Semua Bab Be Mine Again, Dear Wife: Bab 51 - Bab 60

Harper pushed through the front gate of her home just after 10 p.m., the cab's taillights already disappearing down the street. Her thighs rubbed together with every step, the lingering slickness between them a constant, humiliating reminder of what she'd done in the back seat of that cab.She was furious at herself for how much she'd wanted it. These days she could barely recognize herself. Maybe this was who she was all along.The security station light was on. Oliver leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, a black tactical jacket open over a fitted shirt. The bruises on his face had darkened to ugly violet shadows, but he still managed to look annoyingly put-together. When he saw her, he straightened.His gaze traced the neckline of the black dress, the way it clung to her breasts, and the faint sheen of sweat still glistening along her collarbone."You're back late," he said, his voice laced with displeasure.Harper didn't slow her stride. She walked straight past him to

Harper sat cross-legged on the rug in Theo's room. Theo was out cold in his crib, one fist curled near his cheek, his breathing deep and even. Her phone lay face up on the floor between her knees.Malakai's name kept lighting up the screen.Missed call (7) Missed call (8) New message: Harper please pick up New message: Did I do something wrong?New message: Harper, I'm begging you. Pick up the phone.She stared at the notifications until they blurred. The photo from the unknown number was still open on her screen, frozen at full brightness.Harper's thumb hovered over the photo. She zoomed in on his face. The same sharp jaw. The same tilt to his head. The same man who'd looked at her across a candlelit table at nineteen and made her believe that someone could want her exactly as she was.Her stomach tightened painfully and she pressed the heel of her hand against it.Did he know that she was the daughter of the couple his car had killed when he married her?Was the marriag

Harper's heart skipped a beat when Malakai's grip on Reyes' wrist suddenly went lax. One second he was crushing the detective's hand with enough force that Reyes' knuckles had gone white. The next, the pressure vanished completely. Malakai's entire body sagged forward in the wheelchair.His breathing came in short rasps.He lifted his head slowly, his eyes glassy. The piercing intensity that had been there moments ago was gone, replaced by something almost childlike.He looked straight at Harper."Harper..." he rasped, breathless.She took an automatic step towards him.He reached out with one trembling hand, like a drowning man asking for help."Drive me," he rasped. "To the hospital. Please. Something's... wrong."Harper froze.All of a sudden?She glanced at Reyes, then back at Malakai. The man who'd just growled "Don't fucking touch me" like a cornered animal was now staring at her with wide, pleading eyes, his chest rising and falling too quickly.He looked... vulnerabl

Maddison waited in the shadows across the street from Belinda's apartment building, her coat collar turned up against the damp night air. She had been there for forty-three minutes. She watched the young woman—Belinda—turn the corner at last.She walked with her head down, her phone screen lighting her face in pale blue. Keys jingled in her free hand. She looked tired and ordinary. Just like any other twenty-something heading home after a long shift.Maddison didn't move.One of her men stepped out of the alley beside the building just as Belinda reached her apartment.Belinda thumbed the key fob. The glass door buzzed open.Maddison's thug struck her.He snaked one arm around her throat from behind, the other clamped the chloroform cloth over her nose and mouth. Her keys clattered to the ground. Her body jerked as she thrashed hard, but the man was taller and stronger. Besides, the cloth pressed to her nose and mouth was already doing its work.He dragged her inside. The

Maddison's head snapped back. Her bare feet slipped on the marble. She stumbled forward, her arms windmilling for balance, her robe flapping open. Alisa didn't slow down, though. She dragged her out of the bedroom, across the landing, and towards the staircase.Maddison's heels skidded uselessly. She tried to dig in, twist away, and scream something coherent."Who the hell are you?—stop—let go—you crazy bitch—!"Alisa barely reacted. She only pulled harder.Maddison's knees buckled at the top step. She grabbed the banister with both hands, her nails scraping the wood.Alisa simply switched her grip, her left hand still locked in Maddison's hair, while the right hand clamped around her upper arm.With one quick tug, Maddison's fingers tore away from the rail.She tumbled forward, half-falling, half-dragged down the first three steps.Her shin smacked against the edge of the stairs. She cried out in pain. But Alisa didn't pause. She kept moving, forcing Maddison to scramble awkw