Chapter 356 Stop Following Ms. Collins
The ward went quiet for a moment. Jasper looked up at Adeline. "Thomas has nothing to do with me."
Adeline let out a harsh, humorless laugh.
'Is he still pretending there's no connection?' she thought.
"If he has nothing to do with you," she said icily, "then how did Thomas get out of the mental hospital?" Her eyes were cold and piercing. "Don't tell me someone you locked up just walked out without your say-so!"
Jasper frowned. "Maybe he escaped."
It had been over a month since that dark day. A month with Adeline in a coma, and Jasper focused on their three kids. He'd arranged Bennett's funeral, found a therapist for Lauren, flown to Brandon to get Blake, brought him back to Radiance Springs, and consulted specialists worldwide. Thomas was barely on his radar, not worth investigating.
He knew Thomas had shown up at the airport after Adeline's accident, even approached her. But he hadn't hurt her. The tainted water Adeline drank was Evelyn's doing. The guards escorting Adeline that night, bribed by Evelyn, saw no harm in a simple bottle of water and let her drink it.
His investigation showed Thomas only used Adeline's unconscious state after the miscarriage to get her fingerprints for Mia's discharge papers. That's why, despite his anger at Thomas for not helping Adeline when she collapsed, Jasper hadn't acted against him.
As for Adeline's accusations about events six years ago, he was clueless and felt innocent.
"Escaped?" Adeline scoffed, her lips curling in disdain. "Mr. Foster, are you even trying to make this believable?"
"Someone you locked up just escapes?" she continued, her voice rising. "Thomas isn't some martial arts master! He's just a regular guy from a village, like Tim and Tom!"
"With your security, he just slipped away? Do you think I'm an idiot?"
She was convinced Jasper was behind Thomas's release. His explanation felt hollow.
Jasper pressed his lips together, realizing reasoning with Adeline was pointless. He sighed, stood up, and headed for the door.
"No explanation, so you're running away?" Adeline snapped, her voice sharp with disappointment. "Jasper, is this all you can do?"
Jasper paused, offering a bitter smile. "Since words aren't working..."
"I'll find Thomas myself."
Thomas was still in Radiance Springs. Confronting him directly would be more productive than arguing with Adeline.
"Going to compare notes with Thomas?" Adeline sneered, closing her eyes as if to shut him out.
She shouldn't have expected anything different.
Jasper frowned, turning back to her with a serious look.
"Adeline, I know you won't believe me," he said quietly, "but I need to say this."
"The first time I saw Thomas was the night Tim and Tom went after Bennett and Lauren."
"Six years ago, I didn't know him, I wasn't involved with Molly, and I didn't set you up. I was in Neon City on business when I heard about your accident, that you drove into the sea."
"Then, the doctor called, telling me you were pregnant... with triplets."
"I rushed back to Radiance Springs in the pouring rain, spent three days and nights searching for you, clinging to hope. Finally, I had to accept that you were gone."
"Molly gave me your suicide note. I recognized your handwriting and decided to honor your wishes by taking care of her."
Jasper sighed heavily. "There's been a misunderstanding, I'm sure of it."
"I'll have someone bring Molly back from abroad."
With that promise hanging in the air, he strode out of the room.
Adeline leaned back against the headboard, her eyes narrowed as she watched him leave. A humorless smile played on her lips.
She didn't believe a word. Now that Molly was conveniently gone, he could spin any tale, heaping all the blame on her.
He said he'd find Molly. She'd wait. Because she didn't believe he would. If Molly returned, their stories wouldn't align, his carefully constructed facade would crumble. He wouldn't dare bring her back.
Leaving the ward, Jasper got into the waiting car. "Ryan, to the mental hospital." He needed to understand how Thomas had escaped such a secure facility.
Ryan started the car, a flicker of unease crossing his face.
"Sir," he began hesitantly, "about the people we assigned to follow and monitor Molly..."
"We just received word." He paused, drawing in a deep breath. "They're dead."
Jasper's eyebrows shot up, his body tensing.
"Their deaths were... unusual. Found hanging in a locked house, all of them. There was a note, a single sentence scrawled across it."
"Stop following Ms. Collins."
Ryan's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "We buried them, sir, then scoured the city. But Molly's vanished. It's like she never existed, no trace of her anywhere."
Jasper closed his eyes, absorbing this new information. After a moment, he spoke, his voice laced with resignation. "Double the resources, keep searching."
He'd been in Neon City the day Adeline's accident occurred six years ago. Back then, due to Adeline's fondness for Molly, she had become his personal assistant. That morning, citing illness, she'd returned to Radiance Springs alone. Later that day, he received the news of Adeline's accident.
He didn't know what transpired that day, but if Adeline claimed he and Molly conspired against her, then Molly was undoubtedly involved. He had to find her, unravel the truth of that fateful day.
The car soon arrived at the mental hospital. The director, all smiles, greeted Jasper. "Mr. Foster, to what do we owe the pleasure?"
Jasper's face remained impassive. "I recall a man named Thomas, confined here under my orders. I instructed you to keep him under strict surveillance."
The director's smile faltered momentarily before he recovered, nodding rapidly. "Of course, Mr. Foster, I remember! Such a request wouldn't slip my mind."
"However..." he continued, his brow furrowing, "didn't Thomas leave some time ago?"
Jasper froze. "You released him?"
"Indeed, sir," the director confirmed, quickly retrieving records from the front desk. "Over a month ago, your father, Mr. Nathan Foster, arrived personally, stating it was your order to discharge Thomas."
"I even called you to confirm, and your wife answered, assuring me it was your directive."
"Is there a problem, Mr. Foster?"
Jasper closed his eyes, a chilling smile playing on his lips.
"Ryan," he said softly, his voice dangerously calm, "to the old house."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
