Chapter 7: The Ultimate Betrayal

Emma and Alexander’s resolve to confront their past faced an immediate test. The morning after their heart-to-heart, Emma woke to the persistent buzzing of Alexander’s phone. Reaching over to silence it, she glanced at the screen and froze. A barrage of threatening messages from an unknown number filled the screen, each one more alarming than the last. Her heart raced. She shook Alexander awake. “Alexander, wake up. You need to see this.” He groaned, rubbed his eyes, and then his gaze locked on the phone. “What’s going on?” “These messages,” she said, handing him the phone. “They’re threats—against us.” Alexander’s face darkened while reading the texts. “Damn it,” he muttered. “I knew this would happen.” “What do we do?” Emma asked, fear creeping into her voice. “We need to be cautious,” Alexander said firmly. “But we can’t let them intimidate us. We need to find out who’s behind this.” They met with their lawyer and a private investigator, Rachel. She assured them she would un