Chapter 32

Jo leaned back in his leather armchair, swirling the Whiskey in his glass absentmindedly. The study was bathed in the soft glow of the desk lamp, casting long shadows on the shelves lined with old books and trinkets from travels past. Outside, the night whispered secrets, but inside, the silence was heavy with unanswered questions.

Chloe had gone to lie down, exhaustion etched into every line of her face after the long journey back home. Jo couldn’t shake off the feeling of unease that had settled over him since they returned. It wasn’t just the physical toll of the trip but something deeper, something he couldn’t quite grasp.

He took a sip of his whiskey, letting the warmth spread through his veins as he tried to piece together the fragments of his thoughts. It all seemed to lead back to Chloe’s mother and a woman he had never met until recently.

He reached for the photo on his desk—a faded snapshot of Chloe as a child, her mother’s arms wrapped around her in a lo