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Married Before Midnight - Married Before Midnight by Sienna Quinn - Chapter 43
Author: Novels Audio
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Married Before Midnight
Chapter 43: The Archive Meeting
The wind howled through the empty campus, carrying the scent of damp earth and fallen leaves. Hannah pulled her coat tighter around her, the chill seeping into her bones as she approached the old archive building. Its windows were dark, the brick facade weathered by years of neglect. A flickering streetlight cast long shadows across the pavement, making every rustle of leaves sound like footsteps. Lucas lingered behind an old pickup truck, his gaze sharp, his body tense. He had insisted on coming, despite Hannah’s protests. "You’re not doing this alone," he’d said, and the stubborn set of his jaw had left no room for argument. Hannah checked her watch—midnight on the dot. She exhaled, her breath curling in the cold air. Who would meet her here? And why now? A figure emerged from the shadows, slight and hunched beneath a hoodie.
The person kept their face hidden, but their voice was low, urgent. "You’re Hannah Carter?" Hannah nodded. "Who are you?" The figure hesitated, then pulled back their hood just enough to reveal a young woman’s face—pale, with sharp, wary eyes. "Kara. I was Leigh Anderson’s roommate." Hannah’s pulse quickened. "You know what happened to her?" Kara’s fingers tightened around something in her pocket before she pulled out a small, battered notebook. "Leigh kept this. She gave it to me the night before she left." Hannah took it, flipping through the pages. The handwriting was neat but frantic, filled with detailed accounts of Professor Dawson’s behavior—his favoritism, the way he singled out certain students, the veiled threats disguised as academic advice. "She tried to report him," Kara whispered. "The committee dismissed her. Said there wasn’t enough evidence." Hannah’s stomach twisted. "And then?" Kara’s voice dropped lower. "One night, Leigh came to my room shaking. Said someone had been following her, that her dorm had been searched. Nothing was stolen—just her notes, her research, all scattered.
The next day, she withdrew. Just… vanished." Hannah’s fingers tightened around the notebook. "Did she tell anyone else?" "No one believed her." Kara’s eyes flickered toward the darkness behind them, as if expecting someone to appear. "Dawson isn’t just a predator, Hannah. He’s protected. If you keep digging, you’ll burn bridges that won’t rebuild." The warning settled like ice in Hannah’s chest. "Why tell me this now?" "Because no one listened to Leigh." Kara stepped back, pulling her hood up again. "But people will listen to you. You’re a Carter. You have a family who won’t let you disappear." Before Hannah could respond, Kara melted back into the shadows, leaving her standing there, the notebook clutched in her hands. Lucas appeared at her side, his presence steady. "You okay?" Hannah swallowed hard. "No." He didn’t press. Just guided her back to the car, his silence more comforting than any words. The drive home was quiet. Hannah stared out the window, the notebook burning against her lap. When they pulled into the driveway, Lucas finally spoke. "You don’t have to do this alone." Hannah looked at him, the weight of Leigh’s story pressing down on her. "What if it’s not enough? What if no one believes me either?" Lucas’s jaw tightened. "Then we find another way." Inside, the house was dark except for the soft glow of the kitchen light. Eleanor sat at the table, a cup of tea steaming in front of her. She took one look at Hannah’s face and stood. "What happened?" Hannah placed the notebook on the table. "Leigh Anderson tried to expose Dawson. And then she disappeared." Eleanor’s hands trembled as she reached for the notebook. "Oh, sweetheart." Hannah flipped to the last page. A single line was scrawled in shaky handwriting: "If no one believes me, I’ll leave the truth behind." And tucked into the spine of the notebook—a tiny USB drive, carefully hidden. Hannah’s breath caught. She held it up, her fingers unsteady. "She left us something." Lucas’s eyes darkened. "We’ll find out what’s on it." Hannah looked at her family, at the fear and determination in their faces. She wasn’t alone. And that made all the difference