bChapter /bb128 /b

bOLIVIA’S /bbPOV /b

bWe /bwalked into the room, fully aware of the task ahead. Our n was simple try reason first, keep things calm, and only escte to threats il babsolutely /bnecessary. I reminded myself to be patient. Threats could wait. For now, we just needed her to talk.

As soon as we stepped inside, her eyes locked

her head slightly, her voiceced with sarca

“Well, look who decided to show his face today,”

“Remember me?” I asked, my tone sharp.

She gave me a smallugh. “How could I forget?

ban/b, and that all–too–familiar smug grin stretched across her face. She crossed her arms and tilted

said mockingly.

ima

met, you shoved me into a vehicle without even saying hello.”

You forgot the part where you got paid to

stage the whole replied. I

my eyes narrowing.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said innocently, though the smirk

TK on

her face said otherwisei. /i

I crossed my arms, my patience already wearing thin. “Very funny. Your friends said the same thing at first–ying tough, acting like they’d never break. But eventually, they all gave in. And trust me, you’re no different. You’ll do the same unless you n bon /brotting down here forever.”

he was as confused as I was.

“Who said I was ying hard to get?” she asked, raising a

ian /i

eyebrow.

Her r

caught mepletely off guard. I nced at Julian, silently asking if

She shrugged and leaned back. “You’ve already got me down here, so what’s the point? I might as well talk. I’m not really in the mood to drag this out. So whatever it is you want to ask me, go ahead. I’ll answer your questions. Truthfully.”

Julian stepped forward, folding his arms. His tone was even but firm. “We don’t need answers to questions we already know. What we need is a confession–from youb, /bright here, right now.”

“Okay,” she said without hesitation. “Do I start now, or do you want me to wait for a dramatic cue?”

I blinked,pletely stunned. This wasn’t what I had expected–not even close. Wasn’t she supposed to be the leader? The mastermind? The one who holds out the longest, makes us work for every scrap of truth. That’s how it always ys out in movies. So why was she surrendering without a fight?

Julian’s brows furrowed. He cleared his throat. “Give us a few minutes,” he said tly, then gestured toward the door with his eyes.

I followed him out of the room, my mind racing as we stepped into the hallway just beyond the basement.

“Is she trying to y a trick on us?” Julian asked immediately, his voice low and suspicious.

“I’m just as shocked as you are,” l’admittedb, /bcrossing my arms. “We didn’t even say anything threatening. No yelling. No pressure. And she’s already throwing in the towel? It doesn’t make sense.”

Julian nodded slowly. “This feels too easy. I was expecting to keep her locked up for at least two weeks. Maybe longer. But she folds in a day? I didn’t see thating.”

“We still can’t be sure if she’s ‘serious,” I added. “For all we know, she could be messing with our heads–trying to throw us off. Until she actually confesses, I say we don’t let our guard down.”

He gave a short nod. “Agreed. Let’s hear what she has to say–but be ready for anything.”

Julian nodded, and together we walked back into the basement room. The coldness of bthe /bair mixed with bthe /btension that still lingered in the space, but the woman sitting before us seemed almost… rxed. It was unnerving.

Julian didn’t waste time. “Why bare /byou choosing to talk so quickly?” he asked, his eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion. “Aren’t byou /bafraid bof /bwhat bAdrian /b

Chapter b128 /b

might bdo /bbto /bbyou /bif he finds out byou /bbspoke/bb?/b”

bEmm /bbgave /bba /bsmall shrug, leaning back as if she were discussing something as casual as the weather. “Let’s be real here. bYou /btwo have bma /blocked down bhere /bbillegally/bb,/bb” /bshe said, her voice calm and level. “Nobody’sing for me. Adrian isn’t searching for me. I’m off the grid, and even if I stay bsilent /bKill* bdown /bhere for bdays/b–maybe months–with no one the wiser.”

bShe /bpaused and crossed one leg over the other, her expression unreadable. “So what’s the point of staying quiet? What good does it do me to bbe /bstubborn and waste both our time? I decided to be mature and say what you want to hear. That way, we both win. You get your confession, and I get to leave.”

Julian turned to look at me, and I gave him a subtle nod–the she’s got a point kind of nod. Because deep down, I knew she was right. As strange as it felt, her logic held up. She knew she had no leverage, no backup, and no real escape. Which meant… this really was the easiest route for her.

“Then why didn’t you just confess at the church?” Julian pressed, his voice still carrying a cautious edge.

She smiled, a small, amused tilt of her lips. “Because you didn’t have anything on me back then,” she said. “I still had a chance to get away. There was room for resistance, and I figured I could bluff my way out. But here? Down here? You’ve got me. There’s no exit strategy. And no one knows I’m hereb. /bbHer /beyes met mine. “So, if I’m going to end up talking anyway, I might as well just get it over with and save everyone the drama.”

There was something unsettling about how easily she said all of this. Almost too practical. Almost too calm.

“Give me a moment,” Julian said, stepping out to prepare the camera and audio equipment. We wanted everything documented properly.

And just like that, with surprisingly little resistance, we got the full story. Her confession tied together everything the others had told us. Every piece of the puzzle now fits. It was over–something I didn’t think was possible just ba /bfew days ago. I thought we’d be stuck chasing shadows for weeksb, /bmaybe longer. But Julian? He’d made it happen, and I was beyond grateful..

After gathering what we needed, Julian kept his word. He let all three of them gob, /bwarning them sternly never to return and never to cross paths with us again. His tone was final. It was clear he meant it.

When my mom saw three strangers walking out of the house–two of them looking like they had bjust /bcrawled out of the Stone Age–she blinked in disbelief. “Who were those people?” she asked, clearly unsettled.

I took a deep breath and exined everything to her. From the fake kidnapping to the confessions we’d just secured, I told her the whole story. She was relieved–beyond relieved–that the whole ordeal was finally over. She even called my dad to share the news. They began nning for my trip to Mexico,

once I’d finished onest thing.

Telling Adrian.

Yes, I was still going through with it. I had already made up my mind. Purse in hand, I stepped into Julian’s car. His driver was already waiting.

I didn’t care if Isadora was there. I didn’t care what Adrian’s initial reaction might be. I was going to tell him about the baby–because he deserved to

know. And once it was off my chest, bI /bcould finally move forward, no matter what came next.