Elena's Pov
Derrick's words hung heavy in the air, laden with apprehension, his tone sending a shiver down my spine. My heart quickened its pace, pounding with a rhythm of panic. How could Derrick, my own son, be so recklessly clumsy? This one misstep threatened to unravel everything I'd painstakingly built and set into motion. If it did, he'd rue the day he called me mother.
"What could possibly be worse than all you've already disclosed?" I snapped, my irritation palpable.
Derrick's fingers rubbed his temples, weariness etched across his face as he revealed another layer to this tangled web. "Claire attempted to call off the wedding even before she was taken," he confessed, the weight of the revelation bearing down on him. "Her father came by the office today. He reviewed; he was the
