Wayne replied immediately in the family group chat, "Okay, sweetheart. I'll be home in five minutes. We'll wait for you."

Five minutes.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down quickly. Right now, the only thing that mattered was getting hold of that farewell letter.

I faked Anna's handwriting, simply wrote a few lines on a piece of paper, and quickly swapped it for the real letter in the safe. No matter what, Wayne, Gabriel, and Casper could never see what Anna had written.

I'd just hidden the letter on me when I heard the door click shut. My chest tightened as I stepped out of the room, only to run straight into Wayne.

"Babe, quick, let's see what Anna wrote to us," he said. The worry etched on his face made my skin prickle.

I pointed casually. "Go ahead. Read it yourself."

Without another word, I dashed to the master bathroom. I was even completely oblivious when the maid, Barbara Fielder, bumped into me.

This time, I had to be the first to read what Anna's farewell letter said.

I reached into my pocket for the letter, only to find it empty. "Where's the letter?"

I frantically searched through my clothes, but the letter was nowhere to be found.

Sweat was beading on my forehead. With no other choice, I flung open the door and rushed outside to look for it.

The moment I pushed open Anna's bedroom door, I saw Wayne holding a letter. His face was stormy, and his eyes were bloodshot.

I swayed slightly. How could he have seen that letter? I was certain I had taken it.

"W-Wayne, what are you looking at?" I asked.

Just then, Barbara came up with a grin. "Mrs. Stone, I just took that from your pocket. I thought it might be a love letter, so I handed it to Mr. Stone."

I stared at her, stunned, words failing me.

Wayne's voice was cold as he ground out through clenched teeth, "You can leave."

Barbara made a sound of acknowledgment and stepped back immediately.

I forced myself to steady my nerves and walked over, keeping my tone casual. "Why the sudden seriousness? Let me see what Anna wrote."

I reached for the farewell letter, but Wayne's hand clamped down on mine.

"What's going on? I have the right to see what Anna wrote, too!" I said.

His gaze crawled over me. "Don't. Once you see it, you'll never forget."

I stared at him, refusing to look away.

Sure enough, he pulled out his phone and scoffed. "Anna? A hero? What a joke!"

Wayne opened Instagram and found a picture of Anna. Then, he typed out a caption, the same as in my past life.

As events began to unfold just like before, I snatched his phone away while he wasn't looking, planning to hurl it out the window.

"Lara! Are you out of your mind?" Before I could even toss the phone, Wayne grabbed my hair from behind and yanked me back with brute force. Then, he snatched the phone and shoved me to the floor.

"You idiot! Are you trying to get our whole family killed?" he yelled.

My knees hit the floor hard, the pain lancing through me. I forced myself to my feet, tears spilling uncontrollably.

"No! Don't post it! Wayne, if you go through with this, you'll endanger Anna and everyone on her mission!" I pleaded.

Wayne had said that Anna's mission was a drug bust. In my past life, Wayne, along with Gabriel and Casper, had caused the deaths of 37 people. Every single officer had fallen into the hands of the drug lords. Their bones were shattered one by one, leaving no intact remains.

Wayne stared at me without a flicker of emotion, even forcing me to watch as he hit "post".

"Lara, you'll thank me for this someday," he said.

I shivered uncontrollably.

Suddenly, I remembered what I'd heard when I was sent to the drug lords in my past life. "Luckily, one of us got into that officer's father's Instagram and saw his post. Otherwise, we'd have ended up in her hands for sure."

A chill ran through me. Gritting my teeth, I threw myself at Wayne once more with all my strength.

However, he grabbed my neck, his voice slow and deliberate. "Everything I've done is for our family. Don't push me."

His grip cut off my air, and my head was pounding. Just as I was about to give up, someone came home. "Lara? Wayne? Are you here? Anna's been acting so secretive. What did she leave behind?"

At that, Wayne finally released me.

I crumpled to the floor, clutching my neck, gasping for air.

Gabriel froze for a beat as he came in, then immediately helped me to my feet. "Wayne! What the hell are you doing? How could you lay a hand on her?"

Gabriel had been one of the murderers in my past life, yet now he was the only one I could turn to. I clung to his hand desperately.

"Anna's on a mission. She's probably undercover. Wayne just posted her photo on Instagram. Get it down, quick!"

Gabriel's eyes widened, and he shot to his feet. "What? Wayne, hand over your phone! Anna's your daughter. Do you want her dead?"

Wayne sneered, showing not the slightest trace of remorse. "You'd have done the same if you were in my place."

Gabriel clenched his jaw, and fury drove his fist toward Wayne's face without a word.

Wayne staggered back, dodging by a step, but he couldn't withstand the sheer force of a man in his prime.

Gabriel wrenched the phone from his hand and deleted the Instagram post. "I've looked up to you all these years, and this is what you do? Anna's a police officer! We should be standing with her, not against her!"

Relief washed over me the moment the post vanished, but it lasted only a breath before I cried out hoarsely, "You've cherished Anna all these years! Why would you do this when she's staring death in the face? What could her death possibly give you?"

Bruises mottled Wayne's face. He pushed himself to his feet, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, the veins at his temple throbbing with rage.

"You idiot! You'll drag the whole family into the grave!" he yelled.

The memory of Anna's death, and my own in my past life, sent violent tremors through me. If I couldn't change the ending this time, I'd sooner see the whole family follow Anna into the grave. Even in the afterlife, I'd find out what was in that farewell letter.

I shot Wayne a cold glare. "If Anna comes to any harm, you'll pay with your life!"

We were still locked in a furious clash when, out of the corner of my eye, I caught Gabriel's gaze falling on the farewell letter. A chill shot through me.

I tried to lunge for it, but the legs I'd hurt in my fight with Wayne buckled beneath me, and I crashed to the floor.

"Gabriel, don't. Hand me the letter," I pleaded.

I pushed myself up through the pain, desperate to stop him, but I was too late. He had already read it.

In a heartbeat, the concern on Gabriel's face was gone, and it was swept aside by anger and disbelief.

"Gabriel! What did Anna write? Let me see it!" I demanded, reaching for the farewell letter.

Gabriel, ever the gentleman, pushed my hand away. His gaze turned cold as it fell on me, before he shifted to Wayne. "I'm sorry, Wayne. I lost my head just now."

I froze, as if every ounce of strength had drained from my body. Just like in my past life, that same crushing despair surged up and swallowed me whole.

I shook my head violently, sobbing as I cried out, desperate to stir Gabriel's love for Anna. "Gabriel, she's your wife, the woman who's shared your bed for three years. The two of you have known nothing but love.

"You could never bear to see her harmed, could you? Please, I'm begging you. I'll get down on my knees if that's what it takes. Just don't hurt Anna. The people that she's after are merciless. If her cover's blown, there won't even be a body left to find!"

I was crying so hard that my face was a mess of tears and snot, but Gabriel looked like he'd become someone else entirely. His eyes were cold, stripped of every trace of warmth.

"Really? I'm not buying it." He turned to Wayne, who was already retyping the Instagram post. "Wayne, don't bother posting it."

Hatred flickered across his face as he pulled out his phone. "I've had a live tracker on Anna for a while now. Tell me. What do you think will happen if we leak her location?"

Wayne, who had worn a mask of sternness all this time, finally smirked. "Trust you to think of that."

Gabriel had Anna's location within moments. "The abandoned factory to the south, about 60 miles out."

His expression didn't waver as he uploaded her coordinates for the world to see.

"Gabriel! Are you trying to hand your wife over to be tortured alive?" I screamed.

He let out a scoff. "You just reminded me. In her five years on the force, Anna has locked up and made twice as many enemies. So, what happens if I leak her location on foreign sites? How many will come flooding back into the country for revenge?"

Panic pounded in my skull. "No!"

They turned and walked away.

Memories from my past life rushed through my mind like a film reel spinning too fast.

"Don't go!" I screamed, dragging myself to the windowsill on hands and knees. "Wayne, we've been married for more than 30 years. I gave you a son and a daughter, and this is what I get? If Anna's harmed by so much as a hair, I'll throw myself out this window right now!" I yelled.

Wayne's hand shot out instinctively. "Lara! Don't be reckless. I'd never hurt you."

He started toward me, step by step. "You've been dying to know what's in this farewell letter, haven't you?"

He let out a long sigh. "Fine. I'll show you."

He walked toward me with the letter in hand, and my fingers trembled as I reached for it.