Timothy's Penthouse - 11:34 AM
Emily sat on the sofa, still holding Elena's final letter, Timothy beside her. Ming Li had made tea that sat untouched on the coffee table.
"Are you going to read it?" Timothy asked gently.
"Not yet," Emily said. "I need....I need a minute. That was harder than I expected."
"He's dying," Timothy observed. "Watching someone face death changes things. Makes it harder to hold onto anger."
"I'm still angry," Emily said. "But I'm also...sad. For what could have been. For the father he should have been. For the man Elena loved who got buried under fear and weakness."
Her phone buzzed. Sebastian calling.
"Yes?" Emily answered.
"Emily..." Sebastian's voice was urgent. "We just intercepted communications from Patricia Smith. She's been in contact with someone in Norvale. We couldn't trace the exact recipient, but the messages were routed through channels known to be used by Marcus's intelligence network."
