Chapter 5 - CHAPTER 4: THE SAFE HOUSE AT LAKE MICHIGAN
Three days later.
I lay in a plush, adjustable bed inside a private medical suite at a secure estate on the shores of Lake Michigan. The estate belonged to my brother Matthew—a heavily guarded fortress with bulletproof glass, private security patrols, and high-tech surveillance.
The hospital MRI had confirmed two cracked ribs, severe soft-tissue bruising across my left shoulder, and a minor sprain in my lower back. But miraculously, my daughter had suffered no physical trauma. My body had absorbed every blow meant for her.
The door to my suite opened quietly.
Gabriel Vance stepped inside, holding two warm mugs of herbal tea. He had changed into a clean navy sweater and jeans, but the faded scar on his face was a permanent reminder of the violence he had survived.
"How are the ribs feeling today?" Gabriel asked, setting a mug on the bedside table.
"Better," I smiled faintly, sitting up with the help of extra pillows. "The doctor said I can start light walking tomorrow."
Gabriel pulled up a leather armchair and sat beside my bed. For a moment, we just looked at each other. Five years of silence hung between us.
"Why didn't you tell us you were alive, Gabriel?" I asked softly. "After the ambush in Colombia... your brother, your uncle... we all mourned you."
Gabriel looked down at his large, calloused hands. "The ambush wasn't executed by foreign insurgents, Sophia. It was ordered from inside Chicago."
I blinked in surprise. "What?"
"Five years ago, my military unit intercepted a massive cyber-embezzlement scheme targeting private medical firms in the Midwest," Gabriel explained. "When our convoy was hit, I realized someone in the high-ranking executive network had sold our GPS coordinates to cover their tracks. If I came home, my family—and anyone associated with me—would have been targeted."
He looked up, his cold gray eyes softening as he looked at me.
"So I stayed in the dark," Gabriel continued. "I worked covertly with federal intelligence to track the syndicate. Three months ago, the trail led me back to Chicago—specifically to Vanessa Lopez and her connection to your husband's firm."
"Did Ryan know?" I asked, a cold knot tightening in my stomach. "Did Ryan help them fake your death?"
"No," Gabriel answered firmly. "Ryan is a fool, but he wasn't part of the military ambush. He was just a greedy, insecure man who wanted to feel powerful. Vanessa targeted him because he was married to a Bennett. She used his hidden jealousy of your family’s wealth to manipulate him into doing her dirty work."
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The door opened again, and Ethan stepped inside, carrying his laptop.
"Gabriel," Ethan said, his expression serious. "The District Attorney just filed formal charges against Ryan and Vanessa. But we have a problem."
