Chapter 4

Phoebe felt a sharp jab straight through her heart.

Emma tucked her hand behind her back. "It's alright, Officer Lane. Mrs. Lane is just upset. My skin is tough. It's really no big deal."

"Explain!" Reuben fixed his gaze on Phoebe, his eyes burning with restrained anger.

He didn't even bother to ask her for her side of the story, instantly believing Emma's word and assuming Phoebe was the villain.

Phoebe stared directly into his eyes. "Reuben, if I told you that Emma didn't have a cramp at all during the flood and that she deliberately pulled her shot yesterday, would you believe me?"

"Phoebe," Reuben growled, his fists balling up so tight his knuckles turned white. "If you're going to make up excuses, at least make them believable!"

His eyes were filled with bitter disappointment. "I know you've been angry with me over Macey, but that's no excuse for you to take it out on others, frame them, and harm them!"

He didn't believe her.

Staring at the man standing firm to shield Emma behind his back, Phoebe suddenly felt an overwhelming wave of exhaustion.

She didn't want to waste her breath arguing with him anymore. Closing her eyes, she tuned him out completely.

The more Reuben saw her stubbornly refusing to admit fault or even speak to him, the angrier he became.

Yet, catching sight of her deathly pale complexion and hollow cheeks, he forced himself to swallow back his rage.

His voice turned cold and rigid. "Focus on recovering over the next few days. Once you're healed up, you're going to apologize to Emma!"

With that, he gently took Emma's reddened hand. "Come on. I'll help you put some ointment on that."

Watching their departing backs, Phoebe felt no heartbreak, only a deep, numbing emptiness.

…

Over the next few days, she recovered in the hospital all by herself.

On the day she was discharged, she went home and called the police, laying out the whole truth behind the flood and the abduction.

"Officer Cooke's grave negligence on the job led to catastrophic consequences. I demand that appropriate disciplinary actions be taken against her."

The voice on the other end turned solemn. "Understood. We will verify this as quickly as possible."

An hour later, the house phone rang.

Phoebe picked it up, only to hear Emma's hushed, smug voice on the line. "Phoebe, did you really think reporting me would work? Reuben will protect me! Don't believe me? Listen."

The next second, Phoebe heard Reuben's distant voice over the receiver. "Phoebe is my wife. I'll go home and persuade her to drop the complaint."

A stern, middle-aged male voice cut in, "Emma's conduct at work has indeed been sloppy. Her performance hasn't met basic standards ever since she joined. Serious disciplinary action must be taken! The board has deliberated, and the decision is to dismiss Emma—"

"No!" Reuben's voice was frantic. "I don't agree! Chief, Emma is my trainee. If she screwed up, I will take the punishment in her place!"

After a brief pause, the middle-aged man spoke up again. "Reuben, if you take the fall for her, you won't just have to write a public letter of apology for display, but you'll also face a demotion. Think this through!"

"I've thought it through!" Reuben replied without a moment's hesitation. "I'll do it!"

Phoebe slammed the receiver back onto the hook. She sat motionless in the living room for a long time, only to realize her cheeks were wet.

Those tears weren't for Reuben but for herself and Macey.

She suddenly rose, gathered the keepsakes she and Reuben had shared, along with the wooden rocking horse and toys he'd made for Macey, and set them all on fire in the yard.

The front gate was suddenly shoved open, and Reuben appeared, his face red with rage.

"Why did you report Emma? Do you have any idea that doing this will ruin her entire life?"

Framed by the flickering flames, Phoebe turned around calmly. "If she didn't do anything wrong, how could my report even go through? Besides, didn't you already smooth it all out for her?"

She spoke with complete, icy detachment.

Staring at her, Reuben suddenly felt that Phoebe had become a complete stranger.

The unsettling sense of dread from days ago surged back once again. Frowning, Reuben softened her tone. "I know you're still upset, but Emma didn't mean any harm. Phoebe, let's just put this behind us. And please, don't make a scene like this again, okay?"

Phoebe took a long, deep look at him, then nodded. "Okay."

From now on, she would never throw a tantrum with him again because there was no future between them.

Phoebe turned and walked back into her room.

Reuben stared at the pile of ashes on the ground, frowning.

What had she burned?

Reuben opened his mouth to ask, but the phone rang once more. Two homicides had just broken out in the city back-to-back. With the situation critical, he had no choice but to rush out again.

After Reuben left, Phoebe received a call from Zoe Lawrence, the troupe director. "Phoebe, your placement for the study program in Marlowe has been approved! Start preparing. You'll be setting off in about a week."

Phoebe gripped the receiver tightly, her tone bright with excitement. "Got it! I'll leave on time!"