Chapter 18
I stared at the pregnancy test in my hands. I couldn’t take my eyes off those two red lines. It was Wallace’s child. I didn’t expect this but this was ours. A part of him was still with me, growing
inside me.
I should have been happy. But all I could feel was an ache so deep it nearly crushed me because
he wasn’t here.
I ran my hand over my stomach, swallowing hard.
“Wallace,” I whispered. “Please, I’m waiting for you. Don’t let me down.”
So I waited. I never lost hope that he would come back to me. He promised me!
I didn’t want the stress to get into me knowing I have our baby now. I should also take care of my health, thus I tried my best to be hopeful despite everything.
Luckily, my mother’s recovery was slow, but she was getting better. She had started helping me again–both with the company and my sanity. I had neglected everything after Wallace disappeared. I had let the empire he and I were building crumble under my grief.
One afternoon, as I sat beside her hospital bed, I finally said the words that had been suffocating
- me.
“I’m sorry.”
She frowned, confused. “For what?”
“For Suzanne.” My voice wavered. “For bringing her into our life. For not seeing her for what she was sooner. This was my mess, and you-” My throat tightened. “You almost died because of it.”
My mother reached out, weak fingers grasping mine.
“You’re my daughter, Mitch. Nothing you do could ever make me love you less.”
Tears pricked my eyes. I squeezed her hand. And for the first time in a long time, I let myself feel safe. I still have my mother and the growing baby inside me. I wouldn’t let Wallace down–he would come back to me!
But days passed, still no Wallace.
The search continued, but every lead ended in nothing. Then, something else caught my
attention.
Bryan. He was rising again. His company, which should have crumbled after I pulled out, was thriving. Investors were backing him. Money was pouring in. Too much money.
It didn’t make sense. Bryan wasn’t smart enough to recover this quickly. Not without help. I didn’t know what he and Wallace had talked about the deal, but this seemed too good to be true. And I intended to find out exactly where his sudden fortune was coming from.
When Bryan asked me out to dinner, I agreed. Not because I wanted to. But because I needed answers. I let him think I was warming up to him again. I let him believe I was vulnerable. We sat in a dimly lit restaurant, a private booth tucked away from the main dining area.
I watched him carefully. Studied his movements. Then, I saw it.
His hand slipping something into my drink when he thought I wasn’t looking.
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Bile rose in my throat. So this was his plan? He thought he could drug me? Then, what? Kill me! What an asshole! I was right not to trust him, ever again.
I excused myself to the restroom, my heartbeat hammering in my ears. But before I left, I placed a tiny recorder under the table. If Bryan was up to something, I needed proof. He was so careful these past few days, maybe right now, he would let his guard down.
Inside the bathroom, I played the recording through my earpiece. I wasn’t sure if he would be talking to someone, but I took a risk. And, I was right. He was indeed going to talk to someone about his plan.
And what I heard made my blood run cold.
“Make sure the room is ready. After tonight, Mitch will be mine again. I’ll make sure to get her pregnant! I’ll not let her go again.”
A voice on the other end responded. “And Wallace?”
Bryan let out a low chuckle. “She’ll never find him. Because after tonight, I’m finally going to kill him. I was done playing with him. After all, he had given me money just so I won’t hurt Mitch. Well, I would never hurt her–and Wallace would never see her again.”
I froze. Wallace was alive.
Bryan had him. I was right all along because there is no way he would die!
Rage surged through me so violently I nearly dropped the recorder. That bastard.
I clenched my fists, forcing myself to breathe. I had to be smart. I needed Bryan to believe his plan was working.
So I fixed my makeup. And then I went back to the table.
I picked up my drink. Bryan’s eyes gleamed with anticipation. I pretended to sip. Seconds later, I let my body go limp, my head lolling to the side.
Bryan caught me before I could collapse, chuckling under his breath.
“Too easy, he murmured.
I felt him lift me into his arms. I forced myself to stay still as he carried me toward a private room in the back of the restaurant.
As soon as we entered, I could feel his breath against my skin.
His hands moved to my waist, sliding lower then-
The doors burst open.
“FREEZE!”
Police. Of course. I wouldn’t let him get away. I called my mother a while ago and she had arranged everything after receiving the evidence.
Bryan was ripped away from me, shoved to the ground.
“What the-?!” He struggled, but the officers pinned him down. “What are you doing?”
I sat up, glaring at him as I reached for my purse. I pulled out the recorder and pressed play. His voice filled the room.
“After tonight, Mitch will be mine again.”
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“She’ll never find Wallace.”
“I’m finally going to kill him.”
Bryan’s face drained of color.
“No–wait! Let me explain!”
The officers grabbed him, slapping the cuffs onto his wrists.
“Bryan Midnight, you are under arrest for attempted rape and conspiracy to murder.”
He thrashed, his voice wild. “You set me up!”
I stood over him, my arms crossed. “You did that to yourself.”
His gaze darkened. Then, he smirked.
“If you put me in jail,” he hissed, “then you’ll never find Wallace.”
A chill ran down my spine. My nails dug into my palms.
I crouched beside him, my voice like ice.
“You think you can threaten me?”
Bryan grinned. “I know I can.”
I leaned closer, lowering my voice so only he could hear.
“Oh, Bryan.” I smiled. “You have no idea what I’m capable of.”
Because I would not let him win. I would break him. And I would bring Wallace home. Even if I
had to tear Bryan apart piece by piece.
“I’m willing to have you tortured just to make sure I’ll save Wallace!”
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