This car was the Johnston family’s prized relic, full of sentimental value—but for Wayne, it was a constant reminder of the resentment that had festered between him and Jace. If Wayne had hidden Jace anywhere, it had to be here.

I stepped closer, noticing fresh smudges in the dust on the door. Someone had been here recently. I was right.

“Jace,” I called softly, reaching for the door handle. Locked. Of course, it wouldn’t open.

Swiping the dust off the window, I peered inside. My breath caught. Jace was sprawled across the backseat, tied up and completely still.

“Jace! Jace!” I yelled, louder this time. No response. He wasn’t moving. Wayne must’ve knocked him out. My stomach churned. Wayne had truly lost it.

There was no time to hunt down the keys. My eyes darted around until they landed on a fire extinguisher in the corner. Without thinking, I grabbed it and slammed it into the window with all my strength. Nothing. The glass barely cracked. Two heavy blows, and it still didn’t break. I couldn’t risk hitting harder—I had to protect the baby.

“Rea.” I spun around to see Isabel, the Johnston family’s housekeeper, rushing toward me.

“I’ll handle it,” she said, taking the extinguisher from me. She swung it twice, and the glass cracked into a web-like pattern. After a couple more strikes, a hole finally formed. Isabel reached in and unlocked the door.

I climbed into the car, shaking Jace gently. “Jace, wake up… please.” His eyelashes twitched, and after a few agonizing seconds, his eyes fluttered open. “Rea…” he croaked weakly.

Isabel and I worked quickly to untie him, helping him sit up. He winced, his voice hoarse as he said, “It was Wayne.”

“Wayne’s using your dad’s funeral to make a move,” I started, but the sound of footsteps echoed through the garage, cutting me off. My chest tightened. It had to be Wayne. Lena hadn’t managed to hold him off.

Jace was awake but far too weak to defend himself. I gently pressed him back into the car and stood up, ready to face whatever came next.

Wayne stepped out of the shadows, his calm expression sending a shiver down my spine. His lips curled into a faint smile. “Rea, you never fail to amaze me with how clever you are.”

“Wayne Johnston, don’t you think you’ve completely lost your humanity?” I snapped, anger shaking my voice. How could he do this? To his own brother, to his own family? Any shred of decency he had was long gone, and using his father’s funeral as a power play was just… disgusting.

“Rea, if you found him in that car, then I’m sure you remember what I told you. It’s not that I’ve lost humanity—it’s that they never treated me like family in the first place,” he said, his voice calm, almost detached, like he truly believed what he was saying.

“If they’d loved me even a little, I wouldn’t be like this,” he added, his cold gaze drifting to Jace, who Isabel was now helping out of the car.

Wayne’s voice grew sharper as he pointed at his brother. “They were the ones who were wrong. But somehow, I’m still the one to blame. Tell me, Rea—how is that fair?”

His eyes shifted back to me, bitterness etched deep into his expression. “Everything I’ve become is because of all of you. Every choice I’ve made, every step I’ve taken—you pushed me here. Even you, Keira.”

He shook his head like he was genuinely disappointed. “If even one of you had cared about me, I wouldn’t be like this.” Even now, he blamed everyone but himself.

“Rea,” he said as he took a step closer, “I didn’t want to drag you into this. But since you insist on getting involved, I’ll give you what you want.”

A wave of fear washed over me, but I stood my ground, gripping the fire extinguisher tightly. “Don’t come any closer!”