Imprisoned While Pregnant, She's Back for Payback novel Chapter 493

493 We’re Worried About You

Lachlan’s usually gentle, charming features had shifted into a look of mild displeasure. He felt the weight of the delicate conversation ahead and knew it was best to quietly exit. With a heavy sigh, he closed the door softly behind him, leaving the room in a tense silence.

Once he was gone, the atmosphere in the office grew noticeably more serious.

Lyra and Raven sat facing Tess, their expressions grave.

“The Larsons told Henry to handle the press first. Are we still going ahead with our plan against him?” Raven asked, spreading out the evidence she had collected across the table.

Tess scanned the papers carefully.

Among the documents were a paternity test confirming that Henry was Nadine’s father, surveillance footage from Krigan General Hospital’s morgue, and, most crucially, a witness named Ken.

Her brow furrowed. “What’s Finn’s take on this? Didn’t Zane mention someone spotted Shannon already?”

“Yeah,” Lyra replied, scrolling through her phone before opening a chat with Zane and forwarding the location to Tess. “After several days of surveillance, they confirmed Shannon lives at that address.”

She glanced up. “The problem is, Shannon hardly ever leaves. Zane’s team managed to get a few shots of Henry sneaking around, but no clear pictures of Shannon herself.”

Tess studied the address on her phone, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

Isn’t that Nadine’s apartment?

That explained it.

They had wasted time checking hotels and rental listings for Shannon, unaware she had been hiding in one of Nadine’s properties all along. While Henry and Kylie pretended to live apart, Henry had actually been staying there with Shannon.

A cold, ironic smile tugged at the corners of Tess’s lips.

She looked down at the photos spread out before her.

Most of the images were taken from a distance using sophisticated equipment. Henry was clearly cautious—every picture showed him scanning his surroundings, never dropping his guard.

One particular photo caught Tess’s attention.

Henry looked more suspicious than usual, but what drew her eye was the pair standing in the background.

She frowned.

The Embers?

She recalled the two previous times the Embers had appeared to stir trouble.

So they’re still in Aetheris? She had thought they would have disappeared by now.

Lyra and Raven exchanged a serious look, their expressions hardening as well.

“Tess, we know everything you’ve been through. We’re just so relieved you made it out,” Lyra said, pausing before continuing carefully. “But we don’t want to see you spend your whole life chasing revenge. You have a wonderful daughter now, and a future that’s so much brighter than your past. We’ll support you if you want to make the Embers and Shannon pay—but don’t lose yourself in the process.”

Lyra spoke all at once, her eyes locked on Tess’s.

Raven rubbed the back of her neck uneasily, glancing between Tess and Lyra, trying to read her friend’s expression.

Despite her easygoing nature, Raven’s artistic sensitivity made her especially attuned to moods. Lately, Tess reminded her of a general meticulously planning a campaign—calculating and carefully plotting every move to bring down the Embers and Shannon.

Raven honestly thought it wasn’t worth it.

“Lyra’s right. We’re worried about you,” she said softly.

Tess met their concerned gazes and finally realized how heavy and bleak her own mood had become.

Her mind drifted, memories flashing through her thoughts.

She remembered Nadine and Max framing her, sending her to prison.

She remembered her beloved grandmother passing away shortly after, and how she never even got the chance to say goodbye.