?Chapter 1289:


    Shock flooded Sadie’s mind, leaving everything spinning. The river where Tina’s body was discovered… What reason could ine possibly have for being there?


    A heavy dread gripped her, squeezing tighter with each second. Her voice shook as she said, “Don’t lose sight of him. I’ming now.” Volume rose as panic overwhelmed her.


    Hanging up, Sadie felt her strength drain away and the color fade from her cheeks. Noah, who had been watching her closely, noticed every nuance of her reaction. Silence stretched between them as she slipped her phone into her pocket; he didn’t need to ask what had happened. Tires screeched as the ck sedan swung around, and Noah pressed the elerator, racing back along the road they had just traveled.


    Thirty minutester, the ck sedan barreled down the riverside road, tires sending pebbles flying as it screeched to a halt. Before the car had even stopped, Sadie yanked the door open and stumbled onto the muddy ground. Terror thrummed in her chest, each heartbeat so loud she thought her heart might burst from her throat.


    Please, anything but the worst, she begged silently, fear wing at her resolve.


    Police tape still marked the riverbank, though the crowds and camera shes had long since faded, leaving only a few bodyguards standing at silent attention. Sadie’s frantic gaze swept the shoreline, searching for any sign of ine.


    Atst, she spotted him—a lone figure huddled in a quiet corner. ine sat with his back to her, empty liquor bottles scattered around him, lost to the world. His posture was slumped, his entire frame quivering with silent misery and a depth of loss that seemed to swallow him whole.


    Relief washed over Sadie the moment she saw him alive, even if grief and alcohol had left him barely holding on. Alive was all she needed to see—her heart could finally unclench. A shaky breath escaped her lips, tangled with both gratitude and lingering anxiety, as she took a hesitant step forward.


    Before she could go any farther, a steady,forting hand closed around her arm. She nced over at Noah, gentle yet unwavering, confusion flickering in her gaze as she searched his face for answers.


    A subtle nod and calm, thoughtful eyes told her everything she needed; Noah was urging patience, asking her to wait. He sensed her urge to reach out but recognized that ine needed something different in this moment. Certain kinds of anguish could only be eased by another man’s presence. “Let me handle this,” Noah said quietly, his tone smooth and resolute, leaving no room for doubt.


    As Sadie watched the firm set of his jaw and the steady focus in his eyes, a quiet warmth rose in her chest. For a moment she hovered, torn, before finally giving a silent nod of approval. Something deep inside her admitted that Noah’s instincts might be the right call. Perhaps men really did have their own unspokennguage for moments like these.


    One more anxious nce drifted to ine, hunched and shivering in the morning chill, his figure nearly swallowed by sorrow. Sadie tore her eyes away with effort and turned on her heel to make her way into the nearby Nirvana. Answers had to be hiding somewhere within those walls, clues to Tina’s tragedy and the tampered surveince that still gnawed at her mind.


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    Sadie vanished through Nirvana’s doorway, leaving Noah alone with ine. He stepped closer until he settled beside the grieving man, offering a gentle pat on the shoulder as a silent gesture of support. ine stayed frozen in ce, unmoving, a man carved out of grief and regret.


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