Chapter 130

After work, Sloane grabbed a cab and headed straight for the Volkov estate to pick up Jeremy. But the moment she stepped through the iron gates, her instincts prickled. The air felt wrong. Then she saw Dominic. He came down the stairs carrying Jeremy, the boy’s small body curled into him like he was clinging to the last solid thing in the world. Behind them, Luca, his right-hand man, looked grim. “Someone activated Jeremy’s learning robot in front of Mrs. Volkov,” Luca said quietly, walking alongside Dominic. “The device replayed a recording of Jeremy crying about not wanting to go to school… and blaming Sloane.” He stopped, exhaled, then delivered the rest like a blow: “That triggered her heart condition. She’s in emergency care right now. The doctors… don’t think she’ll make it.” Sloane felt like the floor dropped out beneath her. The oppressive atmosphere she sensed made sense now, fear, grief, guilt, all choking the air. She rushed forward and took Jeremy from Dominic’s arms. The c