After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 319

By the afternoon, everything was settled and ready for discharge. Nestor was whisked away in an ambulance straight to the airport, where a Nexus Dynamics private jet waited just for him.

Lawrence had already called his father about all the arrangements. As soon as the plane landed, his dad’s team would be there, making sure Nestor got the best care possible.

While Lawrence was still on the phone with his father, Patrick’s voice came through. “Let me talk to Catherine for a bit.”

Lawrence grinned. “Sure.” He passed the phone over to Catherine. “My dad wants to chat with you.”

Catherine felt a little awkward, but she took the phone and said softly, “Hi, Dad. Is there something you wanted to say?”

“Catherine, don’t worry about anything here in Harrisburg. I’ll take care of your father. Everything’s under control.”

“Thank you so much, Dad. And thank you, Mom, too. Lawrence and I will come visit you both as soon as we can.”

“I hear from Lawrence you’re working on something big. Just focus on your own plans. Leave everything else to us.”

Catherine smiled. “Okay, Dad. I will.”

After she hung up, Catherine finally let herself breathe. Then a thought popped into her head. She slipped her arm through Lawrence’s and looked up at him. “When you got on that cruise ship, it was to find my Resonance AI, wasn’t it? For the CEO of Nexus Dynamics to get involved himself… My AI must have really caught your attention, maybe even threatened you.”

Lawrence gave her a soft, amused smile. “So, you figured that out?”

Catherine wrapped her arms around his neck, gazing at him like he was her whole world. “I’m guessing you’re the creator of the Zero System, right?”

Lawrence laughed, reaching out to tap her nose with a finger. “You’re too smart. You got it.”

Lawrence lightly held her face, coaxing the memory out. “It was in a little alley. You were carrying a book…”

Catherine’s eyes suddenly widened as the memory snapped into place. She finished for him, “There were two men on the ground. Both of them were hurt… so badly they couldn’t even get up. And there was a gun between them.”

Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Lawrence, barely able to believe it. “So… you were the one who told me to run away?”

Lawrence ran his fingers gently through her hair. “You didn’t leave,” he said softly. “You grabbed that gun and pointed it at my attacker. You were so brave, you scared him off. Afterward, you just collapsed. You were shaking and started crying right there, with your face in your hands.”

Catherine’s heart clenched as the memory came rushing back, overwhelming her.

It was a chilly autumn afternoon. She’d been taking a quiet shortcut home to study. Her mind was somewhere else as she turned into a narrow alley and saw two men on the ground. One was holding his stomach, the other was bleeding from his forehead. And right between them was a black handgun.