A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 437

Elissa focused entirely on the massage, completely unaware of the seething resentment coming from around the corner as she chatted cheerfully with Suzanne.

Under her skilled hands, the tension in Old Mrs. Wilkinson’s brow eased. She sighed contentedly and remarked to Suzanne, "If Vera were here, I’m sure she would be giving me a massage just like this."

Vera had been a precocious child. When she was not yet two, she had visited Cresthaven with her parents and was already a chatterbox. At an age when other children were still babbling single words, she could speak in full sentences. As the youngest and sweetest child, she had everyone wrapped around her little finger. Even Old Mr. Wilkinson let her play with his military medals without a hint of annoyance.

At the mention of her younger daughter, Suzanne’s eyes welled up. "I know, she would have." Their Vera was so kind and thoughtful.

Her gaze rested on Elissa, and for a moment, she wished she could just order a DNA test, if only it wouldn’t offend her. What if? But reason told her the odds were practically zero.

Elissa, though used to being alone, could empathize with their longing for a lost child, and she found herself unable to offer any empty words of comfort. After more than twenty years, the chances of finding her were slim to none.

After the massage, Suzanne, concerned that Elissa might be tired, sent her upstairs to rest.

Once her morning sickness had passed, Elissa’s most prominent pregnancy symptom was drowsiness. She lay on the bed with a book, but soon her eyelids grew heavy. When she woke again, the sun was setting, and the faint sounds of a lively gathering drifted in from outside. The guests for Old Mr. Wilkinson’s birthday had begun to arrive.

She had been woken by her phone ringing.

"Hello?" she answered groggily, not even checking the caller ID.

Despite the chaos, Elissa remained calm. "Okay," she said with clear-headed focus. "I’ll call Rowan first and find out what’s going on." This attack was clearly aimed not just at her, but at the Murphy Group as well.

After hanging up, she walked to the French windows, her thumb hovering over the familiar number. In that moment of hesitation, a sharp knock sounded at her door.

Thinking it was one of the Wilkinsons’ staff, she went to open it, only to find Rowan standing there, impeccably dressed in a suit. She froze for a second.