When Love Finds Its Way Back (Cassienne and Dreston) novel Chapter 359

The room remained silent for a long time after the second recording ended.

Neither Joseph nor Emily could say anything. The laptop sat on the table between them, waiting for the final recording to open.

Joseph suddenly felt older than he had in years. Not because of age, but because of regret.

Every recording seemed to strip away another layer of the story he had believed for decades.

And every layer revealed the same thing: Ethan Rhodes had been telling the truth.

Joseph slowly rubbed his face. Then looked toward Emily. "Did you watch all of this before?"

Emily nodded. "Many years ago."

Joseph swallowed. "Alone?"

A faint smile touched her lips. A sad smile. "There was nobody else."

The answer hurt more than she probably realized. Because it reminded Joseph of something he had spent years avoiding.

Emily had carried all of this alone. The truth. The grief. The shame. And the accusations against her husband. Everything.

And while she was carrying it...

He had been protecting Auralink. The realization sat heavily inside his chest.

Without another word, Emily reached forward and opened the final recording. The video began immediately, and this footage looked different.

The angle was fixed, and stable. It looked more professional.

Joseph recognized it instantly. It is the security footage of the Auralink laboratory.

Years disappeared from his mind as he stared at the familiar room.

The laboratory looked much smaller than he remembered. And it looked very simple. Less advanced.

Auralink itself had been smaller then, because it was still growing.

Still fighting for recognition.

The timestamp in the corner confirmed the date. The day of the explosion.

Neither Joseph nor Emily spoke.

The footage played. At first, nothing happened. The laboratory was empty. It showed the work stations, computers, storage units and equipment.

Everything appeared normal.

Then Joseph noticed something.

The secured compartment where the project should have been stored was empty. Completely gone.

Emily noticed his expression. "Ethan got there first."

Joseph looked at her.

She nodded. "He knew someone would come."

That sounded exactly like Ethan, always planning ahead. Always thinking beyond the obvious.

The recording continued, and minutes passed. Then movement appeared. A man entered the laboratory.

Joseph immediately leaned forward.

He was Mike Richardson. He was older than the version they had seen in the restaurant recordings. But unmistakably him.

He was searching for something and looking everywhere.

Joseph's stomach tightened. Mike looked nervous, frustrated and too desperate. The man moved from workstation to workstation, opening drawers, checking cabinets, and searching everywhere.

Yet finding nothing.

Several times he looked toward the entrance.

Clearly waiting for someone.

Then nearly twenty minutes later, another vehicle appeared on the external security feed.

Emily quietly switched between the synchronized camera angles.

Joseph watched the vehicle enter.

The same vehicle. The one James and Natasha had escaped in. Which was the one carrying the bomb.

The one they believed was safe.

The vehicle stopped. Moments later, James and Natasha rushed inside, both looked exhausted. Terrified. Panicked.

The moment Mike saw them, he strode forward. His expression immediately darkened. "Where is it?"

James stared at him. Then laughed.

The sound shocked Joseph.

Because there was nothing humorous about it.

The laugh sounded broken.

The laugh of a man who had finally realized how badly he had destroyed his own life.

"You betrayed me."

The accusation echoed through the laboratory.

Mike didn't even look surprised. "Where is the project?"

James stepped closer. "You used me."

Mike folded his arms. "You were paid."

Natasha looked horrified. "You said nobody would get hurt."

Mike's attention never left James. "Where is it?"

Joseph felt sick, even now. Even after everything, Mike still cared more about the project than human lives.

James suddenly exploded. "You took the children!"

His voice echoed throughout the laboratory. "You took us, and changed the agreement!"

Mike finally lost patience. "And look where following Ethan got you."

The room became silent.

James froze.

So did Natasha.

Mike stepped closer, his face twisted with anger. "Do you know how much money I invested in this?"

No one said anything.

"Do you know how many years I wasted?"

Joseph clenched his fists. The obsession in Mike's eyes was terrifying. He wasn't thinking rationally anymore.

The project had become an obsession. A sickness. A need.

James shook his head slowly, and for the first time, genuine regret appeared on his face.

"I should have listened to him."

The words came quietly. Yet they seemed to fill the entire room.

Mike laughed. A harsh sound.

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