The Captain I Married by Chance novel Chapter 203

Nora ironically was an older sister. And her own half-sister, Mia Hayes, was arguably far worse than Fiona.

Although the case was officially closed, a suffocating weight lingered in Nora's chest. She had initially thought this was a tragic tale of desperate people forced into a corner by poverty. She hadn't expected every single person involved to be drenched in sin. Calling the Carter family a den of vipers was an understatement.

"Dr. Hayes, why haven't you headed home yet?"

With the case resolved, Nathan had given the entire team a few days off. They had been working around the clock, burning the candle at both ends. Now that the paperwork was handed over to the Prosecutor's Office, they could finally breathe.

Nora hadn't wanted to go back to her empty apartment, so she had retreated to the task force office. "I'm heading out soon." Not wanting to explain her reluctance to leave, she offered a vague reply and pretended to pack her bag.

"Get some rest, Doc. Your dark circles are worse than mine."

Nora managed a faint smile. "I will. Have a good night."

"See ya." The detective grabbed his things, waved at Nora, and left the office.

Once she was alone, Nora stopped pretending to pack. Her gaze drifted out the window toward the empty training field. Suddenly, her phone vibrated on the desk.

She glanced at the glowing screen.

Where are you?

It was a text from Nathan Peyton.

Nora debated ignoring it, but the man seemed to read her mind. A second message popped up immediately: Need to talk to you.

Everyone possessed a shred of good, yet they had all morphed into monsters.

Tessa should have been the sole victim of this tragedy. But the moment she let blind obsession drive her to burn Robert Carter's family alive for Jacob, she became a murderer.

Philip Carter had spent his life basking in the praise of his neighbors, yet he was the monster who invited wolves into his home and allowed Fiona to be ruined. According to Fiona, Philip had known exactly what Kyle was doing to her, and his only response had been a dismissive, "What a shame. Fiona would have made a good match for Jacob."

Jacob was the golden child, hoisted onto the shoulders of the entire family. In the end, he used them all as stepping stones.

He orchestrated the insurance fraud. He had a direct hand in the arson at Robert's house. The Forensics Lab confirmed that the accelerant Tessa used was a highly restricted chemical compound. Jacob had deliberately snuck Tessa into his university lab to steal it.

If Jacob miscalculated anything, it was the fact that Fiona would assume Tessa's identity. He had banked on Fiona's fierce love for her twin, assuming she would gladly sacrifice herself. He never anticipated that Fiona had her own twisted agenda, using love as a weapon to force Tessa to burn in her place.