Unmasking Mrs. Newton's Secret Identities novel Chapter 2009

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line.

All of a sudden, Zac's emotionless voice cut through the quiet. "I've never pressured you into anything. If you don't want to go through with this, you're free to leave. Don't come back. I don't need anyone's help."

"I didn't mean it that way, Zac—"

Before Julia could explain, Zac had already hung up. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she felt a wave of helplessness wash over her.

"Zac, after seven years, why do you still not trust me?" she wondered silently.

Her hand instinctively rested on her stomach as she looked up at the bleak, gray sky. For now, keeping the pregnancy a secret was all she could do.

…

After Abigail left, Taylor stayed behind with Germaine.

The two of them wandered around for a while, searching without any clear direction. But soon enough, they spotted a suspicious Cathayan man near the edge of a predominantly Morg-Apreekan neighborhood.

The man was driving a pickup truck, and as their cars stopped side by side at a red light, he briefly locked eyes with Germaine. His expression immediately shifted to one of unease. The moment the light turned green, he hit the gas and sped off.

Without hesitation, Germaine and Taylor exchanged a glance. "Follow him!"

With Taylor's guidance, they closed the gap quickly.

However, the man was quick on his feet. He abruptly turned into an alley, vanishing from view.

Germaine accelerated and executed a quick drift at the intersection to cut him off. As the other vehicle emerged from the alley, she floored the gas pedal and rammed into it head-on.

The impact was deafening, the collision of all three cars shattering the silence of the night.

Just then, a voice from the backseat of a nearby car caught their attention.

"Taylor? Is that really you?" Lucy called out, stepping out of the car and shutting the door behind her.

"Lucy?" Taylor responded, approaching her. "What are you doing here? Are you alright?"

Her car seemed to have suffered less damage than theirs, though a noticeable dent was still visible.

Lucy shook her head. "What's going on here—"

"We've been searching for a missing friend for a while, but we've hit a dead end," Taylor said, his voice tinged with frustration as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Woof, woof—"