Chapter 2 — Searching for a Way Out...

Silverwood, Illinois

Angel Montgomery

Ever since I realized they had fabricated an entire cover story to hide their dirty secret, with Jason using his police connections to frame a fake suspect, the sheer gravity of my situation hit me.

I need to find a way out of here. I no longer know what those two are capable of.

Today is the day I get discharged from the hospital. Through all these days, I played along and cooperated out of fear they might do something even worse.

It was only when I was released and returned home to my father that I finally managed to breathe a little easier.

Still, I can't bring myself to tell him the truth. Just learning his daughter had been shot was enough to shake him to his core.

If he ever found out his own wife and son-in-law betrayed him...

His weak heart would never survive a shock like that.

"It's so good to have you home, sweetheart. You gave us such a terrible fright!"

"Your boss heard you were discharged and promised to stop by to see you today," he says, wrapping me in a warm hug.

"It'll be great to see him, Dad. But I need you to take care of yourself and stop worrying about me. I'm okay, and I want you to stay well too."

Knowing that Brandon Reed, my editor-in-chief at The Capitol Gazette, is coming to visit makes me realize this is my chance to ask for help.

My boss arrives late in the afternoon, and my mother leads him up to my room.

"Brandon!" He walks in, his face lined with concern.

"How are you holding up, Angel? When I heard you'd been shot, we were all terrified."

"I'll be back in the newsroom with you all soon," I say with a tight smile. "Mom, could you bring up some fresh coffee for Brandon?"

"I'll be right back with the coffee," she says, stepping out of the room with a suspicious look.

Taking advantage of being alone without Eleonor or Jason hovering around, I seize the moment to tell him the truth and ask for help.

"Brandon... I need you to listen carefully and keep this completely to yourself. No one can ever find out what I'm about to tell you," I say, my voice low and tense.

"There was no intruder, Brandon. The person who shot me in the chest was Jason," I reveal all at once, watching his jaw drop in shock.

"What?! Jason? Your fiancé?! Angel, what are you talking about?" he whispers, stunned.

"I caught Jason in bed with my mother that afternoon."

"Panicked at being caught, he drew his gun and shot me," I explain, feeling the rage surge back inside me.

"They made up the robbery story to protect themselves, and I had to play along so I wouldn't kill my father with a heart attack. The poor man wouldn't survive a bombshell like this."

"My God... What monsters! Angel, that's attempted murder, we need to go straight to Internal Affairs!" Brandon stands up, furious.

"I can't! Jason is a detective here, he controls the evidence, and my father couldn't take the scandal..."

"...I need to get out of Silverwood, Brandon. I need you to help me escape before Jason realizes I'm not going through with this wedding."

"He isn't someone who takes no for an answer easily, and he'll do whatever it takes to force me to stay in this marriage."

"I can't marry a man who's cheating on me with my own mother! And how am I supposed to keep living under the same roof as that woman?"

"That man shot me and is now acting like a hero who saved me from an intruder—with my mother backing him up..."

I feel raw indignation consuming my entire body.

Brandon stares at me for a long moment, processing the sheer danger and madness of the situation.

"You're the best investigative reporter I have, Angel. I won't let that sociopath destroy your life or silence you," he says, his gaze rock-solid.

"What do you have in mind?" I ask, feeling a flicker of hope light up in my chest.

"Our bureau in Washington, D.C. needs a top-tier reporter to cover the Senate behind the scenes. I'll transfer you to the capital as soon as you recover."

"Washington..." I murmur the name of the capital, a surge of apprehension washing over me.

"Yes. It's far enough from Silverwood, and you'll get the exposure you deserve there. Your father will believe it's an offer you couldn't turn down."

"As soon as I sort out the paperwork, you'll be on your way. So stay sharp, play along with their gaslighting for now, and you'll be out of here soon."

"Thank you, Brandon... You just saved my life," I say with deep sincerity.

Jason thought he held total control over my fate, but he was dead wrong.

I was heading to Washington to rebuild my life far away from this filth, and I would never let another man control me again.

But what will become of my father left alone with that pair of traitors? How can I protect him while keeping this vile secret hidden?

Brandon leaves, leaving me filled with a newfound sense of hope.

"Dad, after everything that happened, I've been thinking about calling off the wedding and focusing on my career," I confess over dinner.

"Calling off the wedding out of nowhere, sweetheart? Everything is already set..."

"What happened shook me deeply, Dad. Brandon offered me a position at the Washington bureau, and I decided to take it. I'm leaving in a few days."

"Have you talked to Jason about this yet?"

"Not yet. I won't tell him until I'm already in Washington. You know he won't take it well, but I don't want to get married anymore, and that's non-negotiable."

"What are you two whispering about? Lately you barely talk to me, sweetie!" My mother sits down to join us, faking a casual tone.

I wonder what she would think if she knew I was leaving for Washington, and whether she'd run straight to Jason to tell him I plan to leave.

Would she be glad to see me far away from her lover, or would she try to pressure me into staying to keep up the charade?

Poor Dad! How am I going to save him from the danger of ever finding out about the betrayal of those two filthy pigs?

"We're just talking about small stuff, Mom..."

"Did I hear something about Washington? What's in the capital that interests you so much?"

A cold chill runs down my spine. Did she overhear what I told Dad? What if she tells Jason and he tries to stop me?