Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 682

Because the moment Evangeline returned, Liana's status as the adopted ward would become incredibly awkward.

Somehow, through some twisted stroke of luck, she must have discovered Evangeline's whereabouts before any of them did...

With that chilling realization, Finnian looked up at Jude. "Think about it. When the police gave us that lead about Evangeline, Liana was in San Francisco with us... And the Woven Crimson Bracelet was found in San Francisco too."

Jude's breath hitched, feeling as though he had just been struck in the back of the head.

He opened his mouth, but it took him a long moment to force the words out. "So, you think Liana already knows who the real Evangeline is? And that she rushed to create an Imposter just to lure us back to Northampton?"

Finnian's lips pressed into a hard line. "If you remember... back then, we were both suspecting the exact same person..."

Jude swallowed hard. "You mean... you think Nora might be Evangeline?"

The moment the words hung in the air, Jude felt an invisible wire pull taut in his chest. His spine stiffened, and his heart skipped a beat.

Finnian didn't notice Jude's sudden tension. He just frowned deeply. "You saw the police sketch. The resemblance around the eyes... it's undeniably her."

"And right when I was looking into Nora's background..."

Jude remained silent, his fingers curling into tight fists. For a moment, his heart hammered against his ribs like a war drum.

The more Finnian thought about it, the faster his pulse raced. His brain felt like it was short-circuiting.

He took a sharp, deep breath and locked eyes with Jude. "Forget everything else. I need to go to San Francisco right now."

"I'm coming with you."

"Let's move."

...

It was the dead of winter.

Though San Francisco didn't suffer the bone-chilling freezes of Northampton, the damp ocean breeze still carried a biting cold that made people shrink into their coats.

Hudson had been leaving early and coming home late for the past few days. Since Nora was on her annual holiday leave with nothing but free time, she made a habit of bringing him lunch in an insulated bag.

Over time, the staff at the Vanguard Fabrication Lab grew familiar with her.

"That's the Boss's wife, right? She's beautiful, sweet, and she actually takes care of him. The Boss is a lucky man!"

"She's stunning, and she carries herself so well. No wonder the Boss hasn't been eating in the cafeteria with us lately..."

"Why would he eat with rough guys like us when he has a wife like that waiting for him?"

Nora, of course, was completely oblivious to the office gossip.

When she arrived at Hudson's office today, she found it empty.

She was about to sit down and wait for him when her phone buzzed.

"Are you at the office?"

Nora quickly stood up, assuming he had just arrived as well. She pushed the door open. "Yeah, where are you?"

"I'm in the Vanguard Fabrication Lab. Do you want to come take a look?"

"Okay."

At the end of the corridor was a High-Sensitivity Security Gate.

It was a mandatory checkpoint unique to the lab, designed to instantly detect anyone attempting to smuggle microchips out of the facility.

The gate almost never went off. The researchers were so used to it that they simply swiped their ID badges over the scanner without breaking their stride.

Nora followed Hudson toward the exit, keeping her pace steady.

But the exact second she stepped through the gate—

*Beep!*

A piercing alarm shattered the silence of the empty corridor.

Nora froze in her tracks.

A few researchers who were about to swipe their cards jumped at the sudden noise, their heads snapping toward her in unison.

Nora blinked, utterly bewildered, and instinctively took a half-step backward. The alarm immediately silenced.

She took another step forward. The alarm shrieked again.

Nora: "..."

She looked up at Hudson, her face a picture of total confusion. "What... what's going on?"