Signed To Be His Wife - Chapter 37: Chapter 37

Dominic's gaze lingered on the flickering news monitors. The broadcast had just ended—Clara had hijacked the global airwaves and filled them with the unmistakable voice of Darien Hart. The original, noble voice of Dominic’s father, speaking words that chilled the world. Amara stood beside him, silent and tense, feeling the weight of each syllable broadcast to millions.
“It’s her masterpiece of terror,” Amara whispered. “She used my father’s voice. Everyone will think he’s alive, speaking to them.” She felt a shiver run through the control room. On the monitors, news channels replayed Darien’s authoritative tone as he demanded uprising. World leaders were shown scrambling: one with hands clasped desperately, another pulling papers from briefcases, all reacting in stunned disbelief. Stock tickers in financial centers tumbled with panic. Meanwhile, people on city streets held candles and watched screens in confusion, some chanting his name as if he were a savior.
Dominic rubbed his temple. “We’re sitting ducks here,” he muttered. The Cole Foundation was under siege by rumors and fear. One monitor flashed social media feeds plastered with hastily created memes of Darien’s face. On another, spontaneous protests had erupted from London to Delhi. It seemed the world clung to any hope of Darien’s survival.
“We have to do something,” Amara said urgently. “Look at this.” She tapped a holographic news map on a side screen. “In Paris, crowds are gathering in the streets. In Washington, Congress is demanding action. In Moscow, they’re debating how to respond. It’s like a wave of chaos.” Dominic glanced at the screens showing Tokyo’s overnight broadcast, where shocked anchors scrambled to debunk the claim.
He nodded, face grim. A war room aide handed him a buzzing tablet of messages. He flicked through them: urgent emails from the United Nations, encrypted video from government officials, live satellite feeds tracking global unrest. “Every continent is calling,” he said softly. “International leaders want answers. They’re expecting our cooperation.” He paused. “The entire world thinks we have something to hide.”
His secure phone rang. Caller ID: UN Security Council. Dominic swiped it to speaker. A stern voice demanded, “Ambassador Hart, your word is needed. Clarify: Is Darien Hart alive or is this an elaborate hoax?” The urgency in the voice was palpable.
Dominic took a steady breath. “Dr. Darien Hart passed away years ago,” he replied firmly. “This broadcast is a malicious hoax. We were as shocked as anyone. We are coordinating with authorities to identify those responsible. Rest assured, no living voice can resurrect the dead.” The caller exhaled, relief seeping through. “Thank you, Ambassador. The Council awaits your briefing.”
He ended the call. Amara turned to him. “They still don’t believe it, do they?”
“Darien’s reputation was flawless,” Dominic said. “Their trust is shaken. We have to calm them with facts.” He tapped on his tablet. “We’ll stick to the narrative: Darien is gone. No one here was involved. Emphasize that.” He looked at Amara. “We can’t divulge what we know about Specter or the AI. That stays locked down.”
Amara nodded and opened her laptop. “Let me handle the public side. We’ll say this was a scare tactic to destabilize trust. We promise full cooperation with investigators.” She began typing. “The Cole Foundation condemns any attempt to manipulate public trust through false claims. No member of our foundation was involved. Dr. Darien Hart’s legacy was one of science and truth. We will work with authorities to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.”
Dominic watched as Lena, the communications lead, adjusted camera angles and messages scrolled in the background of their live video. The official statement was ready for broadcast. Meanwhile, Connor continued his work at a nearby console. He caught Dominic’s eye. “Sir, we traced that signal—” he pointed at a map showing a route from Budapest through satellites to all corners of the globe. “It was broadcast from one uplink but retransmitted worldwide.”
Dominic’s heart thumped. “She’s using high-end tech. And you said there was something at the Arctic site?”
Connor nodded. “Sensors there recorded a sudden spike in energy emissions right as the broadcast happened. We captured a faint digital signature—possibly an automated beacon triggered by her.” He frowned. “It doesn’t look like coincidence. It seems she’s pooling her resources for something bigger.”
Amara closed her laptop. The calm statement was ready to send. “We’ll release it once we’re airborne,” she said, moving to hand Dominic the device. “That way we control the timeline.” She met his eyes. “If she’s messing with the Arctic, then our mission can’t wait.”
Dominic agreed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “All right, team meeting.”
He gathered everyone around a large digital map table: Amara, Connor, Petra the intelligence officer, Dr. Singh the climate scientist, and Lena. On the map glowed two red X’s at the Arctic coordinates.
“Clara’s broadcast has shaken the world,” Dominic began, pointing to the red X over the North Pole. “Now it looks like she’s targeting our mission. Dr. Singh, summarize the polar situation.”
Dr. Singh drew lines on the map with her finger. “Weather patterns are abnormal. A significant warm front is pushing into the Arctic. The ice near our site has thinned by several meters. If this continues, any structure we plant could break through or collapse. We can’t risk waiting.” She tapped the map. “Every day we delay raises the danger. We should launch tonight.”
Amara added, “We were leaving today anyway. Let’s move it up. We shouldn’t waste another second.”
Petra looked concerned. “Understand urgency, but be careful. If this is a trap, we may run right into it. The entire environment could be engineered. Hostiles or environmental hazards could ambush us.”
Lena already had multiple live feeds up on her laptop. “Meanwhile, social media is exploding. Some are calling this the start of a war. They’re looking at us too. We need to control what they think happened.”
Dominic set his jaw. “The story to the world stays the same: Darien’s voice was faked by unknown malefactors. We stay with facts. Now, mission: we have four hours to prepare and depart. Amara and Lena, finalize our statements — written and video. Petra and I will finalize the flight plan. Connor, secure our communications. Dr. Singh, pack the environmental gear.”
The team dispersed to their tasks in urgent motion. Dominic and Amara lingered for a moment by the water cooler, needing a breath of normalcy. Amara poured herself a cup of water; her hands trembled. Dominic put a hand on her arm. “Talk to me,” he said gently.
She turned, eyes red. “Everything’s moving so fast,” she admitted. “If something happens out there… I’m terrified.” Her voice cracked as she whispered, “I don’t want to lose you.”
Dominic wrapped his arms around her. “Hey,” he murmured. “We have a promise. I won’t lose you.” He kissed the top of her head. “You’re stronger than this crisis. We’ve faced danger before and we’re still here. I believe in us.”
Amara sniffed, clinging to him. “I believe in you. Just… promise me we’ll both come back.”
“I promise,” he said, his voice certain. He gently removed the cup and sipped. “We will. We face it together. Always.”
Amara managed a smile. “Together.” She wiped her eyes. “One step at a time.”
A dark helicopter waited as the van arrived at the tarmac. Inside the aircraft, the foundations of courage held the team. The city lights of Zurich faded below them as the blades began to spin. Dominic fastened his harness opposite Amara. She handed him a small datapad. “Kashmir’s voice track,” she said softly. “We might need it for evidence that the voice was manipulated.”
He nodded and slipped it into his jacket pocket. “Good thinking.” He turned on the console display, already plotting their route to Oslo then north.
Amara settled in, shoulders straight. She clasped Dominic’s hand. “We’ve done all we can. Now it’s on fate.”
Aboard the jet, Lena’s voice crackled in the headset. “All systems go, flight path confirmed. Oslo ETA in two hours.” Dominic and Amara exchanged determined looks.
As the plane lifted into night, Amara inhaled deeply. “One more question,” she said quietly. “What do you want to come out of this?”
Dominic looked at her with those honest eyes. “I want it to be over, and when it is, I want us together, finally safe. I want to take you home.” He took her other hand. “No more lies, no more secrets, just us living our lives.”
A tear glistened. “I want that too.” She laid her head on his shoulder.
He leaned and kissed her forehead. “I love you, Amara.”
She hugged him, whispering, “I love you.” The gentle sound and the hum of the engines were a small refuge from the chaos outside.
Morning came far above the Arctic Circle. The jet touched down in Tromsø under a sun that never fully rose. The air was frigid. Major Iversen and his team of UN specialists were ready, dressed in fur and looking grim. Iversen saluted Dominic once they stepped out. “We’ve picked up your coordinates. Storm’s intense at your site. Snow vehicles prepped. Let’s move.”
They climbed into large all-terrain trucks equipped for ice. Iversen briefed them in the cavernous cab. “Satellites show a cyclonic ring here,” he said, circling a spot on his handheld map. “We suspect Specter is focusing something at the center. Instruments picked up the audio payload in the clouds.” He glanced at Dominic. “Time is critical.”
Dominic nodded. “Understood.”
Amara sat beside Dominic. A thin sky blazed faint green above them. “So this is the Veil,” she muttered, recalling the swirling lights from the feed. “It’s… eerie.”
He caught her gaze and squeezed her hand. “Eerie, but not unbeatable.” His voice was firm, inspiring confidence.
Their convoy inched forward on an icy road. Snow kicked up around the wheels. The landscape was hollow white, broken only by jagged rock peaks on the horizon. Amara’s teeth chattered in her helmet. “It’s so quiet,” she observed, as if sensing the storm’s heartbeat.
“A calm before it hits,” Dominic said, staring at the cloud wall growing ahead. “Stay close to me.”
She nestled close against the door to find warmth, watching his hands grip the wheel.
“How far now?” she asked, lips almost frozen together.
“Not far,” he answered, peering into the tinted darkness. “We’ll be on foot once we pass the ice gate.”
As the last rays of dawn turned the snow blue, the lead truck entered the edges of the Veil. A strange electric hum tickled the air.
In the back, Lena tested her radio again and Petra checked ammo. Everyone was silent but alert.
Amara took a shuddering breath. “Darien always used to say, ‘Perseverance brings light to darkness.’ We have to believe that.”
Dominic nodded, staring at the vortex ahead. “For him, and for us, we keep going.”
He felt her fingers tighten around his in response. In that gravity of midnight sun and swirling storm, there was fear—and above it, the bond of their promise.
Together, they pressed on into the unknown.
Storm and night awaited them now. The horizon offered no answers, only the strange green glow of the cyclone. Yet beneath the fear, Dominic felt the stubborn flame of hope. He glanced at Amara, their breaths visible in the cold air.
“Ready?” he asked.
Amara’s gaze was steady. “Always,” she replied.
They gathered their gear: rifles, cameras, data pads. Side by side, they climbed down from the snowcat as the convoy halted. Each step on the ice-crusted ground was heavy and true. Around them, the wind carried a haunting chorus of voices—Clara’s broadcast now a distant echo swallowed by the storm.
But Dominic and Amara were together, and together they would uncover the truth. As they stepped into the dark veil of the Arctic night, they knew that nothing—not threat, not storm, not fear—could break the bond they shared. The path ahead was perilous, but they had each other, and for now, that was enough.
Storm and night lay ahead, but in that silence between them, Dominic and Amara found their only shelter: each other’s unwave
ring courage. Their whispered vows were stronger than the howling wind, lighting the way as they advanced into the unknown.