Chapter 434 [ 526 words ] Chapter 434: Hayes nodded, his face filled with the reverence of a soldier speaking of a legend. “The Colonel is one of a kind. I was attached to his command for that operation.” He looked at her, and a look of sudden, complete understanding
Chapter 433 [ 487 words ] Chapter 433: Brenna offered no response. She just stared at the dark horizon, her heart heavy with a fear that she knew Julian shared, even if he wouldn’t admit it. Captain Zachary Hayes led her to a makeshift triage area set up in the
Chapter 432 [ 535 words ] Chapter 432: While Caroline’s truck rumbled deeper into the ruins, back at the base, the first pale light of dawn was creeping over the horizon. Brenna O’Malley stirred, then sat up. She looked over at Caroline’s cot. It was empty. The blankets were cold.
Chapter 431 [ 495 words ] Chapter 431: He didn’t know that Caroline had slipped out of the tent the moment he left. She was hidden in the deep shadow of a supply pallet, watching him. She saw him finish his call, then walk over to a group of soldiers
Chapter 430 [ 480 words ] Chapter 430: K.C. met her eyes squarely, his expression schooled into professional composure. “Ma’am, the situation is still developing. The unit is consolidating its position and assessing the damage. We’ll have more information at first light.” It sounded logical. It sounded like standard military
Chapter 429 [ 525 words ] Chapter 429: A catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake had struck Redwood Valley, California. The screen filled with horrifying aerial footage of collapsed buildings, fractured highways, and plumes of smoke rising from a landscape that looked like a war zone. Redwood Valley. The name sent a
Chapter 428 [ 490 words ] Chapter 428: A raw pain contorted his features. “I don’t get it. A man like that… he’s cold, he’s dangerous. You’re not compatible.” “You see what you want to see,” she countered, her patience wearing thin. “Whether we’re compatible or not is for me
Chapter 427 [ 525 words ] Chapter 427: “Julian,” she cut him off. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it had a new weight, a core of tempered steel that made him fall silent. “The way I’m worried is the way a wife worries about her husband.” She emphasized the words,
Chapter 426 [ 703 words ] Chapter 426: Her mind replayed the recent whirlwind. The threat from Melanie Thorne was gone—Jarrod had seen to that, permanently. But the fear she’d planted hadn’t faded so easily. Three times in the past week, a blocked number had called her phone. When she
Chapter 425 [ 326 words ] Chapter 425: “Be quiet, you fool,” she snarled, her voice a blade of ice. “Do you want the staff to hear you?” She glanced around the empty room, ensuring they were truly alone. Then she leaned in close, her eyes filled with a chilling,
Chapter 424 [ 544 words ] Chapter 424: At that moment, the door creaked open, revealing Harper and Cornelia. They were Jarrod’s cousins, the daughters of his late uncle, who had lived on the estate since Jarrod’s departure. They had long operated under the assumption that the Romero legacy—and the
Chapter 423 [ 512 words ] Chapter 423: She took a step closer, not to threaten, but to be heard. “I have forgiven you for the sake of my mother’s final wish. But that is where it ends. Do not contact me again. Do not interfere with my life. Let
Chapter 422 [ 517 words ] Chapter 422: He looked up, and his expression was a mixture of surprise and profound hesitation. He glanced at his computer screen, his fingers hovering over the mouse. “Caroline, it is wonderful to see you, but your status is… complicated.” Caroline frowned. “My husband
Chapter 421 [ 513 words ] Chapter 421: A low, guttural sob escaped her. And then another. She collapsed against him, not in a gentle cry, but in a raw, violent storm of weeping. She cried like a lost child, screaming all of her pain and fear and desolation into
Chapter 420 [ 485 words ] Chapter 420: He stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Caroline,” he said softly. “It’s time to go home.” She didn’t move. It was like speaking to a statue. He tried again, his voice a little firmer. “Your mother wouldn’t want you
Chapter 419 [ 501 words ] Chapter 419: Hours passed. Finally, her eyelashes fluttered. She opened her eyes, staring in confusion at the unfamiliar, ornate ceiling. Then memory returned, crashing down on her like a physical weight. “Mom…” she whispered, the sound a raw ache. The grief hit her not
Chapter 418 [ 569 words ] Chapter 418: Before she could hit the floor, Jarrod was there. Despite the agonizing toll on his own injured frame, he managed to catch her, breaking her fall and lowering her safely to the floor. He knelt beside her, his braced arm and broken
Chapter 417 [ 498 words ] Chapter 417: The sight of her mother, so diminished, finally pierced through Caroline’s shock. A raw, animal sound of pain tore from her throat. She stumbled to the bedside, her hands closing over Vivian’s, which were already cold to the touch. “Mom…” The word
Chapter 416 [ 482 words ] Chapter 416: Jarrod noticed immediately. He shifted closer, leaning his uninjured shoulder against hers, a steady pressure to anchor her. “Breathe, Caroline,” he murmured, his voice a low, steady command. “With me. In… and out.” He guided her, his own calm a lifeline she
Chapter 415 [ 516 words ] Chapter 415: From the other end of the hall, the double doors to the surgical wing burst open. A team of nurses pushed a gurney at a near run, heading toward the operating room. It was Donovan’s transport—the pre-op team had come to collect