Chapter 1159:

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“What happened to him?”

Gracie remained seated in her chair, her own face drawn and pale. “There was a fire at Jessie’s apartment a few days ago. Brayden went in to save us and got trapped. His injuries are severe.”

“How does a fire just spontaneously break out?” Valeria’s frown deepened with suspicion. “And even if one did, why didn’t he wait for the fire department? Why would he charge in there himself?”

Tears spilled down her cheeks before she’d finished the question.

Watching those tears fall, Gracie felt something twist painfully in her chest — guilt and sympathy warring with frustration.

Her love for Brayden ran deep and true, but so did her crushing guilt over Theo’s death.

Both loves were genuine, both all-consuming. And it was precisely this truth that made it impossible for Gracie to harden her heart completely against Valeria.

𝘜𝗽𝖽𝘢𝘵𝗲𝗌 𝗲𝘷𝘦𝗿y 𝘄𝗲𝖾𝗄 𝗈𝘯 𝘨𝗮𝗹𝗇𝘰v𝘦𝗅s.со𝗺

“Eaton set the fire.” Gracie’s voice came out flat and cold. “He wanted me to burn alive, knowing Brayden would try to save me. He planned to use Brayden’s desperation to force me into developing the Rebirth reagent — no matter the cost.”

Valeria’s head jerked up, her eyes going wide with shock. “How does he know about the project? That information was classified at the highest level. Did Jessie betray us?”

“Jessie told no one.” Gracie held Valeria’s gaze steadily. “The reagent doesn’t even exist yet, and look at the carnage it’s already caused. People are willing to kill for even the possibility of it. Once it’s real, can you imagine the bloodshed that will follow? Knowing all of this — seeing what it’s already cost us — do you still want me to develop it?”

Valeria’s face went pale. After a long silence, she looked up at Gracie. “Then why not develop it in secret?”

A sharp crease formed between Gracie’s brows. Several tense seconds passed before she let out a cold, humorless laugh. “You just don’t get it, do you? So you’ve already decided to force my hand.”

Valeria pushed herself to her feet, agitation flashing across her pale features. “Why is asking you to do one thing so impossible? Brayden’s lying unconscious in a hospital bed, and Theo’s already gone. Can’t you think about this family for once?”

Watching Valeria unravel in front of her, Gracie slowly shook her head. “If that’s truly how you see me, then there’s nothing left for me to say.”

The moment the words fell, she lifted a hand calmly. Not long afterward, Charlie stepped in from outside and stopped beside Valeria. “Mrs. Stanley, she needs to rest. Please don’t disturb her any further.”

An icy look settled over Valeria’s face, but in the end, she rose from her seat and headed for the door.

Right before stepping out, though, she halted in her tracks and glanced back at Gracie. “This isn’t selfishness. If you agree to my request, everybody benefits from it. I’m not giving up.”

After throwing out those final words, she walked out of the hospital room.

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