“Promise me you’ll come back safe,” Anthony said quietly.
“A week, tops.”
Charlotte held his gaze, her answer calm and certain. “I promise. I’ll be back.”
A week? Anthony’s brow furrowed for a moment. His voice was low, steady. “I’ll wait for you.”
Charlotte just nodded, slipping her hand into his without a word, her fingers weaving tight with his.
…
The next morning, just past six, Anthony drove Charlotte to the airport himself. Dr. David was going too, along with several top researchers from the institute.
Franco and Nora had known about the trip the whole time. They barely slept through the night, but neither dared to call their daughter. No one wanted to add to her pressure. So, they followed quietly from a distance, standing back as they watched her board the plane.
“Don’t worry,” Franco whispered, seeing how teary and anxious Nora looked. He wrapped his arms around her, trying to keep her steady. “She’s a doctor. She knows her duty. Lottie would never run from something like this. That’s never been her way.”
“I know,” Nora said softly, dabbing at the edge of her eye. Her voice trembled. “I’m just scared for her and the baby, that’s all.”
Sometimes she wondered if it was selfish to wish her daughter would walk away, to pray that nothing else mattered but her safe return.
“Lottie’s clever. She’s seen things like this plenty of times. She’ll know what to do,” Franco said, trying to comfort her.
“That was before,” Nora admitted, her eyes lingering on her daughter’s slender frame, her face drawn with worry. Being pregnant made everything so much more uncertain… She just hoped this time would be no different, that nothing would go wrong. She clutched Franco’s hand a little tighter.
…
By three in the morning, a private jet from Cabinda touched down in Apex. The medical team didn’t waste a second. They loaded up and headed straight into the hills.

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