Don’t Fall for the Billionaire Lover

Connor eyed Maddie, suspicion flickering in his gaze.

"Why are you telling us all this? After all these years as a mole by my side, Maddie, why should I believe anything you say?"

Teddy stayed silent, his expression a tangle of emotions as he watched Maddie.

She let out a slow breath. “Because I'm dying. There's an old saying-when someone's on their deathbed, they tell the truth."

Teddy's face went white. He grabbed her arm. "Amelia, what are you talking about?"

Maddie's voice was barely above a whisper. "Anyone who joins the Nightshade Organization gets injected with a special drug. It makes your cells multiply out of control unless you get a suppressant shot every year. If you skip it, your body starts breaking down. Stomach cells? You get stomach cancer. Brain cells? Brain cancer. The rest is just luck."

She poured herself another drink, her hand steady but her eyes distant. "My luck ran out. I've got late-stage lung cancer. The suppressant doesn't work for me anymore. The doctors say I maybe have a year left. So, with whatever time I've got, I'm going to live for myself.”

Connor's brow tightened, doubt still written all over his face.

Maddie gave a wry smile. "If you still don't believe me, we can go to the hospital tomorrow. I'll prove it."

Teddy looked shattered. "No... Amelia, you're lying, right? You can't have cancer. You're just saying that to get a reaction. Tell me you're lying."

Maddie met his eyes. "You're such an idiot. I've lied to you plenty of times, but not about this. I've done some terrible things. I've hurt people. I probably deserve this."

She tried to laugh, but it came out shaky. "But, Teddy, knowing all that would you still marry someone like me?"

Without a word, Teddy pulled her into his arms, crying openly. "Amelia, of course I would. But you can't die. Please, you can't."

Chloe stood off to the side, so stunned she could barely process it. More than ever, she wanted her memories back.

Connor, even with the evidence in front of him, still wasn't sure what to believe.

That night, she dug through Maddie's medical records. Six months ago, Maddie had been diagnosed with lung cancer. All the hospital visits and reports were there, staring Connor in the face.

For the first time, Connor believed her.

Late that night, Connor called Kash and filled him in on everything Maddie had revealed.

"We've already checked out Roosternoveldrama

Hill," Connor finished. "There's no cell service, and with Grant's

influence, he's not about to let us

just walk in. Big brother, do you have any ideas?"

Kash's answer was firm. "We have to find Nemo, and fast. Give me a few hours. I'll figure something out."

Connor never expected Kash's solution would be to roll in with a squad of special forces for a full-on raid.

Before sunrise, Connor arrived at the base of Rooster Hill with a truck full of commandos. Chloe came along too.

Connor eyed the two dozen armed soldiers and lowered his voice. "Big brother, this is breaking and entering. If Grant comes after us for this, your position is going to make things complicated. You could end

in real trouble."

Kash was a regional chief, and he had a high-ranking spot in the military. The higher you get, the

more careful you have to be. Nonet

matter what happened with the rescue, Grant would find a way to use this against them.

But Kash just shrugged off his concern. "Relax. I know what I'm doing."

He signaled, and a second later, someone was dragged out of the armored truck

and dumped on the ground in front of them.