All Chapters of Broken Vows, Rising Flames : Chapter 161 - Chapter 170

Clara’s POV One minute I was leaving the NGO and the next I was holding onto my steering wheels so tight that my knuckles ache. I was barely holding my emotions together as I drove home. The words on that paper kept flashing through my mind, haunting me like a ghost.It was a rollercoaster. Just maybe, a cup of something steamy would make me feel any better.I stopped at a small cafe, scurrying inside after shutting my car doors. The lighting was warm with beautiful decorations at the corners. Christmas was just few weeks away, yet the cafe seemed pre ready for the holiday. I walked over to the corner and settled in one of the seat. It didn’t take much time before a sales rep came to me with the menu. “A cup of coffee.” I said, glancing down on the menu for what else I could add. “Yeah….A three sandwich too.” The sales rep jotted the order, then turned around to get them ready. I couldn’t stop thinking about the boy pointing at nothing. About the note he gave to me and the m

Clara’s POVThe station smelled like sweat and old coffee mixed together into something that wasn’t just horrible, but intoxicating. As I was led to the counter, the fluorescent lights buzzed above me, too sharp and white, like they were built to strip away every last bit of dignity a person had left. “Turn around.”The officer order from behind me. I did as I was told. My whole body moving on its own. “Take off your earrings.”I reached up with shaking fingers and unclasped them, dropping the small gold hoops into a plastic tray along with my bag, my phone, my keys. Everything I entered with was zipped into an evidence bag and carried away. “You’ll get these back when you’re released.”I said nothing, staring at the female officer in front of me. She pressed my fingers one by one onto the ink pad, then onto a card. I watched my own hands as though they belonged to someone else. When she finished the registration, the male officer escorted me down a narrow hallway to the cell

Clara’s POV The smell of antiseptic was already waiting to hit me like a wave as I walked into the clinic. Inside, people bustled in and out, making me wonder why such a small clinic had so many patrons. I scurried to the reception desk, where a male nurse looked up with a flirtatious smile. “Mrs. Hayes? Please have a seat. Dr. Ellis will be with you shortly.” My brows pulled together in confusion. How was he able to figure my name when I hadn’t said a word. I almost asked why, but waved it away— he has probably seen me on TV or something. I sat down in one of the chairs against the wall, taking in the view the clinic offered. The place was warm, unlike most hospitals. I laced my fingers together in my lap to keep them from shaking. I’d always know the hospital to be place people came to be fixed. But I wasn’t broken. A door opened somewhere to my left, and a woman stepped out. She looked to be in her fifties, silver threading through dark hair pulled back neat, readin

Clara’s POV The neighborhood wasn’t just looking old. It was somewhere I would have never imagined being in until that moment. The streets narrowed the deeper I drove. Houses pressed closer to each other like they were leaning on each other for support. A few children were on a small field, playing with a ball whose color was faded.I parked along the curb and stepped out. The children stopped and stared, their eyes following me like I’d fallen out of the sky.I smoothed down my dress, feeling like I had overdressed as i looked for the exact address i had written on the back of the receipt. The house was small, pale brick, with a black iron gate just like the one in the photo. I took a quick glance at my phone just to be sure before shoving it into my pocket. My heart thudded as I opened the gate and went inside the premises. I knocked on the door, clenching my jaw in the process. The was nothing. I knocked again, harder this time. The door finally creaked open, and a wom

Clara’s POVThe cab carrying Michael took turn after turn, weaving deeper into streets I didn’t recognize. My driver followed from behind, careful not to close the gap too much.“Don’t lose them,” I said, my grip tightening on my phone. “I’m trying,” he muttered. “But they’re taking too many turns.” The buildings became few, the streets lights slowly disappearing until all was left was darkness between. I sat forward, informing the driver of when to go slow and when to driver faster. The last thing I wanted was to blow our cover. Finally, the slowed and turned into a long driveway lined with trees. I tapped my driver on the shoulder. “Stop here. Don’t go any closer.”He hit the brakes and pulled over band a cluster of overgrown bushes. Michael’s cab pulled over In front of an old mansion and stepped out immediately. My breath caught in my throat.This is it.I slipped out of the cab, telling the driver to wait. I sneaked through the shadows staying low, keeping close to t