One of the officers who came to pick me up for the investigation walks in, shutting the door behind him.He takes the chair across from me, staring straight into my eyes as he drops a thin file on the table.“Hello, Ms. Richardson. I’m Detective Jacob Hall, and I’m here to ask you some questions.”“Of course, Detective. Whatever I can do to help.”“How do you know Samuel Lawrence?”“He used to be my brother-in-law.”“Used to be?”“I divorced my husband five years ago.”“Oh.” He nods slowly. “That makes sense.” Then, he leans forward on the table, almost casually, his dark eyes fixed on my face as if he’s waiting for me to twitch or blink out of turn. “So, what happened between you two? Why did you kill him?”His outright accusation makes me laugh. I shake my head. “Really? Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? Not in the mood for a fair investigation?”He smiles faintly. “As long as I’m on your case, Ms. Richardson, trust me—this investigation will be as fair as possible.
[Vivienne]“That’s—” Harvey starts to argue, but with my hand on his shoulder, I stop him.“It’s alright. I have nothing to hide.” I turn to face the officer. “Let’s go.”The two men nod and gesture for me to get into their van.I walk over to them, only for Harvey to grab my arm.“This doesn’t make sense,” he murmurs, his brows furrowed deeply.“I know. Sadly, we can’t ignore such a blatant accusation. And truth be told, I’m curious to get to the bottom of this as well. Do me a favor,” I lower my voice, speaking only for him. “Investigate this for me.”He nods more eagerly this time. “I know what to do. Just be calm, and don’t say anything until our lawyer arrives.”I nod back, then step into the police car.Twenty minutes later, I’m sitting at the precinct, waiting for my turn to be questioned. Around me, the whole place is abuzz. Officers in uniforms and plainclothes move about, minding their own bloody business. I sit on a bench, with only one woman seated beside me. She seems to
[Astrid]I can’t believe that cursed woman is going to win after all.After everything I did… after every humiliation I endured… she’s going to walk away unharmed.Fuck. I wish I’d known my dad was nothing but a fucking coward when I had that gun in my hand. I should’ve shot her in the face. I should’ve ruined that stupid face that somehow managed to enchant my Caden so badly.I cannot believe I’m the one losing here. How did it end up like this? How did I lose to that pathetic excuse for a woman?I shake my head, pounding my fist for the hundredth time against the door.“Come on, Dad. Don’t be such a pussy. Are you even a man? How could you lose to some stupid woman?”So what if the Richardsons are big shots? With the kind of control my dad holds over the world, he could easily hire an assassin and end her life with just one snap of his fingers.But no. He had to back off—and lock me up too.I can’t believe I’m the one losing. I can’t believe I’m losing Caden to her, too.Shit.I tug
[Vivienne]“Are you sure you want to leave?” Harvey asks—and Rosita does too, in the way she looks at me, curious and worried.I take a deep breath. “I am.”“But why?” Rosita finally asks, scooting closer on the couch and hugging my side. “It hasn’t even been that long since you returned from Europe, and now you want to go back? Not fair.”I hug her back. “I know. But I need to do this. So much has happened in the past few days… It’s time Axel and I started over, and that would be impossible to do here.”“Because of Caden?” my brother asks. And I wonder if he’s the only reason.He’s not.“Axel hasn’t been the same since that night. He’s scared, and I can’t bear to see him like that. What he needs is to forget about the past and move forward. But that can’t happen if he stays here.”“I understand,” Rosita mumbles. “But isn’t there another way? Why don’t you move in with us? I’m sure Axel would appreciate staying with his uncle and aunt. We could all help him forget.”“It’s not the same
[Astrid]After leaving the hospital, I drive straight to my family’s manor.The last call I received from my dad’s assistant was him telling me to see my dad as soon as possible. Before I could ask more, he ended the call. I wanted to call back and remind him of his place, but I was already planning to return to the manor after dealing with Samuel at the hospital—so why waste my breath? I’ll deal with that asshole myself once I’m finally home.Twenty minutes later, I pull over the car and step out.I’m almost at the entrance when I hear the loud crash of something breaking.“What the hell are you all good at?” I hear my dad yelling. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”I smile, shake my head, and roll my eyes to the heavens.Surely that dumb assistant of his did something stupid again. Why else would my dad be losing his temper over him? Huh. These third-class people know nothing about how to keep my dad calm. If they can’t even do the bare minimum of keeping him satisfied, what else can they b
I push against his chest, hard, but he doesn’t budge. Doesn’t even flinch. His grip tightens, and his eyes blaze down at me like he’s barely holding it together. Like he’s one second away from losing control.“You think I wanted this?” he growls, voice low and dangerous. “You think I woke up hoping to screw it all up again?”“Let me go,” I hiss, trying to jerk my arm free. “I don’t want to hear any of your pathetic excuses—”But I don’t get to finish.Because the next second, his mouth crashes down on mine.Hard. Unapologetic. Ruthless.It’s not tender, or sweet, or even remotely careful.It’s desperate. Possessive. Like he’s trying to prove something—with his lips, with the way he crushes me against him like he’ll die if he lets go.And for a stupid, stupid second… I let him.I freeze, breath caught in my throat, heart hammering like a war drum. My fists clench against his chest, but I don’t shove him away. Not immediately. Not when his kiss tastes like guilt and need and everything