Her words grew uglier by the second. Watching her face twist with self-righteous fury, I didn't feel insulted. I felt nothing but a profound sense of absurdity.
She was delusional.
"You're confused," I said flatly.
I couldn't be bothered to waste another breath on her. I bent down and took Lucy's hand. "Come on, Lucy. Let's go."
She nodded obediently, her small fingers gripping mine tight.
We turned to leave—but barely took two steps before a wall of muscle blocked our path. Several men emerged from the shadows, tall and expressionless. Fox payroll, obviously.
I stopped. My brow furrowed as I turned back to Joanna.
"What is this?"
She approached slowly, chin raised, looking at us with arrogant entitlement—as if we were prey already caught.
"You think you can just walk away?" She tilted her head. "The events of that year were never fully resolved. If you want to leave, it won't be that easy."
She gestured vaguely. "When I ran into danger back then... the accident of having a child with you... none of it was investigated properly."
Her eyes narrowed. "And now you show up with the girl. You need to explain your intentions."