Derek's POV
The prison guard's phone rings at midnight. He answers, listens, then unlocks my cell.
"You have visitors," he says. "Important ones."
I follow him down the empty hallway. My handcuffs click with each step. At this hour, visitors mean bad news.
Maya stands in the visiting room. Ethan is beside her. So is Detective Morrison. Their faces tell me something terrible happened.
"What's wrong?" I ask. "Is Hope okay?"
"Hope is safe." Maya's voice shakes. "But Vanessa is dead."
The words hit me like a punch. "What?"
"She died an hour ago. The poison killed her." Maya steps closer to the glass between us. "But before she died, she told us things. Terrible things about your father."
My heart pounds. "What things?"
Detective Morrison opens a folder. Inside are photos. Documents. USB drives.
"We found James Walsh's safe," he says. "The evidence inside changes everything."
"What evidence?"
Maya's eyes fill with tears. "Derek, your mother didn't die in an accident."
