Flora’s Guide to a Second Chance at Love and Life novel Chapter 1972

With everything out in the open, the fake Amy still wouldn’t talk, and Fiona didn’t bother to push her any further.

It wasn’t like Fiona couldn’t get to the bottom of things herself—she just needed a little more time, that’s all.

Besides, she still had Esther as her ace in the hole. There was no way she’d let the secrets of the M Country Research Institute slip through her fingers.

Fiona let the moment pass and reached for a pomegranate in the real Amy’s arms. She cracked it open with practiced hands, split it in two, handed one half to Amy, and kept the other for herself. She plucked out a few bright red seeds and popped them into her mouth.

The fake Amy stared at Fiona, completely lost. Her brows knit together, confusion written all over her face.

“Why aren’t you questioning me anymore?” she ventured, testing the waters.

Fake Amy was always scheming, overthinking everything. And the calmer Fiona seemed, the more paranoid she became.

Fiona shrugged. “Why should I?”

“Don’t you want to know what’s really going on at the M Country Institute?”

“You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

Fake Amy was caught off guard, unsure how to react.

“Well, yeah, I’m not willing to say anything. But that doesn’t mean you have to stop trying.”

“If you think there’s something wrong with my head, maybe you should call a doctor for me,” Fiona replied, her tone light. “Anyway, Esther knows way more than you do.”

The fake Amy’s face changed instantly.

Esther. Of course—Esther.

Sure, she was made of circuits and code, but after all these years, she’d grown beyond her programming. She had her own thoughts now, her own desires. She wasn’t just a machine running on someone else’s commands.

Otherwise, they would’ve destroyed her a long time ago.

A cyborg with a mind of her own—if the people at the Institute could’ve controlled her, they would have. But she was too much of a risk. Destruction was always going to be her ending.

“How do you know?” Grace’s voice was small, her movements stiff and unnatural, like she was slipping back into her old, robotic self.

Fiona just looked at her, calm and steady. “It’s really not hard to find out what the Institute’s been up to with their cyborgs.”

“If I told you the Institute’s secrets, would you save me?” Grace’s voice wavered, desperation clear.

Fiona paused, then shook her head. “No. There’s a micro-explosive in your chip. If it goes off, it’ll only take you out—no one else. And besides, you and Josie plotted to kill Jasmine. I’m not saving you. But I promise you this: I’ll make sure the M Country Institute is destroyed.”