Chapter 23

Calliope checked in with the front desk, then the admin staff. She finally found her encrypted metal case tucked away in the supply room. Everything she'd poured her heart into over the years was in there. Back in her last life, she'd sold that case through a private channel to fund her and Lucien's future together. The money all went toward fertility treatments-expensive, painful ones. She still remembered the sting of those injections, the helplessness lying on an operating table, and the lies buried under Lucien's so-called love... Her fingertips brushed over the cool surface of the case. Her chest tightened. Eyes burned. That tide of bitterness and heartache, buried for so long, finally broke through. Clutching the case tightly, she eased herself down to the floor and just... sat there. Tears splashed hard against the cold metal, leaving tiny wet blotches behind. Just then, footsteps and muffled voices came from outside. Calliope quickly wiped her face and stood up straight. Aside