Chapter 190

Chapter 190
Harper

Vivien's response was immediate: [ARE YOU INSANE?! Wait for backup! Rowan will never forgive me if I let you walk into that snake pit.]

But waiting wasn't an option. If Serena was in danger—or worse—every minute counted. Whatever evidence she had gathered could disappear just as quickly.

[I'll be careful. Have them track my phone too. If I don't check in every 15 minutes, send help. And Vivien... tell the twins I love them, just in case.]

I slipped out of The Edison's side exit, avoiding the main entrance where I might be spotted. The Blake estate was twenty minutes away in evening traffic. As I drove, I kept picturing Serena's face during our last meeting—the fear beneath her practiced composure when she spoke of Michael Blake, the way her hands trembled slightly when she mentioned what might happen if he discovered her betrayal.

"I don't care what he does to me," she had said. "But Henry... I can't let Henry grow up under his influence. That's why I'm helping you. Not for myself, not for Rowan, but for my son."

In that moment, I'd seen beyond the manipulative woman who had tried to destroy my marriage. I'd seen a mother, desperate to protect her child—just as I was.

The Blake estate loomed on the horizon, a modernist concrete and glass structure that seemed to absorb rather than reflect the moonlight. I parked my car a quarter mile down the road and continued on foot, staying close to the tree line that bordered the property.

The secondary garage was separate from the main house, positioned near a service entrance. As I approached, I noticed security cameras aimed at the main driveway but not covering the employee parking area—a blind spot in their sophisticated security system.

A dark stain on the pavement caught my attention first. In the dim lighting, it could have been oil or water, but my instincts told me otherwise. I followed the sporadic trail, my heart hammering against my ribs.

"Please be okay," I whispered, though deep down, I knew it was a futile prayer.

The trail led to a maintenance alcove between the garage and a storage shed. And there, collapsed against the concrete wall, was Serena.

"No," I whispered, dropping to my knees beside her.

Even in the poor light, I could see she was beyond help. Her designer blouse was saturated with blood, her eyes fixed and vacant. A surge of nausea hit me, but I forced it down. Despite everything she had done—the lies, the manipulation, the years of standing between Rowan and me—I wouldn't have wished this end on her.

"I'm sorry," I said softly, closing her eyes with my fingertips. "I'm so sorry."

Her hand was clenched tightly around the phone, and it took some effort for me to pry it open. I noticed the screen was cracked but still functional. A notification showed that an encrypted file had been successfully uploaded to a secure server.

With shaking hands, I unlocked her phone using the fingerprint recognition—thank God death hadn't yet compromised that functionality. The file was labeled simply: "INSURANCE."

Below it was a final text message, never sent, addressed to me:

[For my revenge. Tell Henry I love him. Keep him away from Blake at all costs.]

I copied the server access codes and forwarded them to my secure email before carefully replacing the phone in her hand exactly as I'd found it. Then I backed away, careful not to disturb the scene further.

Once at a safe distance, I used my own phone to access the server. Serena's final gift was an audio recording, along with scans of documents from Michael Blake's private safe.

I played the recording, holding my breath.

"Tell me, was any of it real? Did you ever actually care for me at all?" Ryan's voice, laced with pain.

"Yes. In the beginning, before your father intervened. Before I knew what kind of man he really was."

My heart constricted hearing Serena's voice, knowing these were among her final moments.

The last few minutes of the recording captured the full horror—Ryan's accusation, Serena's pleas, the sound of struggle, and finally her murder at Ryan's hands.

I paused the recording, my blood turning to ice. My fingers trembled as I called Vivien.

"How is it, Harper? Are you okay—"

"Serena's dead, Viv," I said, my voice cracking despite my efforts to stay composed. "Ryan Blake killed her, and she recorded everything."

Vivien's sharp intake of breath was followed by a string of expletives. "What do you need me to do?"

"Stay with the children. Don't let them out of your sight. If Henry asks about his mother..." My voice cracked unexpectedly. Despite everything, he was just an innocent child who had lost his mother. "Just tell him she had to go away for work. We'll figure out what to tell him when this is over."

"Of course," Vivien said softly. "What about you? What are you going to do next?"

"I'll call Officer Reeves. I need the police to handle this murder case and take action before Black reacts."

"Be careful, Harper. These people... they're not just ruthless businessmen. They're monsters."

"I know. That's why we have to stop them."

I hung up the phone and walked over to my car. As I reached my car, the gravity of everything crashed over me. Serena's bloody form, the recording of her final moments, the imminent threat to Rowan, and three children whose lives hung in the balance of a madman's vendetta.

I started the engine with renewed determination. Five years ago, I ran to protect my family. This time, I would stand and fight. Blake had taken enough from us all.

"Not this time," I whispered as I pulled onto the main road, my knuckles white against the steering wheel. "I won't let any child lose their parents to you again. This ends now."