Home / Romance / Divorced, Desired, Dangerous / Chapter 101 - Chapter 110

All Chapters of Divorced, Desired, Dangerous : Chapter 101 - Chapter 110

122 Chapters

Chapter 100: THE VANISHING ACT

NILAHThe small hotel room was completely silent.The dark curtains were still drawn tight across the glass, blocking out the afternoon sun. I sat on the edge of the narrow bed, looking down at the small black phone lying on the carpet near my feet.The screen was dark now. The bright green light had stopped flashing. But the images were still burned into my mind. I could still see Darien lying back on that leather couch, his face flushed red, his mouth slightly open, surrounded by those strange women in that crowded club.A cold, heavy stillness settled inside my chest.I did not feel angry. I did not feel like screaming or crying. The deep, burning sorrow that had been tearing my heart apart since Alexander died suddenly went quiet, turning into a solid block of ice.I reached down and picked up the small plastic phone.I held it in both hands. I pressed my thumbs hard against the center of the plastic body, bending it backward with all the strength left in my arms until I heard a s

Chapter 101: SHADOWS ON THE DOCK

DarienThree months passed.Three long, empty months of total silence.I sat in the small wooden rocking chair in the corner of Alexander’s nursery. The afternoon light came through the white lace curtains, throwing soft square shadows across the light green carpet.Everything in the room was untouched. The white wooden crib sat in the center of the floor. The yellow blanket sat folded neatly over the side rail. The small stuffed bear sat on the top shelf of the changing table, staring forward with dark plastic eyes.I raised the heavy white mug in my hand and took a slow sip of black coffee. It was cold, bitter, and thick. I didn't care. It was the only thing I put into my stomach these days.I reached my left hand into my coat pocket and pulled out Nilah’s wedding ring.It was a delicate gold band. I held it between my thumb and forefinger, turning it slowly under the dim sunlight. It was so small and light, but holding it felt like holding a cold piece of iron. She had left it on t

Chapter 102: A NEW HOME

NILAHI stood by the wooden counter inside the bakery, wrapping hot loaves of bread in brown paper. The warm steam smelled like yeast and sweet butter. Downstairs, the oven doors creaked as Martha pulled out another tray.I liked the quiet work. It kept my hands busy. It stopped my mind from wandering back to the empty nursery, back to the city, back to Darien.Then I heard the sound.It was not the loud roar of a fishing boat engine. It was not the rattle of a local pickup truck on the gravel road. It was the low, smooth hum of heavy, high-end engines.I froze. The roll of brown paper slipped from my cold fingers and landed on the wooden floor.I walked slowly to the front glass window and looked out into the street.Two large black sedans were rolling down the narrow gravel road. Their glass windows were dark and tinted. Their metal paint was pristine, completely clean, showing no dirt or sea salt from the long drive.My heart gave a violent, painful slam against my ribs.I knew tho

Chapter 103: THE BREAKING POINT

DARIENThe helicopter engine cut off with a long, dying whine.The heavy black blades slowed down above us, chopping through the freezing mountain air until they came to a complete stop. Outside the small oval window, gray snow was falling fast over the small runway in Oakridge.I didn't wait for the pilot to open the door. I threw the hatch open myself, stepping straight out into the freezing wind.My black leather boots sank deep into the fresh snow. The cold air hit my lungs like a mouthful of broken glass, but I didn't care. I pulled my heavy black wool coat tight around my chest, my eyes sweeping over the quiet, dark mountain trees surrounding the landing pad.Marko jumped out of the helicopter right behind me, his collar pulled up around his ears."Boss, wait!" Marko shouted over the howling wind. "The local agent is parked right by the wooden fence! Let me talk to him first!""No!" I barked back, my feet moving fast across the white snow. "Where is the car?"A plain gray sedan

Chapter 104: CLEANING THE BLOOD

DarienThe bright sun came through the high office windows, casting long, clean light across the wide mahogany desk.I sat still in my leather chair, staring at the small glass of water standing beside my right hand.My fingers were shaking. My muscles felt tight, and my head pounded with a dull, heavy ache that had not stopped for forty-two days. Cold sweat slicked the back of my neck under my white cotton collar.Six weeks ago, I poured every bottle of scotch, dark whiskey, and wine in this penthouse down the kitchen sink. I stopped cold turkey. The first seven days had felt like dying. My body shivered in the middle of the night, my stomach turned violently, and the quiet silence of the empty rooms screamed in my ears every time I closed my eyes.I didn't touch a drop. Whenever the burning in my gut got too strong, I looked down at Nilah's small gold wedding ring sitting on the corner of my desk.I picked up the glass of water and drank it down in three long swallows. The cold wate

Chapter 105: LETTING GO

DARIENI stood over him, pulling a clean white handkerchief from my pocket and wiping my fingers down to the palm."You have two hours," I said, looking down at him with zero emotion. "Two hours to get on a plane and leave this country. If I see your face in this city after twelve o'clock today, I will not put you in jail. I will strip every asset you have, hand your paper trails over to the federal prosecutors, and let you spend the rest of your life in a maximum-security cell."I turned my head and looked at Julian, who was still standing with Marko's gun pressed against his chin."The same goes for you, Julian," I said. "Every account you touched, every bribe you paid, every street deal you made is documented in Marko's folder. Leave the city today, or spend the next thirty years behind iron bars."Julian swallowed hard, his skin turning gray. "Darien... we were brothers...""Brothers don't destroy a man's family," I said flatly.I turned my back on them. I did not look back as Leo

Chapter 106: BEGINNING ALONE

NILAHSix months had passed since the afternoon I fled the quiet docks of Port Haven.Six long, exhausting months of living like a ghost. I had taken endless regional buses, walked miles along quiet dirt roads, and slept in drafty rooms, always moving before anyone could learn my face or ask for my name.Now, I stood in the middle of a wide glass greenhouse, holding a small silver watering can over a long wooden table filled with damp green soil.The air inside the glass house was warm, thick, and humid. It smelled deeply of rich black earth, wet leaves, and blooming white jasmine. Outside the high glass panels, the jagged peaks of the mountains surrounding the small border town of Oakridge were topped with fresh white snow. But in here, surrounded by rows of vibrant green ferns and flowering pots, the freezing mountain wind could not touch me.I tipped the silver spout forward, watching the clean water trickle softly into the dark soil around a small pot of red begonias."Make sure y

Chapter 107: A TRIP

DARIENI sat in the front passenger seat of a plain, unbadged dark sedan as it bounced over the cracked asphalt of Main Street. The heater blew dry, hot air against my legs, but the chill in my bones hadn't left since we crossed the county line two hours ago.Marko kept both hands at ten and two on the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the narrow road ahead."The local timber mill owners are already waiting at the diner near the north intersection," Marko said, his voice steady over the hum of the tires. "They are nervous, boss. Oakridge hasn't seen a commercial buy-out of this size in twenty years. They think a city corporation is coming in to shut down their docks and liquidate the land.""Let them be nervous," I said, my voice low and dry. "It makes the negotiations shorter. Show them the audit sheets, offer them ten percent above market value for the timber access, and guarantee their workers' contracts for three years. I don't want a fight today, Marko. I just want the contract s

Chapter 108: FROZEN IN THE GREEN

NilahThe warm, humid air inside the greenhouse was completely still.I stood halfway down the center aisle, holding the long silver spout of the watering can over a row of potted ferns. The clean water trickled down into the dark soil, soaking into the soft green fronds. The simple, rhythmic sound was the only thing filling the space, steady and calm.Then, the front brass bell rang violently.It was not the soft chime that came when Clara opened the door for a customer. It was a loud, harsh slam of metal against metal that rattled the glass panels in their frames.I froze. The silver spout tipped slightly in my hands, sending a stream of water splashing over the edge of the wooden bench and straight across the toes of my heavy leather boots.I didn't turn around immediately. My heart gave a single, violent thud against my ribs, and the cold, familiar knot of fear tightened deep in my gut."Nilah!"The voice tore through the quiet air like a jagged blade.My breath caught in my throa

Chapter 109: STANDING ACROSS

DARIENThe air in the greenhouse was heavy and warm, smelling of damp soil and wet ferns, but every breath I took felt like inhaling broken glass.Nilah stood five feet away from me, her back pressed flat against the wooden potting table. Her dark eyes were wide, filled with a terrifying mix of raw panic and deep, ancient grief. The small velvet box sat open on the edge of the bench between us, the tiny gold wedding ring gleaming under the soft yellow lights.She was trembling violently. Her knuckles were white where her fingers gripped the edge of the dark wood behind her back."Don't," she had whispered to me moments ago.I took half a step backward, raising both of my hands slowly, keeping my palms completely open and visible in the quiet air between us. I wanted her to see my bare skin. I wanted her to see that I carried no weapons, no heavy gold rings, no threats."I'm stepping back, Nilah," I said, my voice raw and cracking down the middle. "Look at my hands. I'm not moving any

...

8 9 10 11 12 13

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP