The Divorce That Brought Us Back novel Chapter 306

It was early spring, and the morning sun carried a sharp chill.

Along the garden paths of Oakwood Sanctuary, caregivers gently guided patients by the elbows.

Further up the asphalt path, a man in a black trench coat strode with purpose.

A caregiver recognized him and called out, "Mr. Jameson!"

Maloney paused, giving her a polite nod.

She was a warm woman in her fifties. Smiling kindly, she asked, "Are you here for the Director?"

"Yes," he replied.

"She's not in her office. We had a heavy snowstorm last night that snapped a few branches, so she took a crew to clear the snow and prune the trees." She pointed down the path. "Right over by the back gates."

"Thank you." He headed in the direction she indicated.

Nearing the gates, he spotted a woman in her thirties directing two maintenance workers.

Maloney stood quietly by the edge of the road, watching the snow-heavy branches sag toward the earth.

A moment later, she noticed him.

"Mr. Jameson?" Director Elena Holloway approached with a welcoming smile. "Why didn't you let me know you were coming?"

"I had some free time. Thought I'd drop by," he said mildly.

"Isn't your corporate office back to the grind already? And you have free time?" Elena teased before shivering slightly. "It's freezing out here. Let's go inside."

They walked into the administrative building together.

Her office windows offered a clear view of the sanctuary gardens.

Maloney stood by the glass, his gaze fixed outside.

Elena handed him a steaming mug of coffee.

He took it, letting the heat warm his palms.

A subtle tension filled the room.

Elena's smile faded. "Has the plan changed?"

Without exception, their eyes were hollow, their movements sluggish, like machines stripped of autonomy.

The doctors said they had been heavily drugged since childhood, resulting in irreversible brain damage.

These were the surviving girls.

In their youth, they had been caged and exploited. When the underground market cracked down, they were trafficked into remote mountain villages. Even after the corrupt politicians fell and the registry surfaced two years ago, Maloney still hadn't tracked everyone down.

Many were likely dead and buried in unnamed graves.

But he would never stop looking.

He kept the horrifying truth from Nora, partly to protect her from this suffocating darkness, and partly because he hadn't yet cleansed the rot completely.

The reality was sickeningly simple.

The Cole Family and Lucius Vane were just two weapons wielded by those in power.

One operated in the light, the other in the shadows.

Lucius handled the abductions and the cash flow, while the Coles scrubbed the evidence.