CHAPTER 96 The Weight of Truth

  Angela's car sliced through the night, the roar of the engine louder than her erratic heartbeat. The cool leather of the steering wheel felt foreign beneath her trembling fingers. Her phone buzzed in the passenger seat, the screen glowing with Elena's message:

  "Pier 17. Midnight."

  She glanced at the clock on her dashboard. 11:42 PM.

  Why there? Why now?

  The events of the evening replayed in her head like a sinister movie reel: the glittering ballroom, Michael's cryptic warnings, Edmund's confessions, and Elena's shocking exposé. It was too much to process, and yet Angela couldn't stop moving forward. She needed answers, even if they shattered her completely.