Chapter 109 Calm Down

Back in her private office at Syntrex Research Center, Lila closed the door behind her. The facade she'd been keeping up shattered in an instant. She pressed against the door, sinking inch by inch until she ended up in a shaky crouch on the floor. She'd held it together all the way here, but her grief broke loose, and silent tears fell. She clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound as her shoulders trembled. All she could see was Vernon's ashen, weathered face, and she could hear him murmur through the haze. "Don't come back… and suffer…" Pain and guilt, enough to tear Lila apart, threatened to consume her whole. She'd failed as a granddaughter. By running from the Harts, she'd left the one person who truly loved her in that house. Would Vernon still be okay if she hadn't left? No. Self-reproach could wait. She had to save Vernon. Lila pushed herself off the floor, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. She hurried to her desk, yanked the drawer open, and grabbed