There was no hint of surprise in Sydney\u2019s eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Caleb held her gaze. \u201cOnce I finish this, I\u2019ll come help you move back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Without Penelope in the way, she would likely agree to return. He did not wait for Sydney\u2019s reply. His car roared off, tires hissing against the wet asphalt. He was in a rush, just as he always had been when dropping everything to run to Penelope.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney felt nothing\u2013no surprise or disappointment. She drove straight to the lab and immersed herself in work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Perhaps Charlotte\u2019s scolding last time had made an impact. The two male colleagues in the medicine group, who had long looked down on her, had become unexpectedly cooperative over the past few days. Their newfound teamwork accelerated research progress.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That afternoon, for the first time in a while, Sydney did not stay late in the lab. She went shopping instead and picked up a variety of specialty goods.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The next morning, before dawn, she collected Alan and Eliana and drove them to the airport.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With the New Year approaching, the roads were packed. Traffic crawled over the overpass, and only after a long wait did she manage to drop them at the terminal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just as she started the engine to leave, her phone rang. \u201cHello?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, this is the Jouleston Police Department. You are Tiffany Voss\u2018 emergency contact, correct?\u201d The voice was clipped and official.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the sound of Tiffany\u2019s name, Sydney\u2019s heart sank. \u201cYes, I am.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tiffany\u2019s family had always favored sons over daughters. When she was admitted to Jouleston University, they forbade her enrollment, insisting the money would be better spent on her brother\u2019s wedding. She had been expected to start working immediately and save for his house.\u00a0<\/p>\n
All these years, except for New Year\u2019s, Tiffany had barely spoken to her family. Sydney had long served as her only emergency contact.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is suspected of instigating a witness to commit perjury. She is in custody. Please bring her clothes and personal items as soon as possible.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney went momentarily blank and replied instinctively, \u201cUnderstood. I\u2019ll come right away.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rain drizzled against the windshield as the white SUV sliced through the streets, leaving long streaks of water behind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At home, Sydney packed a bag and called the Hampton estate. The housekeeper answered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGeorge, it\u2019s Sydney. Is my mother\u2013in\u2013law home?\u201d she asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A brief pause followed before Adeline\u2019s cold voice replaced his. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney folded clothes into a suitcase and forced herself to speak. \u201cMy friend is in trouble. Could I trouble you to find out exactly what happened?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney knew Tiffany better than anyone. She would never instigate false testimony. Over the years, Sydney had learned how twisted these cases could become. Ordinary people saw only fragments. Connections were the only way to get the full picture. She needed answers before deciding her next move.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adeline sneered, \u201cSydney, so you finally know how to speak humbly? When you demanded a million from me, that was not the tone you used.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney\u2019s nails dug into her palm. For the first time, she regretted her past defiance. How had she dared clash head\u2013on with Adeline?\u00a0<\/p>\n
The thought of Tiffany trapped, helpless and desperate, drew a shaky breath from her. \u201cI was reckless, blinded by greed. Please do not hold it against me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cToo late.\u201d Adeline\u2019s laugh was sharp and cutting. \u201cSydney, I always said you were clever. You acted sweet and obedient for years just to marry into our family. But you are truly foolish. How dare you burn bridges with me when you had nothing to rely on?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s Bonus Offer\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland\u2019s breathtaking cold.<\/p>\n
When The Ocean Learned My Name and Whispered It Back to You by Aurelia Novel 153 There was no hint […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-when-love-is-gone-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22135"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22135\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22271,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22135\/revisions\/22271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}