LOGIN(POV: Nichole)I walked beside Dr. Mensah, my hands trembling around a paper cup of tea I hadn't even tasted. I was still wearing Xavier’s jacket over my torn blouse; no one had offered me a change of clothes, and I was too exhausted to ask. My palms were pale from the pavement and my knees throbbed with every step, but the news that Raymond was stable was the only thing keeping me upright."His vitals have improved significantly," Dr. Mensah said, he said calmly. "The accident fractured two ribs and caused some internal bruising, but he’ll heal with rest. He’s unconscious but responsive. You can see him, but please, keep it brief.""Thank you," I whispered.We turned the corner toward room fourteen, and I frozeI saw Beatrice. She was there.She stood outside his door with her back to us and one hand pressed flat against the wall with her head bowed.Her shoulders shook with the effort of holding back the tears. She was still in her evening clothes, her bag tucked tightly under her
POV :Beatrice.Knock! knock!I heard a knock on the door.She didn't look like a woman who had just seen a tragedy. Her coat was buttoned, and her face was a mask of cold indifference. She looked at me with eyes that were far too calm for the news she was carrying."Mrs. Beatrice," she said flatly, almost bored."It’s late, Mira. Why are you at my doorstep?" I asked."I have news, come with me." she said, stepping past me into the house without even waiting for an invitation.She walked into the center of the lounge and turned to face me as she just stood there, watching me with a strange, knowing glint in her eyes. It was the look of someone holding a match near a trail of gunpowder."Talk," I said, leaning against the doorframe."There was an incident tonight," Mira began, as she spoke calmly "It happened outside Xavier’s house. A car came out of nowhere and was heading straight for Nichole."I felt my grip tighten on my phone, but I kept my face still. "And?"Mira let out a mockery
POV: NicholeWe pulled up to Xavier’s house just after ten.The drive had been quiet, just a good kind of silence of two people who had said everything and finally agreed together. I rested my head against the seat, eyes half-closed. For the first time in days, the tight knot in my chest had started to loosen.Xavier stopped the car right in front of his house. We sat there for a moment, just breathing and thinking of the last scene Raymond caused."Come on," he said softly. "You need some sleep."I nodded and reached for the door handle and that was when I saw her.Mira was standing at the front door with her arms crossed. Her hair was pulled back and her expression was filled with fury. She looked like she had been waiting a long time to explode.Xavier was still beside me when he got out of the car first, and then I followed."Mira," he said, as he shifted close to me."Don't 'Mira' me," she snapped. She stepped down into the driveway, her eyes darting between us. "Where have you b
(Beatrice pov)I was shaking, and it wasn’t because of the cold.Raymond’s words looped in my head as it kept replaying inside of me. ‘It’s your fault. It’s your fault.’ The more I replayed them, the hotter my anger burned, the kind that settles into your bones and refuses to go.I had given Raymond everything. I handled the messes, both good and bad, even had to sell my conscience at a point to satisfy him. For years, I’ve lived under his command even when I knew it wasn't right. I ruined Nichole's relationship and because he couldn't get his eyes off me. I have moved in the shadows of his ambition, staying small so he could stand tall. But tonight, he looked at me as if I were his greatest failure, rather than the reason he still had a life worth protecting.At one point, my tears surprised me. I hated that he saw me break and I had spent a lifetime making sure he saw me as a pillar, and tonight I had looked weak. I couldn't undo that moment, but I could redirect the energy this t
(Beatrice's pov)I was waiting for Richard for so long. I heard the front door before I saw him as he slammed it while entering. ‘Who must have annoyed him?’The force of it shook the walls and sent a shudder down the hallway. I knew that sound, and it meant that whatever had happened out there had followed Raymond all the way home.I set my wine glass down.I've been sitting in the lounge for two hours now. The moment our lawyer called to say Nichole had been released, I knew tonight would be ugly. I had tried to prepare myself against Raymond's coming back. I practiced my expression and poured a drink, telling myself to stay calm and handle the situation properly, that none of it mattered.Raymond walked in, and the look on his face told me the war that was coming already. His tie was loose, his jacket wrinkled, and his eyes held the raw fury of a man who had been humiliated in public.He came in, didn't even bother to ask me how I was doing, rather in fury he pointed a finger at
(Nichole's Pov)I leaned my head against the window, my skin still felt itchy from the smell of the police station and that mix of old coffee and cold floors. Beside me, Xavier’s hands were tight on the wheel, he hadn't said a word since we left.My phone buzzed in my lap. I didn't want to look, but I did. It was a text from Raymond.“You think you’re safe? You’ve just traded one cage for another. Tell your ‘hero’ to back off. If Xavier keeps digging, “I won’t just ruin you, I’ll make sure he disappears. Don’t let his blood be on your hands.”A chill ran through me as I looked at Xavier who looked exhausted. He had stayed up all night for me, and now Raymond was threatening his life."What is it?" Xavier asked, not even noticing the tension in my eyes as he was busy driving."Nothing," I said, quickly hiding the phone. "It's just a random message."“A message?” He looked at me then. He didn't believe me. He just pulled the car over to the curb and stopped, he didn't even turn off the
(Nichole’s Pov)The cell door closed behind me and the sound of it went through my entire body finally.The officer had taken my phone at the desk downstairs, held out a plastic tray without looking at me. Well, I don't blame her because that's how they treated most of the unfortunate ones in this p
(Xavier's Pov)I don't panic.Not ever, not in fifteen years of building something from nothing and when people I trusted walked out with things that weren't theirs but mine. I had trained myself out of panic the way you trained yourself out of any bad habit, by refusing it. But sitting in the back
(Beatrice pov)I did everything right tonight. The plan had worked like a watch. Nichole had walked into the trap I set for her, and the police arrived at the perfect moment.But it hasn't finished yet. I was still alone. My husband is not yet back, I needed Raymond to see what I had done.I waited
(Nichole Pov)I should have stayed home.That thought sat with me, as the officer clicked the handcuffs around my wrists. I stood shocked looking at Beatrice who folded her arms and just like that, my hands were no longer my own.I should have stayed home.Julian had told me. He had said it clearly







