Once She Came Like a Flash novel Chapter 79

**Faith Didn’t Survive Time – by Aadi Sharma**
**Chapter 79**

As the crowd surged tightly around Renee, the atmosphere shifted from curiosity to tension. Suddenly, several police officers began to navigate through the throng, their authoritative presence cutting a path through the chaos.

“Step aside, please! Let the police do their job,” one officer called out, his voice firm and commanding.

The lead officer, a tall man with a no-nonsense demeanor named Leon Harper, approached Renee directly. “Are you Renee Whitley? We believe you may be connected to a poisoning case. We need you to come with us to the station for questioning.”

Nearby, Kayla stood with a gleam of satisfaction in her eyes, watching the scene unfold like a spectator at a grand show.

“This is it, Renee. You’re going down today!” she thought, her heart racing with triumph. “You really thought you could steal Adam from me? Please, you weren’t even close!” The thought of Renee facing the consequences filled her with a sense of vindication.

Adam’s heart plummeted at the sight of the police moving to escort Renee. Instinctively, he stepped forward, a surge of protectiveness coursing through him, but before he could act on it, Irene’s hand shot out, yanking him back.

“Don’t,” Irene hissed, her voice low but urgent. “You made it clear to the press that you’ve cut ties with her. If she panics and drags you into this, our entire family goes down with her.”

“Mom, I can’t just leave her like this,” Adam replied, his voice taut with emotion. He had known Renee for years, and his feelings for her ran deep. The thought of her being taken away in handcuffs was unbearable.

“Get a grip, Adam!” Irene snapped, her frustration boiling over. “You’re going to let one woman ruin our family? Do you want to be the guy everyone points at for the rest of his life?”

Julian, standing nearby, stepped in to support his mother. “She’s right. You need to think clearly right now. This isn’t just about you and her.”

Kayla, sensing the moment was ripe, chimed in. “Adam, please don’t do anything rash. Even if you go over there, what good will it do? We should be focusing on getting to the bottom of what really happened.”

“She’s right,” Julian added quickly, his tone urgent. “Let’s figure out the facts first. We can’t act on emotion.”

Adam hesitated, the weight of their words sinking in. He took a deep breath, then nodded, a flicker of resolve igniting within him. Pulling out his phone, he began to make calls, barking orders to investigate the poisoning.

Irene trailed behind him, her voice a constant murmur of reminders and warnings, clearly unwilling to leave anything to chance.

Watching Adam hurry away, Kayla’s lips curled into a cold, satisfied smile. She felt a surge of power, convinced she had the upper hand now.

“Honey, please help me…” Renee grasped Adam’s arm, her eyes glistening with tears of frustration and fear. “I really have nothing to do with what happened today. You have to believe me.”

Caught off guard, Adam looked up, and his heart sank as he was met with a wall of reporters, their cameras zooming in with cold, unyielding precision. A chill crept down his spine, and Irene’s warning echoed in his mind, along with Julian’s words.

Yet, there stood Renee, crying and holding onto him as if he were her last lifeline, the only person who could save her from this nightmare.

Once, Adam would have jumped at the chance to defend her without a second thought, to stand by her side no matter the cost.

But that was before everything changed.

Now, faced with a choice between love and self-preservation, he found himself hesitating, the weight of his decisions pressing heavily on his heart. In the past, he would have sacrificed everything for Renee, but now, the stakes felt different.

Just as Adam stood there, lost and uncertain, Irene suddenly shoved Renee aside, her voice sharp and unyielding. “Renee, my son has already divorced you. You made your choices, and now you’re facing the consequences. Don’t drag him into this!”