LOGINShare
Chapter 9
Latest chapter
After the Thorns Chapter 9
Every sentence I spoke cut into her.Vanessa's face went white, and her lips trembled without forming a complete answer."I had no other choice at the time..."How could I possibly believe that?"So your only choice was to destroy my life and reward your affair?"Vanessa, stop pretending to be helpless. It only makes you more repulsive to me."Her eyes reddened."So you're doing all this to punish me?"I could..."She paused as though preparing to make an enormous sacrifice."I could end this pregnancy and come back to you."My only condition is that Mason stays out of prison."Her shameless proposal made me laugh.Vanessa mistook my laughter for delight.She lifted her chin, her confidence returning."You went through all this because you wanted me back, didn't you?"I'm agreeing now. Go get Mason released."I shook my head. "Do you honestly think I'd take back someone who betrayed me and is carrying his child?"Or have you always believed I was still the same fool y
After the Thorns Chapter 8
After that day, my parents and Vanessa each returned to the hospital many times.Fortunately, I had already instructed the guards that I would see none of them.That bought me several quiet days.By the time I had fully recovered, Mason's judgment had been issued.That afternoon, General Rowland came to my hospital room personally with a document in his hand.He skipped the formalities, handed it to me, and summarized the result."Mason Reckitt received twelve years in state and federal custody for aggravated assault, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, false reporting, and related offenses."His company has also been seized and placed into liquidation over tax fraud and illegal business practices."I accepted the thin document, but it felt impossibly heavy.Twelve years. Exactly four times the sentence I had served for him.The law had finally given me justice."What about Vanessa?" I asked calmly."She was charged as a participant in the frame-up and for destroying eviden
After the Thorns Chapter 7
Dad froze, but still tried to argue in a faltering voice."You're brothers. Blood ties don't disappear just because you're angry. You can't truly send your own brother to prison."Mason was sickly as a child, and raising him was difficult. I can't stand by while he destroys his future."Exhausted, I closed my eyes.When I opened them again, no attachment remained."I'll say this one final time. Mason must answer for what he did."Instead of begging me, hire him a competent defense attorney."My words extinguished their final hope.Dad collapsed into a chair, his eyes empty.Mom stopped wailing and stared blankly at the soup on the floor, seeming to age ten years at once.At that moment, someone knocked softly on the hospital-room door.A young military police officer entered."Cadet Reckitt, a woman outside would like to see you. She says her name is Vanessa Hale."The sound of her name made my stomach twist.My parents reacted as though they had been handed a lifeline.
After the Thorns Chapter 6
I was taken to the nearest hospital for treatment.Fortunately, most of my injuries were bruises, cuts, and a mild concussion.That same evening, the parents who had thrown me out somehow learned where I was and came to my room.The military police assigned to protect me stopped them at the door.Mom held an insulated container and called my name softly.It sounded like all the evenings in childhood when she called me to dinner.Back then, Mason had not been born yet.Perhaps the loss in my eyes was too obvious.The guards finally stepped aside and allowed my parents in.Mom opened the container and eagerly ladled out a bowl of chicken and wild-rice soup."Winters in Riverton call for something warm."Especially when you're hurt. You need to build your strength."She looked at me with such tenderness that it was as if the previous week had never happened.When I refused the bowl, she carefully raised the spoon as though she meant to feed me.I struck it from her hand, spi
After the Thorns Chapter 5
The instant the man spoke, every blow and insult stopped.I forced open eyes blurred with blood.Through a gap in the crowd, I saw a broad-shouldered man in a formal military uniform leading the way.Behind him, a team of military police in camouflage surged into the lobby.They moved with disciplined speed and pinned the attackers to the floor within seconds.The entire building fell silent.The officer at their head appeared to be in his fifties.His features were hard, and his gaze was sharp enough to cut.He ignored everyone else and came directly to me, lowering himself beside me."Julian Reckitt?"I opened my mouth, but no sound emerged.He asked nothing further and placed a steadying hand on my shoulder."I'm Major General Victor Rowland of Southern Defense Command."Captain Daniel Hayes was assigned overseas on short notice. Before leaving, he instructed me to come to Riverton and bring you back personally."It's fortunate I arrived several days early. Otherwise,
After the Thorns Chapter 4
Watching me move cartons with practiced ease, Vanessa's expression briefly softened."Julian, you don't need to work this hard."Take the security job at your brother's company. It pays more and it's easier."Her shamelessness made me laugh.She had destroyed my life, and now she wanted me to beg my enemy for scraps.Vanessa studied me for a long moment before continuing."You're smart. I can persuade Mason to let you start in an entry-level office position."The two of you could work together. There would be nothing you couldn't accomplish."I put down the carton and sneered. "So Mason can keep feeding off me?"Then, when his company gets investigated for tax fraud, you can send me back to prison for him?"Vanessa finally lost patience."Everything I'm saying is for your own good."Other than Mason's company, what major employer do you think would hire you?"If you insist on fighting me, I have ways to make you agree."After she left, I could not shake the feeling that s
You may also like
When Rain Fell Unseen
Warm Worth17.8K viewsI Quit My Family Who Favors My Sister
Fortune Abundant17.0K viewsA Love Worth Dying For?
SPD19.4K viewsWhen the Heart Remembers
Much Better18.3K viewsMy Family Left Me for Dead
Southwind207 viewsThirty Years Single, Then My Son Appeared
Set Sail67 viewsDaughters Reborn: Swapped Lives
Anonymous76 viewsThe 500-Dollar Wedding
Kit Severin353 views
