the smallest chance your mother holds the truth that can give her peace… I have to try.”
Thayne stared at me for a long time. Long enough for my heartbeat to echo in my ears.
Long enough for the room, for Sasha and Stuart, the chaos outside to disappear.
When he finally spoke, his voice wasn’t angry.
It was tired.
“You have no idea what you’re asking.”
Maybe I didn’t. But grief recognised grief. And silence had already stolen too much from both our mothers.
“You know I will go to her on my own if you don't pull up your pants and do it,” I told him.
Sasha giggled from where she and Stuart stood on the other side of the room, both of them pretending very poorly that they weren’t invested in our argument.
Thayne’s head snapped toward her.
“What’s funny, Sasha? How about we remove three zeros from your paycheck? I bet it won’t be funny then.”
Her laughter died instantly, but the sparkle in her eyes remained.
“Threatening my livelihood during working hours is highly unprofessional, sir,” she said, clearing her throat and straightening her tablet against her chest. “Also, I was not laughing. I was… experiencing respiratory turbulence.”
Stuart coughed into his fist, his shoulders shaking.
Thayne narrowed his eyes. “You too?”
“I’m Switzerland,” Stuart said quickly, lifting both hands. “Neutral. Peaceful. Absolutely uninvolved.”
Sasha snorted again.
I folded my arms, unimpressed by the distraction.
“Are we done?” I asked quietly.
The shift in my tone dragged Thayne’s attention back to me.
The room sobered.
“I meant what I said,” I continued. “You can come with me, or I go alone. But I am not letting fear dictate this.”
Thayne stared at me like he was searching for something, hesitation, doubt, or even weakness.
I offered him none. Behind him, Sasha nudged Stuart with her elbow and whispered something that made him sigh dramatically.
“Boss,” Stuart said gently, “she’s going either way.”
“That was not helpful,” Thayne muttered.
“It was accurate.” Stuart said, shrugging.
Silence stretched again, heavy with everything unspoken between us.
Finally, Thayne dragged a hand down his face.
“You are exhausting,” he said.
A small smile tugged at my lips. “And yet you married me.”
Sasha clapped once, unable to stop herself.
“Romance is alive.”
Thayne shot her a look. She immediately zipped her lips. He turned back to me, resignation and something softer settling into his expression.
“We go together,” he said. “But if she gets overwhelmed, if this hurts her in any way, we will leave. Ah-ahn, no arguments.”
Relief loosened something tight in my chest. “Deal.”
From the corner, Sasha whispered, “I give them twenty minutes before the next fight.”
“I heard that,” Thayne said.
“I wanted you to.” She said in a sing-song.
Stuart groaned. “Why do I work here?”
Thayne's phone started ringing loudly. He muttered, “Of course, even three minutes of peace is expensive,” then picked the call.
The conversation lasted for only a minute. Thayne flipped his phone and caught it.
“They've nailed down your stepfather, Ara.” He announced.