Imogen picked up the bedside phone. It was the internal Russell family line, installed for her since her blindness often necessitated contacting others. She skillfully dialed a number, and the call was quickly answered.

“Hello, Ms. Russell?”

“Investigate two people for me,” Imogen said, her voice calm but laced with sarcasm. “Their names are Archie Rosario and Johanna Rosario. I want every detail about their past.”

Archie’s claim of being swept away by a storm and rescued by a foreign ship—his explanation for his faked death—was undoubtedly a lie. Humans were contradictory creatures. When in love, they believed everything their partner said, even against their doubts, making excuses at every turn. But once that love faded, everything about the former beloved became repulsive.

This was Imogen’s first request for an investigation into Archie and Johanna. Everyone in the Russell family knew the depth of her love for Archie; a love that extended to treating Imogen as her own sister. Asking for an investigation was unthinkable. The person on the other end hesitated before complying, “Understood, Ms. Russell.”

Time passed slowly, but Imogen showed no impatience. She gazed lovingly at Caleb, fast asleep in the cradle beside her. To her relief, Caleb strongly resembled her, bearing unmistakable Russell family features.

She recalled the maid’s report about a scratch on Caleb’s chest. Imogen gently lifted his shirt and saw the faint mark left by a nail. The scratch wasn’t deep, and medication had been applied, but Caleb’s skin was delicate, making the mark prominent. There was no need to guess; it was Johanna’s doing.

Those two wretched people had dared to harm her child! They would pay dearly. Imogen’s expression sharpened with anger.

Suddenly, Caleb whimpered in his sleep, as if dreaming. Imogen immediately softened her expression, gently rocking the cradle. Caleb soon settled, showing no signs of waking, and Imogen’s tension eased.

Just then, the phone lit up, and a document began printing automatically. It had arrived. Imogen picked up the thin stack of paper and began reading.

Investigating Archie and Johanna wasn’t difficult. Both had spent years in an orphanage; their records were easy to trace. This part of their past wasn’t a secret; Archie had even mentioned it during their deeply loving relationship. Back then, it had only increased Imogen’s sympathy for him.

But Archie’s account was only part of the story. What Imogen uncovered was entirely different. Archie and Johanna weren’t blood siblings.

The investigation revealed that Archie fled the orphanage as a teenager, taking Johanna with him. They wandered for years, relying on each other for survival. Eventually, Archie, by sheer chance, found his way into the Russell family, starting as a lowly bodyguard and ultimately becoming the son-in-law.

As Imogen read the report, a wave of dizziness washed over her.