Chapter 560

Chapter 559:

Her heart hammered against her ribs. She held the manila envelope tightly in her lap, having retrieved it from a secure courier drop an hour earlier. She had read the pages twice, a sickening dread pooling deeper in her stomach each time.

The car pulled up to Carmen’s apartment building. Jocelyn didn’t wait for the driver. She threw the door open and rushed inside, riding the elevator up and knocking firmly on Carmen’s door.

Carmen opened it a few seconds later. Justin stood right behind her, his hand resting on her shoulder. They both looked exhausted but resolute.

“Jo,” Carmen said, her voice steady. “Come in p>

Jocelyn stepped into the apartment and turned to face them, her expression grim and pale.

“I have it,” she said quietly. “It’s the ammunition you asked for p>

Carmen and Justin led her to the study, settling together on the sofa as a united front.

Jocelyn pulled the printed pages from the envelope and handed them to Carmen.

“My assistant got past the redactions,” she said. “Carmen — the police report was a lie. Your mother did not die in the car crash p>

Carmen stared at the papers. Her eyes moved quickly across the medical terminology and the cold, clinical descriptions of the bridge. She felt a phantom chill — a ghost of the shock she had felt when the memories first returned — but now it was solidified by the stark, unyielding text. Justin’s hand tightened on her shoulder, a silent anchor.

“Vertical drop,” Carmen whispered, reading the words aloud. Her voice was hollow but steady. “Intact railing p>

𝖣o𝘸n𝗹оа𝖽 рD𝗙s 𝘧𝗿𝖾𝘦 о𝗇

She looked up at Jocelyn. Her eyes were wide and filled with a cold, absolute fury.

“He made it look like an accident,” Carmen said, her voice dropping to a hiss. “Conrad Sterling buried the truth to protect someone p>

“Or to control someone,” Justin added, his eyes darkening with understanding. “This was never just about a cover-up. It was about creating leverage p>

A hot, blinding rage ignited in Carmen’s chest. It burned away any remaining grief, leaving nothing behind but pure, violent adrenaline.

She placed the medical report carefully on the coffee table.

“They all lied,” she hissed, teeth bared. “For seven years, my family looked me in the eye and told me it was an accident. Ferris knew. My uncle knew. They let Sterling manipulate all of us p>

She shot up from the sofa and began pacing the length of the living room, her breathing heavy and deliberate.

“I need to know why,” she said, her voice breaking with fury rather than sorrow. “What was Sterling covering up that was so important he had to erase my mother’s real death p>

Jocelyn stood. “We have to be smart about this. Sterling is dangerous. We need to build a case before we confront anyone p>

Carmen stopped pacing. She turned to look at Jocelyn, then at Justin. Her eyes blazed with a manic, unstoppable determination.

“No,” she said flatly. “I am not waiting for a case. I am not playing political chess p>

She marched toward the hallway closet and grabbed her heavy winter coat.