Chapter 261

Chapter 261:

“When will you tell her?”

“When the time is right. When I can’t hide it anymore.” Victoria sighed. “Or when the end is near enough that she won’t have long to suffer through my decline.” Margaret looked as if she wanted to argue, then nodded reluctantly. “I’ll keep your secret for now. But don’t wait too long, Victoria. She’ll never forgive you if you don’t give her the chance to say goodbye.”

Victoria allowed herself a small smile. “Now you’re finally thinking like her mother.”

Margaret returned the smile, tentative but real. “Perhaps we both are, in our own ways.”

As their meeting concluded and Margaret prepared to leave, Victoria felt a strange sense of peace. One more piece secured for Camille’s future. One more protection in place for when Victoria was gone.

She watched Margaret leave, then turned back to the medical report. Six months. Maybe less.

It would have to be enough time to finish what she’d started. To make peace where she could, to settle old scores where she must, and to make sure Camille would be surrounded by people who truly loved her when Victoria was gone.

Outside her window, the sun broke through the clouds, sending shafts of golden light across the city. Victoria touched the glass, feeling its warmth. “Be happy, Camille,” she whispered to the empty room. “Be strong. Be loved.” The words felt like a prayer, like a promise, like a goodbye.

The morning news blared from the small TV in their latest hideout, a run-down motel on the outskirts of the city. Herod sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes fixed on the screen as his own face flashed across it. The reporter’s voice filled the cramped room.

“Federal authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Herod Preston, naming him as the primary suspect in the Phoenix Grid bombings. Authorities cite overwhelming evidence found in Preston’s apartment, including materials matching those used in the attacks.”

Rose emerged from the bathroom, her wet hair wrapped in a towel. “Turn that off,” she snapped. “We already know what they’re saying.”

Herod didn’t move. His gaze remained fixed on the screen as the reporter continued.

Lɒtєst cнαptєrs ιn g𝒶lnovєls.𝒸𝑜𝑚

“Sources close to the investigation reveal that Preston had a long-standing grudge against Victoria Kane, whose company developed the Phoenix Grid. If convicted, Preston faces terrorism charges that could result in multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole.”

Life in prison. The words echoed in Herod’s mind, a sentence for crimes that weren’t even meant to kill. A future destroyed for a plan that wasn’t his.

“I said turn it off!” Rose grabbed the remote and clicked the TV off. “Why are you torturing yourself with this garbage?”

Herod finally looked at her—really looked at her. The woman he thought he loved, the woman who had set him up to take the fall for everything.

“My father’s old lawyer called,” he said quietly.

Rose froze. “What? When?”

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