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Jackson's face appeared on the screen, and he opened his mouth, looking ready to launch into another lecture.

“Do you have any idea what—”

He abruptly stopped.

His eyes shifted from Allison's face to the man standing beside her, his broad, bare chest unmistakable on the screen.

Jackson remained frozen for a few seconds, his gaze moving between Allison and the bare-chested man standing beside her. Eventually, he blinked and cleared his throat, looking slightly embarrassed.

“Should I call you later?” he asked hesitantly.

Allison smiled at his reaction. “No, you can talk right now. This is my husband, Silas.”

Jackson's mouth fell open.

Allison glanced up at Silas, then gestured toward the phone. “Silas, this is Jackson, a friend of mine. He's also a doctor at the same hospital where Shane works.”

Silas's expression turned serious as he looked at the man on the screen. “It's a pleasure to meet you,” he said sincerely.

Jackson returned the greeting with a nod before shifting his attention back to Allison. “Are you sure you want to discuss this now? It's about your parents' case. I can tell you the details later if you'd prefer.”

Allison shook her head. “It's fine. You can tell me now.”

As she spoke, Silas slipped an arm around her waist and drew her closer to his side. His expression remained composed, but the faint satisfaction in his eyes betrayed how much her words pleased him.

Jackson nodded and got straight to the point.

“I just found out there was another car near the scene of your parents' accident. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to identify its license plate. Did you happen to get the number? If you did, we could look up the owner and see where it leads.”

Allison shook her head slightly. “I tried to find it, but the numbers in the photograph are too blurry. I can't make out the full plate, so I haven't been able to identify the car's owner.”

Silas listened carefully before speaking.

“I'll look into it. I'll ask Frank to help you with the investigation. We have better connections, and he may be able to track down information you haven't been able to access. I can also arrange additional funding so you can expand the search and get more detailed information. Frank will work with you directly to help move things forward.”

Jackson's expression brightened with relief. “That sounds good. Thank you. I'll work with Frank and see what we can find.”

He glanced at the time and sighed. “I should head home now. It's getting late, and I need to get some sleep.”

After exchanging their goodbyes, Jackson ended the call.

Allison let out a soft breath, her thoughts lingering on the new lead. They were finally getting closer to discovering what had happened to her parents, and the possibility of uncovering the truth stirred a mixture of hope and apprehension inside her.

Her gaze dropped to her phone. Almost without thinking, she opened Jackson's profile and looked at his photograph. He hadn't changed it in years. The picture no longer reflected the man he was today, and anyone who compared it with the handsome man Jackson had become might not even recognize him.

She was still studying the photograph when Silas pulled her firmly against his chest. He lowered his head, bringing his face close to hers, and watched her for a moment.

“Are you hiding something else from me?” he asked quietly.

Allison's fingers tightened around her phone.

‘I shouldn't worry him about my illness yet. I don't even know whether there's a cure for me. Maybe we'll get divorced once all of this is over. Maybe he won't want me anymore when he learns the truth. I just need to find out whether I can be cured or not before I tell him everything.’

The thought hurt more than she wanted to admit, but she pushed it aside and met his gaze.

“No,” she answered. “There's nothing else.”

Silas didn't argue with her. Instead, he turned fully toward her and studied her face for a moment before lowering his gaze to meet hers.