Chapter 212

If two people simply weren’t right for each other, there was no point in starting anything—otherwise, things would only end up worse than they were now.

She ordered takeout again, but her hunger had faded. Picking at her food without much appetite, she ate just a few bites before heading upstairs to read.

Sleepiness crept in before long. Somewhere between chapters, she drifted off, only to be jolted awake later by her phone ringing.

She blinked hard, instantly alert when she saw the caller ID.

Detective Gallagher!

Had they caught the traffickers?

Ivy answered at once. “Hello, Detective Gallagher?”

“Miss Windsor, are you able to come down to the station now? There’s been a major breakthrough in your abduction case,” the officer said on the other end.

Ivy’s heart leapt. “Of course! I’ll come right away!”

She hung up, quickly gathered her things, and hurried over to the police station.

Detective Gallagher greeted her and explained why she’d been called in.

It turned out that, based on the suspect sketches Ivy had provided earlier, the police had undertaken an exhaustive search and managed to crack a large, premeditated human trafficking ring. They’d arrested six suspects in all.

Two of them bore a striking resemblance to the sketches Ivy had drawn.

“We need you to confirm their identities,” Gallagher explained.

Ivy nodded eagerly. “Absolutely.”

Gallagher pulled up the photos on his computer, showing Ivy each of the six suspects one by one.

She recognized the first photo immediately.

“That’s him! He was one of the men who kidnapped me. I remember him saying that he was acting on someone else’s orders—that someone wanted me taken far away and never be found.”

Gallagher’s expression grew serious. “Did he say who gave the orders?”

“He never mentioned a name, just that it was a woman. He said something about ‘selling the older sister.’ Detective Gallagher, the Windsor family has an adopted daughter, Emma Windsor. Emma confessed to me before that she worked with traffickers to have me kidnapped, but later the family covered for her and she denied everything. But I have a recording of her admitting it.”

Ivy could hardly believe how quickly the police had acted, managing to catch the traffickers after all these years.

The thought that Emma was finally about to face justice made Ivy’s pulse race with excitement.

“All right. We’ll call Emma in for questioning shortly,” Gallagher said, glancing at his colleagues. After a brief discussion, they dialed Emma’s number.

Emma, still hiding at home and reeling from the fallout of her online scandal, panicked the moment she got the call from the police. She rushed downstairs to find Rosetta. “Mom, the police just called. They want me to come to the station…”

Rosetta, seeing her daughter so shaken, tried to calm her. “Did they say what it was about?”

“No, I have no idea. But they said if I don’t go, they’ll come here and get me.” Emma’s voice trembled, fear rising by the second. “Mom, what do I do? Can you call Dad and get him to find me a lawyer? I need a lawyer.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll call your father right now.”

Rosetta dialed her husband, but he didn’t answer. She finally reached his assistant, who explained he was in a meeting.

“Your dad’s busy. We’ll talk to him later. For now, I’ll go with you to the station and see what this is about.”

With Rosetta by her side, Emma managed to steady herself a little.

But the memory of what she’d done in the past gnawed at her, and she couldn’t help feeling anxious.

When they arrived at the station, Ivy was still there.

She’d stayed on purpose, wanting to see Emma’s reaction firsthand.

The moment Emma spotted Ivy, all her nerves unraveled. Any hope of things blowing over vanished in an instant.

She remembered Ivy mentioning that the police were following up on new leads. If they were suddenly summoning her now, something must have happened.

Emma’s thoughts spun, her palms sweating as she clenched her fists in a desperate bid to hide her fear.

“Ivy?” Rosetta was surprised to see her eldest daughter, but quickly forced a smile and walked over. “Ivy, what are you doing here? I’ve been trying so hard to reach you lately. I’m so glad to finally see you.”

Ivy’s gaze was cool and distant. She offered a faint smile. “You should be more worried about your other daughter.”

Rosetta’s face froze. She glanced at Emma, and realization dawned.

“Ivy—was it you? Are you the one who reported Emma to the police?”

Before Ivy could answer, Emma rushed over in a panic. “Mom, call Dad again! I need a lawyer. Please!”

“Emma, please come with us to the interview room,” an officer said, approaching.

Emma was terrified, but after a moment’s thought, she tried to reassure herself. She’d never revealed her identity in those phone calls years ago. Even if the traffickers had been caught, after three years, there was no way they’d remember her.

She forced herself to stay calm and whispered urgently to Rosetta, “Mom, please, call Dad. Hurry!”

As long as the evidence was weak, as long as they had a good lawyer, she could still get out of this.

“Emma!” The officer, seeing her hesitate, finally came over to escort her away.

“Mom, don’t waste time pleading with her—just tell Dad to get me a lawyer!” Emma’s voice trembled as she was led away.

Rosetta finally understood everything.

She looked at Ivy, her expression clouded with worry and pain. After a moment’s hesitation, she spoke. “Ivy, are you going to press charges against Emma for conspiring with traffickers to have you kidnapped?”

Ivy turned to her, eyes narrowing. “What—so you all knew she was behind it? She confessed to you?”