I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 381

Finnegan didn't answer Cassie's question. His tone remained gentle, but left no room for argument. "There is no why. Just be a good girl and listen to Daddy."

Cassie lowered her eyes and stopped pressing the issue.

She was a highly observant child. If her father refused to explain something, asking a hundred times would only result in a hundred brushed-off answers.

Still, Seraphina had always been so sweet to her. Why was her dad acting like this?

Her little heart ached, but she pushed the confusing thoughts aside. Finding her mother's contact, she sent a text message.

"Mommy, when are you coming to see me?"

After hitting send, Cassie stared at the screen for a long time, her eyes slowly growing red.

Before, her mother had never taken more than a minute to reply. Now, she was slowly being forced to get used to this agonizing waiting.

Just when she thought her mother would never respond, her phone rang with an incoming call from Nora. Cassie immediately answered it. "Mommy, do you not love me anymore? Do you not want me?"

On the other end of the line, Nora took a deep breath, trying her best to keep her voice perfectly steady. "You're overthinking things, Cassie. Mommy has just been very busy lately. I'll come see you as soon as I'm done."

Cassie went quiet for a moment before whispering, "Then you have to keep your promise."

"I promise," Nora replied softly.

She ended the call. Sitting in front of her computer, she spent a long moment simply staring at the screen, forcing her chaotic emotions into submission. She couldn't let sentimentality derail what she had to do next.

With no other way to save her adoptive mother, Annalise had agreed to hand her life's work over to Seraphina. Through a series of shady backroom deals, the hard-earned degree was seamlessly transferred.

Seraphina herself was nothing more than a completely average medical graduate. She didn't have a dual doctorate. She had coasted into The Vance Institute of Medical Science entirely on the back of Annalise's stolen credentials.

Nora finished reading the final piece of evidence, noting that Xander had even provided Annalise's phone number. This was undeniable proof. There was no way Seraphina could escape the justice system now.

Nora closed the laptop and dialed Xander's number. He answered almost immediately, his deep voice carrying a faint trace of amusement. "Need some tech support already?"

Nora let out a brief chuckle before her tone turned serious. "I've gone through all the files regarding Seraphina's identity fraud. Are you able to get in touch with Annalise directly?"

"I already have," Xander replied smoothly. "She's willing to testify. No one had stepped up to help her before, and she was afraid of causing trouble. But if you're determined to make this public, she's ready to cooperate."