The next morning, the air outside the police station felt strangely lighter.

As if, after years of suffocating under the weight of secrets and lies, the truth had finally begun to breathe.

Kathrine sat upright across the desk, her fingers clenched tightly in her lap as she spoke—every word measured, every detail deliberate.

She didn’t hold back.

Not this time.

Not anymore.

From the moment she was taken years ago... to the darkness she had endured... to the face she could never forget—Collin.

She told them everything.

Every scream she had swallowed.

Every fear she had buried.

Every memory she had tried so hard to forget.

Her voice trembled at times, her eyes glossing over—but she didn’t stop.

Because this wasn’t just a statement.

This was justice.

And she was going to make sure that Collin never walked free again.

That he rotted behind bars for the rest of his life.

"That will be all for now, Miss Kathrine."

Clement closed the file in front of him, his expression serious but firm.

"Thank you for your time. I am confident your statement will be enough to ensure Collin receives life imprisonment."

Kathrine let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding.

It felt like something inside her... had finally loosened.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Clement gave a small nod before excusing himself, leaving the room with the file in hand.

For a moment, Kathrine just sat there.

Still.

Silent.

Then slowly, she rose to her feet.

Ethan was already beside her, his presence steady—grounding.

Neither of them spoke as they walked out of the station.

The world outside felt... different.

Calmer.

But not complete.

Not yet.

"Collin is being taken care of..." Kathrine finally said, her voice quiet as they stepped down the stairs. "But Dad—"

Her words trailed off.

Her mind drifted back to Hugo.

To the way he had locked himself in his room after returning home.

To the hollow look in his eyes.

To the silence he had wrapped himself in.

Guilt.

Regret.

Truth.

It had all come crashing down on him at once.

And Kathrine didn’t know how to fix it.

Ethan glanced at her, catching the distant look in her eyes.

"Everything is too much for him right now," he said gently. "But he will manage."

Kathrine didn’t respond immediately.

"He just needs time."

She exhaled slowly, nodding.

After everything that had come to light, Hugo had also been charged—for manipulating evidence.

But compared to Collin and Roseline...

His punishment was lighter.

Still, that didn’t make it easier.

Not for him.

Not for them.

While Collin sat in a cell awaiting his fate...

Roseline was still lying in a hospital bed.

Unconscious.

Unaware.

And somehow... that felt more unsettling.

Kathrine shook the thought away.

One step at a time.

That’s what she had to focus on.

She and Ethan were about to head toward the car when her phone suddenly rang.

The sharp sound cut through the quiet morning.

Kathrine frowned slightly, pulling it out of her bag.

Her breath hitched the moment she saw the name flashing on the screen.

Anna.

Without wasting a second, she answered.

"Yes, Anna—"

But the moment the voice on the other end spoke... Kathrine froze.

***

[Hospital]

The steady beeping of machines filled the room, each sound echoing like a fragile reminder that time... was slipping away.

Roseline lay motionless against the stark white sheets, her skin pale, almost translucent under the harsh hospital lights. The rise and fall of her chest was shallow—too slow, too weak.

For hours, she had remained unconscious.

But when her eyes finally fluttered open...

The first thing that left her lips was not confusion.

Not pain.

"Hugo..." her voice came out broken, barely audible. "Kathrine... Anna..."

The nurse immediately alerted the doctor, but everyone in that room knew—

She didn’t have much time.

Hugo never came.

He didn’t answer the calls.

Didn’t respond.

Didn’t move from wherever he had locked himself away with his guilt.

But Anna and Kathrine—

They came running.

By the time they reached the hospital, their breaths were uneven, their hearts pounding with a fear they couldn’t name.

When they stepped into the room...

They almost didn’t recognize her.

Roseline, once so composed, so sharp, so untouchable...

Now looked fragile.

Small.

Like life had already begun to slip through her fingers.

"Mom..." Kathrine’s voice trembled as she rushed to her side, her hand instinctively reaching for Roseline’s cold fingers.

Anna stood a step behind, her throat tightening at the sight.

Roseline’s gaze slowly shifted, struggling to focus until it finally landed on them.

A faint, trembling smile touched her lips.

"You came..." she whispered.

Tears welled up in Kathrine’s eyes. "Don’t talk like that. You’re going to be fine."

But even as she said it... she knew it wasn’t true.

Kathrine knew whatever Roseline did to them was unforgivable. But never in her life did she wanted Roseline to reach a stage where seeing her condition would make her feel sorry for her.

Roseline’s weak hand tightened—just slightly—around Kathrine’s.

"No..." she murmured, her breath uneven. "I don’t have much time."

"Don’t say that!" Kathrine’s voice broke, shaking her head.

But Roseline’s eyes had already moved.

To Anna.

For a moment, she simply looked at her.

And then...

Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes.

"I was wrong," she said, her voice cracking under the weight of something long buried. "About everything."

Anna froze.

"I let hatred... and pride... blind me," Roseline continued, each word costing her strength. "I hurt you both... I tried to destroy you..."

Her lips trembled as her voice weaken.

"And I almost destroyed my own daughter in the process."

Kathrine shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "Stop... please..."

But Roseline didn’t stop.

Not this time.

"I thought I was protecting what was mine..." she whispered. "But all I did was lose everything."

Her gaze softened as she looked between them.

"I don’t deserve your forgiveness... Kathrine"

Her fingers weakly tightened around Kathrine’s hand, while her eyes stayed on Anna.

"But I still... want to ask for it. From you both"

The room fell silent except for the soft beeping of the monitor.

Anna stepped forward slowly, her heart heavy.

For so long, she had hated this woman. Blamed her. Resented her.

But now... all she saw was a person at the end of her life.

Broken.

Regretful.

Human.

Anna reached out, placing her hand gently over Roseline’s.

"I forgive you," she said softly.

Kathrine’s sob broke free as she nodded through her tears. "Me too..."

Relief washed over Roseline’s face.

A quiet, peaceful relief.

As if a burden she had carried for far too long... had finally been lifted.

Her lips curved into the faintest smile.

"Thank you..." she whispered.

Her grip loosened. Her breathing slowed. And then... the monitor let out a long, continuous sound.

Flat.

Still.

Roseline’s chest stopped moving. Her hand fell limp in theirs. And just like that— she was gone.

Kathrine let out a broken cry, collapsing beside the bed as Anna stood frozen, her hand still resting where warmth had already begun to fade.

In the end... Roseline didn’t leave as the woman she once was. But as someone who had finally faced her truth— and paid the price for it.