All Chapters of Broken Vows, Rising Flames : Chapter 181 - Chapter 188

Clara’s POVDamon knotted his tie in front of the mirror, his movements crisp and unhurried, like the world hadn’t just cracked open beneath both our feet.“I have a meeting this morning.” He checked his reflection once more. “I’ll be back by lunch.”“Take your time.” I forced my voice into something soft, exhausted, exactly what he expected from a woman still recovering from a crash. “I’ll be fine.”He crossed the room and kissed my forehead, cool and practiced, the same gesture he’d used a thousand times before I knew what it was covering.“Get some rest. You’ve been through a lot.”He left. I lay there listening until I heard his car pull out of the driveway and fade down the street.Now.I found Rachel in the kitchen, wiping down the counter with the same careful diligence she always brought to everything. I moved slowly, deliberately, playing the part of the fragile, aching wife.“Rachel, I have a craving for pizza. Could you go get one? The delivery won’t come this far out.”“Of

Clara’s POVThe doorbell rang while I was folding laundry in the living room, and I set the basket down and went to answer it without a second thought.Two women stood on the porch, one in a sharp gray suit, the other holding a clipboard against her chest like a shield.“Mrs. Clara Hayes?”“Yes?”“We’re from the NGO.” Her voice was flat, professional.“We’ve received a complaint regarding your behavior and your fitness as a parent.”My blood went cold instantly.“A complaint? From whom?”“We can’t disclose that to you.” “That’s a lie—”“We have documentation.” She cut me off smoothly, without raising her voice. “Multiple incidents. The café. The cake. The public outburst at your son’s school. And most recently, a physical assault on your husband.”“I didn’t—”“We also have a letter from your therapist, Dr. Ellis, stating you attended only three sessions and stopped coming.”“She was lying to me!” My voice cracked upward. “She was working with my husband!”“Ma’am, we’re not here to

Damon’s POVI hit the top of the stairs and shoved Rachel’s door open without knocking. She was standing by the window, phone in her hand, and she spun around fast, startled, her eyes going wide when she saw my face.“The documents were fake.” My voice came out low, shaking with something I couldn’t fully control. “Someone swapped them.”“What? That’s impossible. I didn’t—”“You were the only one who knew the code to the safe.” I crossed the room in three strides, my finger pointed at her chest. “I used your name, Rachel. Your name!”“I didn’t take them.” Her voice cracked, desperate. “I swear it, Damon. I’ve been loyal to you from the beginning.”I studied her face, searching for the lie I was so sure had to be sitting there somewhere. Her eyes were wet, her hands trembling slightly at her sides.If she had taken them, she wouldn’t still be here. She would have run the second she had them.“If not you, then who?”“I don’t know.” Her voice broke. “But I’m telling you the truth.”I ope

Leonard’s POVI hadn’t slept. I hadn’t eaten either, not since I was thrown in here. The tray of food given to me sat across the cell, cold and untouched. I sat on the edge of the cot, staring at the same patch of gray wall I’d been staring at for what felt like days, though I couldn’t be sure how much time had actually passed.I kept seeing it. The gun. The look on his face right before I pulled the trigger. The way his body had gone still, so fast, so final.I thought about Clara too, more than I wanted to admit. About the weeks I’d lost hiding in the shadows while Damon built a life on the wreckage of what should have been mine. About love that never got the chance to become anything real.A guard’s voice cut through the silence.“Adams. You have a visitor.”I looked up slowly, my eyes hollow, my body too tired to feel much of anything.“Who?”“A woman. Says her name is Clara.”My heart stopped for a beat.Clara.They cuffed my hands in front of me and led me down the long h