“Where’s the body?”
“Right here…”
The supervisor pointed at one of the corpses ahead, shrouded in a heavy black sheet.
As the cloth was pulled away, Darren immediately noticed the deceased’s face was badly burned and unrecognizable, but the rest of the body still had distinct features.
One glance was enough—relief washed over him. It wasn’t Charlotte.
But relief quickly gave way to anger. He clenched his fists.
She’d fooled him again.
He’d abandoned Xena at the altar, left the wedding in chaos, all for nothing. Unforgivable.
Face grim, Darren dialed his private investigator. “It’s not her. Keep looking.”
“Yes, Mr. Harrington,” came the crisp reply.
Thirty minutes later, a new message flashed on his screen:
**[Mr. Harrington, we’ve found her!]**
Without hesitation, Darren sped toward the location: the sprawling city park on the outskirts of town.
From a distance, he spotted Charlotte.
Not only was she alive, she didn’t have a scratch on her. She was lounging on a picnic blanket, laughing with Ryan, sharing sandwiches and snacks.
Rage simmered in Darren’s veins. He’d dropped everything—his own wedding, Xena—just to make sure Charlotte was safe.
And here she was, enjoying a picnic.
“Charlotte!”
His voice cut through the park. Charlotte turned at the sound, catching sight of his dark, stormy figure striding toward them.
Charlotte froze briefly.
He’d guessed right.
After escaping the hotel that night, she’d dug into Xena’s background, hacking into every record she could find. To pay Xena back for the arson, she’d tipped off her own father—a chronic gambler.
But hearing Darren call it ‘smearing’ made her smile, cold and clear.
“Yes, I sent him. But Darren, what makes you so sure he was lying? Did you ever bother with a paternity test?”
For a moment, Darren was speechless.
The way Charlotte said it, so confident, so certain—did she know something he didn’t?
He’d had Xena’s background checked. The files said she was an orphan, never adopted, no trace of birth parents. How could a ‘father’ suddenly appear—someone who clearly recognized her?
Was there something wrong with Xena’s records?

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