Imprisoned While Pregnant, She's Back for Payback novel Chapter 565

Tess clapped her hands lightly and straightened in her chair. "20 years ago—the burned body wasn't Shannon's, was it?"

Her calm eyes suddenly turned sharp as glass.

Nicholas felt as if invisible needles were stabbing into the air around him. He hesitated at her question, lips parting but no words coming out, like he was still weighing what to say.

Tess's cold gaze didn't move.

"Yes," he finally said, lowering his head and admitting defeat.

"After that," Tess continued evenly, "Henry paid you a huge sum to resign. You went back to Krigan, settled down, and lived a normal, peaceful life for years. You probably didn't expect Henry to contact you again recently—to make you lie for him."

Nicholas closed his eyes. "If you already know all that, why bother catching me? What do you want?"

"You've been locked up in that factory for months," Tess said with a faint smile. "Don't you want revenge?"

Her voice was calm, almost soft, but there was something in it—something that could pull a man's thoughts toward the edge.

Nicholas's heart skipped a beat. He looked up sharply. "You ... "

"I need you to testify," Tess said flatly. "Just like you did for Henry back then."

"You're overestimating me," Nicholas muttered. His hands tightened on his pant legs, and he turned away, clearly resisting.

He'd already accepted that getting caught meant he might end up in prison again. But the last thing he wanted was to get tangled up any further in Tess and Henry's mess.

Tess, meanwhile, stayed calm and steady. "I'm not asking you to do much. Just speak the truth. Tell them what Henry asked you to do—and how he kept you locked away afterward so you couldn't contact anyone."

Nicholas stayed silent, lips pressed tight.

Tess studied him for a moment. Her eyes deepened.

Why?

The Ember family is already on the brink of collapse, and they'd never held much power in Aetheris. So why is Nicholas still so afraid?

"Dad," Ken suddenly said, stepping forward and tugging his father's sleeve. "Tess took care of me all this time. Please, just help her."

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