Gina’s POV. I had barely stepped into the house when my mother threw her heels across the room. One landed near the base of the staircase, the other slammed against the wall and dropped like a dead weight. Her hair was messy, her lipstick smeared at the corners, but what caught me off guard was the look on her face. She wasn’t angry the way I was used to—controlled, biting, and cold. She looked like she had been punched in the stomach. And maybe she had. “I told you,” she said, her voice low at first. “I told you not to trust that fool of a lawyer.” I dropped my purse on the center table, slowly, watching her pace. She was pulling off her jewelry, muttering to herself as she yanked off each ring like it offended her. “He said it would work,” I said. My voice didn’t sound very strong. “He was confident. He showed us previous cases where clauses like that held up—” “Oh, don’t be stupid, Gina.” She whirled on me so fast I actually flinched. “Do you think I care what he showed u
Gina’s POV.I had barely stepped into the house when my mother threw her heels across the room.One landed near the base of the staircase, the other slammed against the wall and dropped like a dead weight. Her hair was messy, her lipstick smeared at the corners, but what caught me off guard was the look on her face.She wasn’t angry the way I was used to—controlled, biting, and cold. She looked like she had been punched in the stomach. And maybe she had.“I told you,” she said, her voice low at first. “I told you not to trust that fool of a lawyer.”I dropped my purse on the center table, slowly, watching her pace. She was pulling off her jewelry, muttering to herself as she yanked off each ring like it offended her.“He said it would work,” I said. My voice didn’t sound very strong. “He was confident. He showed us previous cases where clauses like that held up—”“Oh, don’t be stupid, Gina.” She whirled on me so fast I actually flinched. “Do you think I care what he showed us? You li
Clarence’s POV.I woke up early before the sun rose. For a second, I didn’t know where I was. The ceiling was unfamiliar. Plain white with a light fixture I didn’t recognize. Then I remembered everything that had happened. The kidnapping, the rescue, and the marriage.I was at Julian’s place in one of his guest rooms.I sat up slowly, sore all over, but mostly just exhausted. My mouth was dry, and my thoughts were a mess, scattered like broken glass. I let myself sit there for a moment, listening to the quiet sound of the air conditioning, breathing in and out, trying not to cry again.I had cried enough.Eventually, I pulled myself out of bed. The clothes I had worn yesterday were folded neatly on the chair. Julian must’ve asked someone to clean them. I changed slowly, staring at my reflection in the mirror as I buttoned the blouse. My face was pale, my eyes sunken.Today was the hearing, the last one.I ran a brush through my hair and kept it simple. When I stepped into the hallw
Julian’s POV.We sat in the waiting room of the registry office long after the papers were filed. The clerk had gone to prepare the final documents, and the air between us was thick with silence. Clarence looked like she hadn’t slept in days. Her hands were still marked, the rope burns raw and angry, though she tried to hide them under the sleeves of my jacket. She kept her eyes low, blinking slowly like her thoughts were somewhere far away.I wanted to give her space, but time was something we didn’t have. Rather I stood up and excused myself heading to my car. I returned with a first aid kit and asked for her permission to treat her bruises while we waited for the clerk to return.I wished I could take her to the hospital but there was no time. After now the marriage registry will be closed for the day and it will be the next morning the court hearing/ last trial will happen.I dressed her injuries and walked back to my car to fetch something I had gotten on my way to rescue her, a
Julian’s POV.The apartment was quiet when we got there. My investigator moved ahead of me, checking the hallway, but I didn’t wait. I shoved the door open and stepped inside without thinking. I didn’t care if it was reckless. I couldn’t waste another second.The place was barely furnished. A couch, a few boxes. There were no pictures on the wall, no sign of real life, just a hiding place.“Daniel!” I shouted, my voice echoing.There was a pause, then the sound of someone moving fast behind a closed door. I didn’t hesitate. I pushed it open and found him standing there, pretending to be surprised.“She’s not here,” he said too quickly. “You’ve got the wrong—”I didn’t let him finish. I grabbed him by the front of his shirt and slammed him against the wall. “Where is she?” I growled, my voice low and furious.He tried to lie again, something about her leaving earlier, but I didn’t care. I saw the chair in the corner of the room with ropes hanging off it, stained red.My investigator mo
Julian’s POV.I had never felt this helpless before. This was about Clarence. And something in my gut told me she wasn’t just missing. Something was very wrong.The lawyer’s call hadn’t helped settle my nerves, it only made the fear real.So I did the only thing I could think of. I reached out to my investigator. I gave him Clarence’s last known location, the apartment where she was supposed to meet that man, Daniel that was provided by her lawyer whom she had already informed of everything.I didn’t even know his last name yet, just a first name and a smooth face from a photo Clarence had sent to her lawyer which he sent to me.My investigator worked fast. Within hours, he had pulled surveillance footage from the building's cameras and a couple of nearby traffic intersections. We sat together in the back of his car, watching the footage on a small screen as the sun started to fade outside.“There,” he said, pausing the screen. “That’s her. 3:14 p.m.”I leaned forward. It was Claren