Mission Impossible: Survive My Family's Sabotage

Wayne replied immediately in the family group chat, "Okay, sweetheart. I'll be home in five minutes. We'll wait for you."

Five minutes.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down quickly. Right now, the only thing that mattered was getting hold of that farewell letter.

I faked Anna's handwriting, simply wrote a few lines on a piece of paper, and quickly swapped it for the real letter in the safe. No matter what, Wayne, Gabriel, and Casper could never see what Anna had written.

I'd just hidden the letter on me when I heard the door click shut. My chest tightened as I stepped out of the room, only to run straight into Wayne.

"Babe, quick, let's see what Anna wrote to us," he said. The worry etched on his face made my skin prickle.

I pointed casually. "Go ahead. Read it yourself."

Without another word, I dashed to the master bathroom. I was even completely oblivious when the maid, Barbara Fielder, bumped into me.

This time, I had to be the first to read what Anna's farewell letter said.

I reached into my pocket for the letter, only to find it empty. "Where's the letter?"

I frantically searched through my clothes, but the letter was nowhere to be found.

Sweat was beading on my forehead. With no other choice, I flung open the door and rushed outside to look for it.

The moment I pushed open Anna's bedroom door, I saw Wayne holding a letter. His face was stormy, and his eyes were bloodshot.

I swayed slightly. How could he have seen that letter? I was certain I had taken it.

"W-Wayne, what are you looking at?" I asked.

Just then, Barbara came up with a grin. "Mrs. Stone, I just took that from your pocket. I thought it might be a love letter, so I handed it to Mr. Stone."

I stared at her, stunned, words failing me.

Wayne's voice was cold as he ground out through clenched teeth, "You can leave."

Barbara made a sound of acknowledgment and stepped back immediately.

I forced myself to steady my nerves and walked over, keeping my tone casual. "Why the sudden seriousness? Let me see what Anna wrote."

I reached for the farewell letter, but Wayne's hand clamped down on mine.

"What's going on? I have the right to see what Anna wrote, too!" I said.

His gaze crawled over me. "Don't. Once you see it, you'll never forget."

I stared at him, refusing to look away.

Sure enough, he pulled out his phone and scoffed. "Anna? A hero? What a joke!"

Wayne opened Instagram and found a picture of Anna. Then, he typed out a caption, the same as in my past life.

As events began to unfold just like before, I snatched his phone away while he wasn't looking, planning to hurl it out the window.

"Lara! Are you out of your mind?" Before I could even toss the phone, Wayne grabbed my hair from behind and yanked me back with brute force. Then, he snatched the phone and shoved me to the floor.

"You idiot! Are you trying to get our whole family killed?" he yelled.

My knees hit the floor hard, the pain lancing through me. I forced myself to my feet, tears spilling uncontrollably.

"No! Don't post it! Wayne, if you go through with this, you'll endanger Anna and everyone on her mission!" I pleaded.

Wayne had said that Anna's mission was a drug bust. In my past life, Wayne, along with Gabriel and Casper, had caused the deaths of 37 people. Every single officer had fallen into the hands of the drug lords. Their bones were shattered one by one, leaving no intact remains.

Wayne stared at me without a flicker of emotion, even forcing me to watch as he hit "post".

"Lara, you'll thank me for this someday," he said.