C393 One Last Plan

Noticing how strange the atmosphere had become, Alicia finally laughed. "Well, if you don't want to say it, then it's okay." Samantha immediately looked relieved. Alicia glanced at the time. "But don't forget why we called." Everyone became attentive again. "Hammer said we have to be at XXX Road by eight in the morning. So spend your last night with your families and get some sleep. We need to wake up early." Everyone nodded. "Understood," Sarah said. "Yes, Boss," Chris added jokingly. Alicia smiled. "Good. Then I'll see you all tomorrow."

One by one, everyone said their goodbyes before the video call finally ended. The room became quiet. I looked at Alicia. "Wife..." She turned toward me. "What?" "What did you mean earlier?" She raised an eyebrow. "About what?" "Samantha. Is she hiding something?" Alicia smiled. "Husband, you don't have to worry about that." "Why?" "It's girls' stuff." I stared at her for a moment. "Fine." I decided not to push her. My eyes then moved toward Emmanuel, who was sleeping peacefully in his crib. He looked completely unaware of everything that was happening around him. I smiled. "Honey?" "Yes?" "Why don't you breastfeed?"

Alicia thought for a moment before answering. "Because I didn't want our son to become dependent on breast milk." I nodded. "Fair enough." Alicia smiled and looked at Emmanuel again. For a few moments, we simply stood there watching our son sleep. Neither of us knew exactly what tomorrow would bring. Eventually, we went to bed. I thought we would sleep until morning. I was wrong. The night passed quickly. Or at least, it felt that way. At exactly four in the morning, I felt someone shaking my shoulder. "Mike." I ignored it. "Mike." I opened my eyes.

Alicia was standing beside the bed. I looked at the clock. 4:00 a.m. I immediately froze. "Honey... it's four." She smiled. "Get dressed. We're leaving." I stared at her. "At this hour?" She nodded. "Yes." I sat up. "But Hammer said eight." Alicia smiled. "Do you want to see everyone crying over us?" I frowned. "Who?" She laughed softly. "Just get dressed." I stared at her, still confused. "I don't want my family to cry just because we're leaving." She paused. "I hate goodbyes." That explained everything. I sighed. "You're unbelievable." She smiled. "Go." I had no choice. I took a quick shower, got dressed, and followed Alicia downstairs.

Fortunately, nobody was awake. We quietly left the house. The last thing I wanted was for Mark or anyone else to wake up and see us leaving. Alicia was right. There would be tears, questions, hugs, and long goodbyes. And neither of us wanted that. We got into separate cars and drove away. For a few minutes, I remained quiet. Then I called Alicia. "Wife, where are we going?" She smiled. "Just follow me." "Hammer said eight in the morning, not four." Alicia suddenly laughed. "To the beach." I stared at my phone. "The beach?" "Yes." I smiled. "At four in the morning?" "Why not?" I shook my head. "You're crazy." She laughed.

Soon, the lights of the city disappeared behind us. The road became quieter. Eventually, we reached the beach. But this time, we hadn't come to enjoy ourselves. There was something weighing heavily on Alicia's mind. We got out of our cars. The morning air was cold, and the sound of the waves filled the darkness. Alicia looked toward the ocean. "Let's take a walk." I nodded. We started walking along the beach. For a while, neither of us spoke. Alicia had become unusually quiet. She wasn't looking at me anymore. Her eyes remained fixed on the ocean. I smiled. "What is it?" She stopped walking.

I stopped beside her. "Nothing." I knew she was lying. "Alicia." She looked at me. "Can you promise me something?" I immediately became serious. "Of course. Say it." She took a deep breath. "If anything happens to me..." I quickly shook my head. "No." She looked surprised. "Alicia, don't even think about that." "But, Mike..." "No." I stepped closer. "Nothing is going to happen to you." She looked down. "I just want you to promise me." I remained silent. She took another breath. "Can you look after our son?" My heart tightened. She continued. "Everything I have has already been transferred to him." I immediately pulled her into my arms. "Wife, nothing is going to happen."

She hugged me tightly. "You know I will always be beside you. Whatever comes, we'll face it together." I paused. "And if we die..." I held her even tighter. "...we'll die together." Tears began falling from her eyes. "But our child is still so young." She wiped her face. "And Chris's child is still young too." I nodded. "I know." She looked at me. "What if I'm putting everyone in danger?" I remained quiet. "Has revenge for my mother overwhelmed me?" Her tears continued falling. "What if someone dies?" She swallowed. "How will we face their families?" I didn't know what to say. She continued before I could answer. "The Capsey family was right. This is my personal matter, but I'm dragging everyone into it."

Her voice broke. "Faith's parents refused." She looked toward the ocean. "If something happens to Faith, how can I face her parents?" I stood there speechless. For the first time, I realized how much responsibility Alicia had been carrying. She wasn't just thinking about herself. She was thinking about everyone. Our families. Our children. Our futures. And the possibility that one decision could destroy all of us. After a moment, I finally spoke. "Alicia, listen to me." She looked at me. "We will overcome this." I held her hand. "We will win." She didn't respond. "And when we do, everyone will be safe. We'll all return home."

She wiped away another tear. I smiled. "Why are you talking as if we're disappearing to die?" She looked at me. "We aren't going somewhere to die. We're going there to train." I continued. "The war comes after the training." I squeezed her hand. "And anyone who wants to leave can leave. The people who remain won't be there because you forced them. They'll remain because they chose to." She looked down. "But their families will still think it happened because of me." I shook my head. "Wife, don't overthink this." She looked at me. "The first step is training. Nobody dies because they're training." I smiled. "And if someone decides that this life isn't for them, they can walk away."

Alicia remained silent for several seconds. Finally, she nodded. "Fine." I smiled. "But remember what I said about our son." "I'll remember." She nodded. "Good." I looked toward the ocean. Then I smiled. "Morning swim?" Alicia stared at me. "Are you crazy?" I laughed. "What?" "It's freezing!" She shook her head. "What if you catch a cold?" I laughed even harder. "Well, you can stay here." I began walking toward the water. "I'll go swimming." Alicia immediately grabbed my arm. "Mike!" I laughed. She smiled genuinely. And for a few minutes, the fear disappeared. At the Gomez family residence, Laura had also woken up early. She quietly prepared everything she would need for the journey. Her clothes were packed. Her belongings were ready. She checked her bag twice before placing it beside the door.

Bright was still asleep when Laura finished. She walked over to him. "Bright." He slowly opened his eyes. "Wife?" Laura smiled. "You really are leaving?" She nodded. "Yes." Bright sat up. "But only for a while." Laura touched his face. "I'll come back." Bright looked at her. "Promise?" "Promise." They eventually went downstairs. To Laura's surprise, Godness and Prince were already awake. They were sitting quietly in the living room. Neither seemed comfortable. Every few minutes, they looked toward the front door as if they were hoping that somehow Laura would decide not to leave. Laura smiled softly. "Good morning, Father. Mother."

Prince looked at her. "Good morning, my child." Then he added, "Be careful." Laura nodded. "I will." Prince remained silent for a moment. Then another thought came to him. "What about your work?" Laura looked at him. "Your position as chief designer?" Laura thought carefully. "Don't tell anyone that I've disappeared." Prince frowned. "Then what do we do with your position?" "Leave it vacant for a few weeks." She paused. "After that, appoint an interim designer." Prince nodded slowly. "We must not raise suspicion." "Exactly." Laura looked at both of them. "If everything is planned perfectly beforehand, people might realize that our disappearance was staged." Godness nodded. "You're right."

Laura turned toward her Father-in-law. "And Dad, you must also help the Mooney family make everything look real." Prince frowned. "How?" "You must question the police." Laura spoke carefully. "Demand answers. Ask why the investigation isn't moving quickly. Demand that they search for us." Prince's expression changed. "You want us to lie to the law? I can't do that." Laura immediately shook her head. "No." She smiled. "You won't be lying." Prince looked confused. Laura continued. "Our disappearance will be real. We really will disappear." She paused. "We're only making sure everyone believes we were taken or killed."

Prince finally understood. "You want us to behave like worried parents." "Exactly." Laura nodded. "You'll be helping the investigation, not lying about how you feel." Prince slowly nodded. "I understand." Laura then turned toward Godness. "Mother, I need your help too." Godness raised an eyebrow. "What do you want me to do?" "Social media." Godness looked surprised. "Social media?" Laura nodded. "These days, news spreads faster online than anywhere else." She paused. "You must write something about how worried you are. Ask people to help find us." Godness stared at her daughter-in-law. "Laura..." Laura continued. "Offer rewards if necessary. Make people believe that you're desperate to find me."

Godness looked at her for several seconds. Then she shook her head. "You really don't sound like yourself today." Laura smiled. "You sound like a spy." Laura laughed. "Give me some time." She paused. "It's only a matter of time before I become one." Everyone laughed softly. Laura then reached into her bag and pulled out an envelope. She handed it to Bright. "Husband, please give this to my father at work." Bright took the envelope. "What is it?" "Something he needs." She smiled. "And tell him I'll be safe." Bright nodded. "I will." For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Bright looked at her. "Can I at least get a proper goodbye hug?" Laura smiled. "Of course."

She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. Bright hugged her tightly. "Goodbye, wife." Laura closed her eyes. "Goodbye, husband." She pulled back slightly and looked into his eyes. "Take care of yourself." Bright nodded. "I will." Laura smiled. "I love you." Bright hugged her again, even tighter this time. "I love you too, wife." They remained like that for several seconds. Neither of them knew exactly what the next three months would bring.