The palace was shrouded in silence, the kind that came only with grief. Celestina sat at the head of a conference table, her fingers gripping the edges as if it were the only thing keeping her upright. Around her, advisors whispered quietly, hesitant to speak too loudly.

“Madam President,” Captain Renz began cautiously, his tone laced with gravity, “we’ve begun a full investigation into Dimitri’s assassination. The explosion site has yielded some clues.”

Celestina raised her head, her eyes hollow but blazing with determination. “What clues?”

Renz slid a file across the table. “We found traces of a specific chemical compound used in the bomb. It matches materials we’ve traced back to the loyalist network. This was a coordinated attack.”

Celestina’s grip tightened on the file, her knuckles white. “I want every single one of them found. No more waiting. No more negotiations. Bring me the people who did this.”

Her voice was sharp, cutting through the tension in the room. The advisors exchanged uneasy glances. One spoke up hesitantly. “Madam President, we must proceed carefully. If we act too aggressively, we could provoke—”

“Provoke what?” Celestina snapped, her voice rising. “They’ve already killed the father of my child. They’ve threatened Arden. What more do they need to provoke?”

Renz nodded firmly. “We’ll do as you say. We’re deploying more agents to infiltrate their network.”

News of Dimitri’s death spread quickly across the nation, igniting a wave of grief and outrage. Mourning vigils were held in city squares, where citizens lit candles and shared stories of Dimitri’s bravery. For the first time in weeks, the public seemed united—not in anger at Celestina, but in sorrow for a man they now hailed as a hero.

In the palace courtyard, Celestina watched from her window as mourners gathered, their voices rising in a solemn hymn. She pressed her hand to the glass, her heart heavy.

Isolde entered the room quietly, carrying baby Arden in her arms. “The people are grieving with you,” she said softly.

Celestina turned, her eyes red from crying. “It feels like the whole world is mourning him. But I can’t. I don’t have the time. There’s too much to do.”

Isolde walked over, gently placing Arden into Celestina’s arms. The baby cooed softly, his tiny hands reaching for her face.

“You can’t carry the weight of the world without letting yourself feel,” Isolde said. “Take this moment, my love. Let yourself grieve.”

Later that evening, Celestina retreated to her office, seeking solitude. She sat at her desk, absently flipping through reports when her eyes caught sight of an envelope with her name on it. The handwriting was unmistakable.

Dimitri.

Her hands trembled as she opened the envelope. Inside was a handwritten letter, dated just days before the party. She unfolded the paper, her breath hitching as she began to read.

My Celestina,

I know I’ve hurt you in ways I can never undo. I’ve made mistakes that haunt me every day, but I want you to know that everything I’ve done—every choice I made—was because I believed it was the best way to protect you. I never stopped loving you, not for a moment.

I’ll see you and Arden at the party, and maybe then we can start to rebuild what we’ve lost. I hope to be the father Arden deserves and the partner you need. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I promise to spend the rest of my life making it up to you.

With all my love, Dimitri.

Tears blurred her vision as she read the final lines. She clutched the letter to her chest, her sobs breaking the silence of the room.

The next morning, Celestina sat in Arden’s nursery, rocking him gently in her arms. His tiny face broke into a smile as he looked up at her, and for a moment, the heaviness in her heart lifted.

“You’re all I have left of him,” she whispered. “And I promise, Arden, I’ll do everything to make sure you’re safe. I’ll honor his memory for you.”

Arden giggled, his innocent joy a stark contrast to the turmoil in her heart. Celestina kissed his forehead, finding strength in the little life she held.

By midday, Captain Renz arrived with a grim update. “Madam President, the investigation has uncovered something disturbing.”

Celestina straightened, her grief replaced by steely resolve. “What have you found?”

Renz placed a map on the table, marked with several red circles. “The loyalists aren’t just scattered remnants. They’ve built an organized network. We’ve identified safe houses, weapons caches, and potential rally points. They’re planning more attacks, likely across major cities.”

Celestina’s jaw tightened. “Do we know their leaders?”

“We’ve identified a few names, but the network is vast,” Renz admitted. “It’s going to take time to dismantle it completely.”

“Time is the one thing we don’t have,” Celestina replied. “Deploy every resource we have. I want this network torn apart before they can hurt anyone else.”