MasukThe door closed behind Nathan, cutting off the echo of the agreement he had just made with Caroline. He needed the calm of Tessa, his light, to push away the darkness he had just witnessed.Nathan had never fully understood why Charles was so obsessed with the Caldwell family. But one thing was certain. He had to stop him, no matter the cost, before that man turned his wife into something like Caroline. He would not allow Charles to touch Tessa. Not even a strand of her hair.When he opened the bedroom door, the sight waiting for him was the last thing he expected.The bedside lamp was on. Tessa sat propped up in bed, pillows supporting her back, her blonde hair loose over her shoulders. Her green eyes were clear, fully awake, fixed on him without blinking.Jack, his right hand and personal bodyguard, stood near the window, just outside the reach of the light. His posture was rigid, professional. His gaze delivered a warning that did not need words.“You should be asleep,” Nathan said
The hallway leading to Caroline Remington’s room stretched out like a white, silent, sterile tunnel. Two of Nathan’s guards stood watch on either side. On his direct order, the hospital had been told to delay notifying the police until he was done speaking with her.A doctor handed him sterile protective clothing and a mask. It felt excessive, but protocol mattered. Appearances mattered.Nathan’s footsteps echoed down the empty corridor. Each sound felt like a confirmation of the decision he was about to make.When the door opened, the sight inside barely resembled the Caroline he remembered.She lay weak on the hospital bed. The arrogant, polished woman who had once tried to poison his wife was gone. What remained was a thin, pale body, hollow eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. Thick bandages wrapped her wrists, covering the marks left by handcuffs and rope. Purple and yellow bruises stained her arms, her neck, even her face.She looked like a broken doll.“Caroline,” Nathan said,
Nathan opened the hospital room door silently. The room lay in shadows, lit only by the thin spill of hallway light through the crack in the door and the pale moonlight filtering in from the window.She was there. Tessa. Asleep.Her breathing was steady and light. Her pink lips were slightly parted, a strand of blonde hair resting against her cheek. For one brief moment, everything else vanished from Nathan’s mind. Charles. Robert. The betrayal. All of it disappeared. There was only Tessa and the fragile life growing inside her.They were his priority. The only truth that mattered.His eyes adjusted to the dark, and that was when he saw Jack.He sat in a chair near the door, so still he could have been part of the furniture. His eyes were open, watching Nathan calmly from the shadows.“She held on as long as she could,” Jack said quietly, his voice rough. He took a slow breath. “Kept asking for you. Worried about prison. Eventually, she just couldn’t stay awake anymore.”When no one e
The air inside the prison reeked of cheap disinfectant, despair, and violence barely kept under control. Sweat and a faint sour stench clung to Nathan’s senses from the moment he stepped inside. It was not visiting hours, but that did not matter. He had no intention of sitting behind thick glass, gripping a filthy phone like the other visitors.The prison director greeted him personally. A man with reptile-cold eyes and a habit of holding out his palm, as if the world perpetually owed him something.“Mr. Hale, it’s an honor. As you requested, everything has been arranged. You may see inmate Caldwell in the medical room. Complete privacy.”Nathan gave a brief nod and slipped a thick envelope into the man’s hand without bothering to look at him. In this place, money spoke louder than rules.He still had unfinished business with the guard who had been feeding him information about Robert’s movements. That man had never once mentioned his wife’s visits. Today, the guard was off duty. Fine
The engine howled like a wounded animal, devouring the asphalt at a speed that would make any traffic cop go pale. Nathan knew he had broken at least five laws. He did not care. His foot never left the gas.Jack followed close behind in a black SUV, running escort. His hazard lights swept the road ahead like the bow of a ship cutting through waves.The world beyond the windshield blurred into streaks of light and shadow. Inside Nathan’s head, one name echoed in time with his heartbeat.Tessa.The baby? Complications? Bleeding? A heart problem?Every possibility felt worse than the last, trapping his thoughts in a ruthless spiral. The doctor’s overly urgent tone, followed by the call cutting off without explanation, made everything feel ten times more terrifying.He slammed on the brakes at the ER entrance. Tires screamed, drawing shocked looks from bystanders. Nathan did not care. He jumped out before the engine fully died and ran inside, Jack right on his heels.“My wife!” Nathan sho
Charles’s smile widened, twisted and terrifying. It didn’t reach his eyes, which were completely empty.“You’re young and don’t know anything yet, I get it,” Charles said, like he’d just told a terrible joke. “Relax. Your time will come. You’ll figure it out on your own.”Tessa’s mind raced. None of this made sense. Was he even sober?“Cut the crap and the games. I’m not here to solve your pathetic little mystery,” she snapped, without hesitation.Charles ignored her insult. He stepped closer, and Tessa held her breath.“Your father told me to pass a message to you.”The world seemed to stop. Her father? Talking to Charles? Impossible. Her father hated Charles. He knew Charles was the one who put him in prison.“That’s not possible,” Tessa said, shaking her head. “He wouldn’t...”“You’ll see him soon enough,” Charles interrupted, his voice almost theatrical. “Be patient, little Tessa. I’ll free you from that monster’s grip.”The words, coming from Charles’s cold, calculating tone, sou







