---
Episode 14: No More Running
The safe house was cold.
Remote. Hidden.
Tucked into the dense hills above a sleepy coastal town where no one asked questions and fewer gave answers.
Evan paced the nursery, heart clenched with every tiny cry. The twins—Zane and Elara—were finally out of NICU. Breathing on their own. But fragile.
So fragile.
She hadn't slept.
Not since she left.
Not since she looked Abel in the eye and walked away.
---
Elsewhere — LunaTech Headquarters
Abel stood before the press.
Live broadcast. Cameras flashing.
His company was on fire again. Stocks dropped. Shares frozen. Investors panicked.
And Cassandra?
She had released everything.
Video proof. Medical documents. His signature on Project AETHER. Evelyn Dendelion's decline.
All of it.
All tied to his name.
"Mr. Luna," a reporter asked, "do you deny responsibility for Evan Dendelion's mother's death?"
Abel's jaw locked.
He could say it was old. That it wasn't his decision. That it had been approved above him.
But he didn't.
Instead, he looked into the camera and said:
"I carry that mistake every day."
Gasps rippled through the room.
"I was young. I was stupid. I trusted the wrong people and never checked the cost. Evan's mother paid it."
Another pause.
"And I married her daughter not to cover it… but to try to make something right."
More murmurs.
He leaned forward.
"I failed. Again. And now she's gone. Because I couldn't give her the truth soon enough."
A flicker of something cracked through the Ice King's voice.
Real pain.
But not everyone believed it.
Especially not Cassandra.
---
Back at the Safe House
Nori was reading the article aloud.
"'Abel Luna admits responsibility for Project AETHER. Public demands resignation. Evan Dendelion in hiding with twins.' Girl… are you okay?"
Evan held Elara close, rocking slowly.
"I don't know," she whispered.
Nori sat beside her.
"You still love him."
"Yes."
"You still don't trust him."
"…Yes."
"That's okay. You don't owe anyone your forgiveness."
Evan looked down at the baby girl in her arms.
"But I do owe them a future."
She stood.
"I'm done running."
---
Later That Night — Cabin Perimeter
Crack.
A twig snapped outside.
Then another.
Nori froze mid-step, bottle in hand.
"Did you hear that?"
Evan nodded. She slipped the twins into their crib and grabbed the baby monitor.
Outside, shadows moved between the trees.
Too fast.
Too close.
Then—glass shattered.
The side window.
"Get down!" Nori screamed, pulling Evan into the hallway as two masked figures burst into the living room.
Smoke. Flashlight beams.
"They're here for the babies!" someone shouted.
But before they reached the nursery—
A single gunshot rang out.
One attacker dropped.
The other turned—
And ran straight into Abel Luna.
He didn't hesitate.
One punch sent the man flying into the wall.
Blood sprayed.
Abel turned, breathing hard.
"I told you not to follow me," Evan whispered, stunned.
"I didn't," he said. "I watched you."
---
Minutes Later — Aftermath
Police cars. Security teams. Screaming lights and chaos.
Evan stood outside, Zane in her arms, watching as the bodies were loaded away.
Cassandra's men. Trained. Ruthless. Sent to take the children.
"This is how far she's willing to go," Abel said behind her.
Evan looked at him.
"This is your war."
"It was. But now it's ours."
He stepped in front of her.
"I don't deserve forgiveness. I don't even deserve to be near you."
Her eyes flickered.
"But if you let me… I'll fight for it. For you. For them."
For a moment, the wind stilled.
"You still kept it from me," she said.
"I did."
"You thought protecting me meant lying to me."
"I did."
She looked down at the baby in her arms.
Then back up.
"Then this time," she said softly, "protect me by telling me everything."
Abel swallowed hard. "I will."
She nodded.
"But one more lie, Abel—and I'm gone. For good."
He didn't flinch.
"I hear you."
And for the first time in days, she let him touch the baby's hand.
---
Final Scene — Cassandra's Safehouse
She watched the footage on her screen.
Abel saving Evan.
The twins alive.
The media slowly turning back in their favor.
"You really want to play this out in public?" she murmured.
She stood, picked up a manila envelope, and tossed it onto the table.
Inside: a death certificate.
And a single photo of a man with a scar across his face.
Evan's older brother.
Presumed dead. Missing since the fire.
Cassandra smiled darkly.
> "Let's give the girl a real twist…"
---
🔥 End of Episode 14
> Coming in Episode 15:
The truth about Evan's missing brother. A devastating betrayal from within. And the public wedding Abel never got to give her… that might just become a target for murder.
---