After stepping out, Gemma took out her phone. She reached out to Plume, a subordinate who once served under her in the Dominion, and sent a message announcing that she would soon return.
Within an hour, the news spread everywhere. The return of Death swept across multinational organizations, the Dominion headquarters, the military command, and many other circles.
Across the world, influential figures in different fields stopped what they were doing. Assistants received immediate instructions to clear schedules.
Everyone prepared to welcome Death's return.
...
At the same time, Brendan couldn't calm the uneasy pounding in his chest. A sense of foreboding lingered in his mind.
Not long after, Brett Yates appeared at the hospital entrance. He was Brendan's bodyguard, the man Brendan had ordered to remain and watch Gemma.
The moment Brendan saw him, he stood up abruptly. "Why did you come here? Didn't I tell you to stay there and keep an eye on Gemma?"
Brett answered without hesitation, "Mr. Edwards, Gemma disappeared."
Brendan's expression shifted instantly. He turned and rushed out.
"Brendan!" Sallie called after him and hurried to follow, but she couldn't catch up.
In a rush of panic, Brendan drove back to the house. The moment he arrived, he spotted Gemma walking out the door.
"Gemma! How dare you! I told you to reflect on your own mistake!"
She asked coldly, "And why should I listen to you?"
The presence around her felt fierce enough to crush anything that stood in its way.
Was this really the same woman he had lived with all these years? The wife who always smiled gently and endured everything without protest?
Shock slowly turned into humiliation, and before he knew it, humiliation had twisted into blinding rage. "Gemma! Stop causing a scene and come home with me."
Brendan still believed nothing had truly changed. In his mind, this was just another outburst from Gemma. He assumed that once her temper cooled, she would return home like always.
Soon enough, she would wake before dawn, prepare his meals, and quietly resume the role of the obedient wife he was used to.
That assumption collapsed the moment he tried to reach for her. Before his hand could even touch her, Gemma knocked it aside.
"Keep your hand off me. You make me sick." Her gaze turned cold as ice. "Brendan, you should thank your father. If it weren't for him, I would never have married you."
During the six years since she left the Dominion and chose to live as an ordinary woman, the people she called family and the man she loved had treated her as though she meant nothing.
Only one person had ever shown her genuine kindness. Xander Edwards. Brendan's father.
Brendan stood there, staring as Gemma walked away.
Ever since she returned to the Elliott family, she had always acted gentle and compliant. Around him, she had been quiet, careful, and eager to please. Never once had she spoken to him like this.
Once the shock faded, a mocking laugh escaped him.
"Interesting, Gemma," he muttered. "So this is the trick you're trying now? Throw a tantrum, then pretend you don't care? You really think this little performance will make me pay attention to you? Go ahead then. Let's see how long you can keep pretending."
...
At the Eighwell Command base, chaos had already taken over the entire compound.
"It's her! Death has returned!"
Inside the command center, people crowded every corner of the room. No one could tear their gaze from the massive screen up front. A single message filled the display.
"I'm back."
The post came from Death.
"Move aside!" Adrian Johnson forced his way through the packed crowd as he cleared a path.
A tall man in military boots stepped forward. Rhys Clarke moved with calm authority, his sharp eyes scanning the room while his presence carried discipline and command. He stopped in front of the screen.
Adrian spoke quickly, unable to hide his excitement. "Mr. Clarke, we've confirmed it. That account belongs to Death. It has been silent for six years. This time... she has really returned."
For a moment, Rhys did not respond. His eyes remained fixed on the location attached to the post. Olnstead.
His jaw tightened slightly. When he finally spoke, his voice turned cold. "Prepare immediately. Locate Death before the self-destruct sequence on those classified files activates."
"Yes, sir!"
Rhys's expression hardened. He pulled a cord from around his wrist. A bullet casing was tied to it.
For six years, he had kept it with him.
Death would soon return.
And the debt between them had waited long enough.
This time, he would not allow her to disappear from his world again.
