Chapter 1159:

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Next, she double-checked Effie’s school enrollment procedures. Sure enough, Professor Nelson’s recommendation letter had been extremely effective: the best private school in the District had sent a temporary admission notice. Isolde stared at the school’s crest on the email, a simple oak tree, and imagined Effie playing under real ones, her laughter not echoing off cold marble but absorbed by soft grass. It was a future so bright it almost hurt to look at.

Simultaneously, she sent the finalized relocation schedule to Maxwell, her most trusted logistics contact, confirming a flight to Washington in a week. She had meticulously planned the itinerary, choosing an early morning commercial flight under a different booking name, avoiding all travel routes that might be detected by Grayson. She knew his reach was long, his methods thorough. This was a game of chess, and she had spent years studying her opponent.

The night outside the window gradually faded, and Manhattan’s skyline, once a cold tombstone, slowly turned light gray, then pale gold, and finally was gilded with a warm glow by the dawn sun.

Isolde leaned against her desk, her fingertips brushing the name Dr. Finch on the screen. Grayson’s angry gaze as he stared at the photo that night flashed through her mind. It was a moment of raw, unguarded fury that had told her more than years of icy silence ever had.

There was no hatred in her heart, only a heavy sigh. She opened an encrypted folder and forwarded all the fragmented evidence of the Lancaster family’s merger and acquisition case, evidence she had inadvertently kept over the years, to Professor Nelson. She knew the professor had been investigating Dr. Finch’s death, and these things might help. It was her final, silent contribution, a debt paid to a man she barely knew but whose fate was inextricably linked with hers.

“Mommy?” A soft voice came from the door.

Effie, rubbing her sleepy eyes, walked in with small, gentle steps. Isolde immediately turned off the screen, her movements swift and seamless, erasing any trace of the heavy burdens she carried. She stood up and hugged her daughter in her arms, her voice as gentle as water. “Baby, you’re awake? Did the sun wake you up?”

Effie nodded, wrapped her little arms around Isolde’s neck, and nuzzled her shoulder. “Mommy, when are we leaving? You said yesterday you’d take me to a place with sunshine.”

“Soon, baby.” Isolde kissed the top of her daughter’s head, her eyes full of determination. “In a few days, we’ll leave for a place with no cold houses, no sad things. There will be a big garden, warm sunshine, and many children to play with you.”

Effie’s eyes lit up, a bright smile spreading across her face as she nodded vigorously. “Okay! I want to go with Mommy!”

Just then, her phone vibrated. It was a message from the real estate agent: someone was buying the apartment in full, requesting handover in three days.

P𝗼𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘢r ѕ𝘵𝘰r𝗂𝖾s о𝘯 𝘨𝘢𝗹ո𝗼ve𝘭𝘀.𝘤𝘰𝗺

Isolde sighed with relief, her fingertips trembling slightly. Everything was going according to plan, and she was getting closer to freedom. The speed of the sale was a small miracle, a sign from the universe that she was on the right path. The final chain was about to break.

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