บททั้งหมดของ Bullied Wife In A Contract Marriage : บทที่ 121 - บทที่ 128

~ Amara ~The ink on my fingertip was a dark, jagged stain. I tried to rub it off against the rough fabric of my coat, but it had already set into the lines of my skin. I stood on the sidewalk outside the Central Precinct, watching the red and blue lights of a departing squad car pulse against the wet brick walls. The rain had turned into a thick, low mist that tasted like salt and exhaust. Noah was inside, being processed for release. Gideon was back in his tower. I was here, in the middle, feeling the familiar coldness of the Moore shadow stretching over me again. I had signed the Discretionary Waiver on the steps of Helix Tower. It was a thin piece of paper, but it felt as heavy as the stone walls of Moore Crest.I walked to my car and drove toward Ms. Patel’s office. My hands gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles were white. The city moved past me like a blur of gray glass. I parked and took the elevator to the fourth floor. The office was quiet. The smell of old paper an

~ Amara ~The cardboard box on my passenger seat felt like a lead weight, pressing down on the worn leather of my car. It was a simple, brown container I had scavenged from the back of the warehouse, with flaps that refused to stay folded no matter how much I tucked them. I had attempted to seal it with a heavy roll of packing tape three separate times, but each time, I found myself ripping the tape away with a jagged motion. I needed to look at the contents one final time, as if seeing them would help me understand the man I was leaving behind in the rubble of my own hope.Inside were the small, broken remains of a life I truly thought we had started. I saw the blue ceramic mug with the tiny chip on the rim, the one we used every single morning for our bitter, black coffee in the quiet of Linden Row. I saw the thick blue sweater he used to wear while working at the bakery; threads of white flour were still caught in the rough wool of the sleeves. I even saw the small jar of honey Mr.

~ Selene ~“You look like a Moore again, Selene,” Aunt Helena said through the thick glass.I smoothed the front of my new silk scarf and smiled. I liked the feel of the fabric. It was soft and expensive. It was not like the scratchy wool coat I had to wear last week. I sat on the hard plastic chair. The chair was bright blue and bolted to the gray floor. The room smelled like strong bleach and old coffee. It was a gross smell that made my nose itch. I looked at Aunt Helena through the window. She was behind the glass in her orange jumpsuit. The color was ugly. Her skin looked pale and dry under the buzzing lights. But her eyes were still the same. They were sharp and cold like ice.“I feel like a Moore again, Auntie,” I replied into the black phone. “Chloe’s bank account has been very helpful. I have a real apartment now. I have a driver again. I do not have to walk in the rain anymore.”“Good,” Helena hissed. She leaned closer to the glass. Her breath made a small fog on the surface

~ Amara ~“The trucks aren't moving, Amara,” Sarah said as she slammed her tablet down on my oak desk.I looked up from a stack of shipping routes. My coffee was cold. I had been in the office since five in the morning. My eyes felt like someone had rubbed sand into them. I looked at the monitors on the wall. Usually, they showed bright green dots moving across a map. Today, every single dot was red.“What happened, Sarah?” I asked. I stood up and walked to the window. The yard was full of blue trucks. The drivers were standing around in small groups. They weren't wearing their driving gloves. They were just talking and looking at their phones.“The insurance company,” Sarah replied. She sounded like she wanted to cry. “They sent an emergency notice ten minutes ago. Our policy is gone. It was revoked effective immediately.”I felt a cold shiver run down my back. A logistics company without insurance is just a parking lot full of expensive scrap metal. If a truck hits a pothole or lose