Please Come Back, My Love novel Chapter 269

I booked two tickets for Saturday morning, then closed the laptop and went upstairs to find Lila.

She was in her room, having an elaborate tea party with her stuffed animals. When she saw me, her face lit up.

“Mommy! Do you want to have tea with Mr. Rabbit?”

I sat cross-legged on her carpet, accepting a tiny plastic cup. “Lila, how would you like to go on an adventure? Just you and me?”

Her eyes went wide. “What kind of adventure?”

“A trip to New York. We could see the big park, get hot chocolate, maybe visit some museums.”

“Yes!” she bounced excitedly. “When can we go?”

“This weekend. But it’ll be our special secret, okay? A surprise for Daddy when he gets home.”

She nodded solemnly, already delighted by the conspiracy.

That evening, ↓ played my role perfectly during Alexander’s call. His questions came in that same careful pattern.

“How was Lila’s mood today? Any tantrums or unusual behavior?”

*She was wonderful. We spent most of the afternoon in the garden.”

“And you? Any headaches or memory flashes?”

“Nothing like that. Just tired.”

“Have you been taking your vitamins? The prenatal ones Dr. Garrison prescribed?”

I paused slightly-I’d stopped taking those pills days ago, suspicious of everything Alexander provided. “Of course.”

“Good. Your health is the most important thing right now.”

The way he said it made my skin crawl. Not loving concern, but clinical monitoring.

“I love you,’ he said before hanging up, and I managed to say it back without choking on the words.

Friday brought M’s first report:

Burial site located: Riverside Memorial Gardens, Charlottesville, Virginia. Josephine Vance, Section C, Plot 47.

Preliminary findings: Death certificate lists pancreatic cancer, but hospital records show concerns about morphine pump irregularities in final

hours. Investigation opened and closed within 48 hours. No charges filed,

Full background on Alexander Hunt will take additional 24 hours, Extensive international holdings require deeper investigation.

-M

1/2

2:00 pm PPPW

Chapter 269

Lread it three-times, the words morphine pump irregularities burning into my brain. Someone had tampered with my mother’s medication. Someone had

killed her, or at least hastened her death.

And I had been… where? Already lost to the/river? Already trapped in Alexander’s carefully constructed prison?

The rage that filled me was cold, calculating. Not the hot fury that would make me careless, but the kind of anger that sharpened focus, that made plans

deadly precise.

I spent Friday in careful preparation. Packed our bags with clothes that wouldn’t be missed. Arranged for a car service instead of using Alexander’s driver.

Called the school to let them know Lila would be absent Monday for a family emergency.

Every detail mattered now. Every choice could mean the difference between escape and deeper entrapment.

Saturday morning arrived gray and cold. I dressed Lila in comfortable layers, packed snacks for the flight, and maintained the cheerful facade of a mother

taking her daughter on a fun weekend trip.

The ride to Heathrow was quiet. Lila dozed against my shoulder while I stared out at London streets I might never see again, wondering what I was walking

toward. A grave I needed to visit. A past I couldn’t remember. A future I was finally going to choose for myself.

The flight to JFK was uneventful. Lila colored in her activity book, asked for snacks, dozed again. I stared out at clouds and ran through my plans. Visit my

mother’s grave first. Then decide whether to confront Alexander with what I’d learned, or simply disappear with Lila before he returned from Paris.

We landed just after two. I was pulling our carry-on from the overhead compartment when Lila suddenly squeezed my hand.

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