Vanessa followed, still crying, her face smudged with makeup.

“This is my house!” she screamed down the stairs.

“You can’t do this to me!”

Agent Miller watched them go, then turned back to Nathan.

“The evidence we received is incredibly thorough,” Miller said.

“It includes financial records, recorded phone calls, and video footage from inside this house.”

“Where did it come from?” Nathan asked, though I think he already knew.

“An anonymous, automated server registered to a Claire Caldwell,” the agent replied.

Nathan closed his eyes, a single tear escaping and rolling down his cheek.

“She kept her promise,” he whispered into Sophie’s hair.

“She protected them.”

I looked down at the main console on the desk.

The red warning screens had disappeared.

In their place, a simple, soft blue light pulsed gently.

It looked like a heartbeat.

The storm outside continued to howl, throwing heavy sheets of snow against the reinforced glass.

But inside, the air was finally warm again.

The heating vents clicked back on, humming softly.

Nathan looked up at me, his eyes tired and rimmed with red.

“I’m done,” he said quietly.