Chapter 380
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Chapter 380:
Justin closed his eyes. The memory of that night crashed into him like a physical blow — the blood, the screaming monitors, the sight of Carmen staring at him with absolutely zero recognition in her hollow eyes.
“Senator,” Leo whispered hesitantly. “Now that we have the absolute truth, do you want me to arrange a secure courier to deliver this file to Ms. Golden p>
Justin’s eyes snapped open. The darkness in his gaze was absolute, terrifying, and completely unhinged.
“No,” Justin stated.
He walked directly to the biometric wall safe hidden behind a framed map of the colonies, pressed his thumb to the scanner, and pulled the heavy steel door open. He placed the unredacted medical file inside the reinforced vault and locked it away in the dark.
𝗕𝘦 𝗍h𝖾 𝖿𝗶rѕ𝗍 𝘵o 𝗿𝖾𝗮𝘥 оո
He watched the heavy steel door swing shut, the soft click of the lock echoing the finality settling in his chest. The truth wasn’t a gift to be given — it was a weapon to be wielded. He would not allow her to come back to him out of a sense of maternal obligation.
He turned from the safe, his reflection a cold silhouette against the glass. “Her fragile mental state cannot handle the trauma of realizing she abandoned her own child,” he murmured, the lie tasting like ash in his mouth. He knew the real reason. He wanted her to choose him — to love him again with no ghosts between them. Only then would he give her back their son.
That evening. Mount Sinai VIP lounge.
Carmen sat in a chair beside Mr. Golden’s bed. The old man was still unconscious, hooked to a ventilator.
The door opened. Justin walked in, looking completely composed — the perfect image of a supportive partner.
He crossed the room and handed Carmen a thin, standard-looking manila folder.
“Jocelyn asked me to expedite this for you,” Justin said smoothly, his eyes radiating nothing but warm concern. “It is everything the state has on your adoption p>
Carmen’s hands trembled as she took the folder. She opened it.
Inside was a single, faded legal document — a standard adoption decree from twenty-seven years ago, showing that the Goldens had legally adopted an orphaned infant. There were no accident reports. No medical anomalies. The file was completely, perfectly clean.
Carmen stared at the paper. Her brow furrowed.
It was too clean. It felt sterile. It felt like a prop in a stage play.
She looked up at Justin. He gave her a reassuring, gentle smile.
Carmen closed the folder and forced a grateful expression onto her face. “Thank you, Justin. This helps p>
But beneath the table, her fingernails dug painfully into her own palms. She knew it was a lie. If the file were real, her mother would never have panicked in the ER.
She was not going to trust the Senator.
She was going to fly to Boston and find the hospital where her memory had died.
The rhythmic, monotonous beeping of the heart monitor filled the sterile air of the Mount Sinai VIP suite.