Shadows Of A Forgotten Spring

Chapter 99 *52*

Now all she could do was wait. Wait for Emma to see the message. Wait for the explosion she knew would follow.

Jane's gaze fixed on the window and the night stretching interminably beyond the glass. The darkness seemed to choke. yer maybe-maybe this attempt would finally allow her to breathe. She had played her card. There was no going back now. It was now left to fate. The weight didn't lighten off her shoulders, but for the first time in days, the storm inside her felt quiet.

AMAMA

Emma's screen glowed with the cold light of her laptop, as if to mock her, and Emma's finger seemed to hesitate over the email. Only the subject itself was able to tear at her chest and wring at her heart in a merciless manner. She could barely breathe, the walls of her apartment closing in around her.

"Your Secret's Time is Up. the subject says.

A wave of nausea rolled over her, her vision blurring for just a second. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, drowning out everything. Clenching her jaw, she clicked on the email.

The message danced across the screen before her very eyes. As the message unfolded before her eyes, the words seared into her mind. Her breath caught in her throat, sharp and painful. The email wasn't an appeal. It wasn't a plea.

It was a dagger disguised as a threat, aimed straight at the core of her worst fears

The name underneath read: Jane Manson.

Emma's hands shook, clutched on the edge of the table, with the wood biting into her palms. Her eyes ran down lines of text, each word pulling her deeper down some pit of dread.

Jane knows!

Jane knows Alexander is the biological father of her twins. The secret Emma had buried so deeply, the secret she had sworn to protect with every ounce of her being, was now tilting on the brink of exposure. Only two people in the world had ever known the truth-her mother and Annie. And Annie, for all her cruelty, would never reveal such a thing. Not because of loyalty, but because such secret could destroy her relationship with Alexander.

Her mind hopped back to that night of the Aurora Honors, the words Annie had said to her- venomous-then the footsteps. Faint but unmistakable, receding just as Emma's voice had trembled with emotion.

Jane!

She had to be the one. She must have overheard everything.

A strangled gasp escaped her lips, her head spinning. The room felt suffocating, as if the walls were pressing in, stealing her air. Emma leaned back, her eyes burning with anger. She could feel the bitter sting of panic, the icy fear of losing her

children.

Her

er children! Ethan and Emily, her precious twins, her whole world. She had fought so hard to protect them, to shield them from the storm of her past. The thought of Alexander finding out of him stepping into their lives, of taking them away-it was unbearable! The thought clawed at her sanity, filling her veids with a cold dread that left her trembling.

She shut her eyes, took a trembling breath back, and tried to stoly herself. Her heart was racing-like a wild, frantic drumbeat-but she knew she had to be sharp. This wasn't all about her anymore, it was about them-her twins, their happiness, their safety. She couldn't let things get out of hand any longer.

Anger flashed was in Emma's eyes, she had long been used as a pawn in other people's games for so long, and since Jane wished to fight, she would have given her one willingly but not of the expense of her children, no matter what it would cost

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21:22 Tue, Dec 17

Chapter 99

her, she needed to keep-this secret buried.

Her fingers found their way to the keyboard as her mind went into a swirl of pain and determination. The knuckles had whitened with the pressure as she typed out a response. Each word was a reluctant surrender. Jane, let's meet. Name the time and place."

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The cursor on the screen blinked back at her, waiting for her to seal the decision. Her throat tightened, and a hot tear slid down her cheek. She rubbed it away angry. There was no time for weakness. Not now, With one final, resolute breath, she clicked send.

Emma leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling, her chest heaving. The battle was far from over. But she would do anything to protect her children, even if it meant making a deal with the devil herself.

The next morning dawned heavy with expectation, the weight of everything hanging thick in the air. The Manson family's company had no time to waste; it was a matter of the clock ticking as their reputation teetered on the brink of an ignominious collapse. The press conference had been in a rush, the air thick with tension as journalists and cameras crowded into the venue for just that-spectacle. And all this put the Manson legacy, finally, on the fragile shoulders of Jane's apology-and Emma's ability to play her part.

Jane Manson stepped forward, her heels clicking onto the polished floor, with each step a carefully masked facade of confidence. Her face was pale, her eyes rimmed from sleepless nights and the unseen weight of her father's silent judgment. The crowd silenced as she took a deep breath; the microphone picked up the quavering exhalation.

"Good morning. Jane began, her voice even but brittle. "I want to take this moment to address my actions and the harm they may have caused." She paused, looking down as if searching for sincerity there. "I made mistakes. I let my emotions and my low tolerance for alcohol cloud my judgment, and I acted without thinking of the consequences. I never had intended to hurt Mrs. Emma Black, nor anyone else."

Her voice shook around its edges, treading a fine line between frailty and control. "I am really sorry, and I ask for your understanding and forgiveness."

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