All Chapters of Broken Then Desired : Chapter 101 - Chapter 110

POV - VICTORThe hot water from the shower felt like heaven. It washed away the bad, stale smells of the police station. The smell of bleach, the smell of sweat, and the smell of other men's fear. I stood under the hard spray, letting it beat down on my neck and shoulders. I let it run over my face.Behind the sound of the rushing water, I could still hear her voice in my head. Scarlett’s voice, shaky with tears and relief. You’re here. I could still feel the tight, desperate grip of her arms around my neck. I could feel the way she buried her face in my dirty shirt. She hadn't left my side for one second from the moment I stepped out of the black van until I came upstairs to clean up. Even after how I had treated her, pretending like as if I didn't remember the moment we had spent together Downstairs, after the whole… emotional scene… I had explained it to them. To Jaxon, who looked like he hadn’t slept at all, and to Scarlett, who just stared at me with big eyes like I was a ghost

The elevator doors slid shut behind me with a soft, final sigh. I stepped out into the hall, the quiet hum of the building all around me. I straightened my cuff, a simple, ordinary motion. Then I looked up, and my heart jolted hard against my ribs, a painful, sudden drumbeat of pure alarm. Ayden. My son was standing right there, frozen like a statue in front of my office door. He was just… waiting. His eyes, wide and shocked, met mine. For a single second, I saw just my boy standing there. Then his gaze immediately darted down. Down to my legs. He saw it instantly. There was no slow realization. His eyes took in the whole picture in one terrible flash. No crutches leaning against the wall. No careful, painful limp. Just me, walking perfectly fine, standing tall. The big, bulky white cast on my leg looked ridiculous now, like a stupid joke, a clear lie against my unhurt skin. Shit. It was so easy to see the truth all over his face. It wasn't just about what he was seeing now. He’d

(POV - VICTOR BLACKWOOD) This was the place. This dark, quiet street. This old building with the broken sign that always squeaked in the wind. I knew every crack in the sidewalk here. I had been here that night. The exact night they said I was driving a big truck, trying to kill Jack Cole. But I wasn’t anywhere near a truck. I was right here. This place was my only hope. My only real chance to prove where I truly was when all the lies happened. But now, my only hope was completely covered with police. It was like watching ants swarm over something sweet. Blue and red lights flashed again and again, turning the whole world into a scary, spinning movie. Cops were everywhere. Talking, pointing, shining bright lights on the ground. My safe place, my proof, was now their crime scene. They had taken it over. I had parked my bike two full blocks down. I walked back slowly, my hands in my pockets. I tried to look like just a curious man. Just another person in the big crowd of people who

(POV - AYDEN COLE) Of course. I should have figured it all out right from the start. It’s all I can think about. My dad’s angry words are on a loop in my head. Victor Blackwood had a wife named Scarlett. A wife who died. And then, out of nowhere, a young, pretty girl shows up with him, with that same rare name. Not a cousin. Not a friend. A niece named Scarlett. That’s more than weird. That’s mighty suspicious. My mind is a mess. I don’t know what to believe. My dad lied to me. He lied to everyone about his leg. But what if he was lying for a good reason? What if he was trying to protect us from something real? From her? These thoughts are buzzing in my head like angry bees as I walk into school. My feet move on their own. I don’t see the other students. I don’t hear the morning bell. I’m just walking, lost in my own confused world. I head to my locker. That’s when I notice it. A small crowd of kids gathered down the hall. They’re whispering, pointing, and laughing. It’s a mean

(POV - SCARLETT)It didn’t take much effort to skip school that day. After the bloody mess in the hallway, the idea of sitting in a classroom made my skin crawl. The air outside was crisp and bright. It felt clean, unlike the thick, tense air of the school.And with the early Halloween festivities beginning all over the city, people were everywhere. I simply melted into the crowds moving through the City Centre. I was just another face, anonymous. No one paid any attention to a girl in a worn jacket. I was invisible, and for the first time all morning, I felt like I could breathe.The city was dressing up for the coming holiday. Shop windows were decorated with fake cobwebs and giant plastic spiders. Orange and black streamers fluttered from the lampposts. Pumpkins grinned from doorsteps. How time flies, I thought.A sudden, sharp memory pierced me. Last year, my friend Emily had been so excited for this season. For weeks, she had talked about her costume. She was going to dress up se