ANA:
How do you react when you're angry, confused, and filled with questions? When you don't even know if you're imagining things or if they're real?
I think Dr. Helia did some permanent damage to my head. I maybe am insane.
"Ugh..." I groaned, banging my head against the table in frustration. Lara insisted I was wrong. That Enzo never came here. But I know I saw him. How could I not recognize him? The height, the features—they were his. I sighed. I don't know what to believe anymore.
This morning, David went to meet Lara and found out about Leo's involvement with the Falcons. He's trying to track him down, but Leo has vanished again. Once more, Larksville's sky is painted in hues of red—a shade darker than it should be.
Maybe I can't solve this. Maybe this time, it's too much. But what if I try? Last time, I lost someone I thought I loved. What will it cost me now?
Just then, a text came through, and I rushed to check it, only to feel a pang of disappointment. It was from Lara. She's home. Safe. I should feel relieved that she's safe, but I wasn't expecting her. I was expecting...
Who?
Enzo? The Devil? I don't know.
My mind and heart are a tangled mess, and I can't think straight. The Devil kept his word—he saved Lara. But how? And how did he know about Leo? If he knew so much, why didn't he stop him sooner? I know he also knows more about my mother, but he's kept it all from me. This time, though, I'm as unyielding as stone. I will get to the bottom of this.
But right now, Enzo and the Devil are nothing but shadows, slipping through my grasp.
I slowly took out the tablet Leo had kept hidden all this time. With the biometric lock removed, it's now accessible to anyone. But there's one file—one that's locked down tightly and refuses to open, no matter what I try.
The file name? "Brown."
I didn't tell David. If he knew, he'd seize it as evidence, drag it into his investigation. But I can't let him have it. This is personal.
I need help. Slipping the tablet into my bag, I set my sights on the next destination. Mark Jonas.
I parked my car at the address Lara gave me. At first, she'd tried to brush me off, but I was persistent. I needed to see her, especially after everything that happened. And as I looked up at the massive mansion, I was stunned.
Located near West Roxbury, stretching toward Westwood Hollow, this sprawling 10,000-square-foot estate was something else entirely—a vast ranch with more land extending as far as I could see. It had everything: a swimming pool, tennis court, gaming room, gym. It dwarfed Brown's mansion back in Larksville.
What is going on here?
As I stepped inside, Lara greeted me with a warm smile. Behind her stood a little girl with familiar brown eyes, pale skin, and two pigtails.
"Hey, you!" Lara said, gesturing to the girl. "This is Amara. I guess you haven't met her yet."
I smiled at Amara. "Actually... we did. Back at the hospital."
Amara smiled shyly, hiding behind Lara. "How are you now, big girl?" I asked, and she gave a small, sweet, shy nod before disappearing to study. She's homeschooled, I remembered.
Once she'd gone, Lara and I walked toward the sitting area. I glanced around the mansion. "So, you live here now?"
She shrugged, mirroring my disbelief. "Hard to believe how life changes, right?"
I nodded, still taking it all in. "How are you feeling now?" I asked, noticing her shoulder was free of its cast.
"All better, thanks to Mark," she said with a smile. "He's been a huge help."
I grinned knowingly. "He seems... different around you these days."
Lara rolled her eyes. "Ugh... if only I knew he'd become even more of a pain in the ass now."
I laughed. Even though Mark and Lara were officially together, the banter between them hadn't faded. It was part of what kept them close. "Anyway... I actually came here to ask for a favour."
Lara raised an eyebrow. "How can I help?"
I filled her in on everything—the incident with the Devil, the discovery of Leo's hidden device. She listened intently, more focused than usual. She seemed different somehow, more aware. Usually, Lara would listen without fully connecting the dots, but now it felt like she understood more than she let on.
"I need Mark's help to decode this," I said, pulling out the device. "There's something in here... something connected to the Browns."
I returned home only to be met with disappointment. Lara had told me Mark was out of town for some reason and wouldn't be back for a few days. I could come back later, she said. Though I trust her with all my heart, a small part of me couldn't shake the feeling she was hiding something from me.
But she wouldn't do that, right?
Anyways, I wasn't about to give up on this.
When I arrived home, another surprise awaited me—Dad.
"Ana, my darling, where have you been?" He hugged me the moment I walked through the door. He looked the same: the familiar salt-and-pepper hair, the neatly trimmed beard, those piercing blue eyes that matched mine, and that smile that could make even the stars jealous.
Half in shock, I stammered, "Dad?"
He let go, grinning. "Surprised you, didn't I?"
I chuckled, nodding. No matter how angry I'd been with him for leaving me to deal with everything on my own, all that resentment melted the moment he hugged me. I felt safe, like I belonged, like I was wanted and not...
"Well, I have another surprise for you, my dear," he said, glancing over his shoulder. And that's when Ava walked in, holding a small boy in her arms.
"Meet your baby brother, Junior Jason Brown," he said warmly.
Ava was smiling, but not at me—at her son. Dad was smiling, too. They looked like a picture-perfect family, and I... I looked like an outsider.
"I—Congratulations, Dad," I managed, swallowing the lump in my throat. "B-But I have to go..."
And I ran. I didn't stop until I reached my room, my one safe space. The place I could hide. He was here for his family. For his new position. For his new son. Not for me.
The happiness and excitement that had filled me when I first saw him turned to anger. Then anger turned to frustration. And frustration into numbness.
Just then, my phone lit up with a notification.
I frowned. It was a video—sent anonymously. Again.
I hit play, and the scene that unfolded shook me to my core.
It was a dark, stormy night. Thunder roared as rain poured down harder than any Boston downpour I'd ever seen. A lone figure stumbled into the frame, rainwater streaming off him. I couldn't make out his face, only his silhouette. He was holding a gun. Then, he began to run. Mud caked his clothes, which were torn and bloodied, especially around his shoulder. He was limping, struggling to stay upright.
Then another figure entered the frame.
My mother.
My heart raced as I leaned in, unable to tear my eyes away. She looked... broken. Blood stained her clothes, her body sagging with fatigue and pain.
"Please... please, Lucas... you have to understand," she said, her voice weak, desperate. "This isn't what Giuliana wanted. Or what we wanted. Just... just listen to me..."
The man with the gun didn't waver. He raised the weapon, his voice cold and steady. "You destroyed my family. You destroyed everything, Emma. Your family will get what it deserves. Justice will be served. The Romanos will bring justice."
Then, a gunshot rang out, piercing the silent, rainy night, and my mother collapsed onto the ground.