Todos los capítulos de The Substitute Bride: Capítulo 41 - Capítulo 50

Claire came fully awake once Adrian told her the attacker had been caught, and the first thing out of her mouth was that she wanted to leave and see him for herself. "No," Adrian said. "He attacked me, Adrian. I have every right to know why." Before he could answer, the doctor walked back in, clipboard in hand, and told her plainly that discharge wasn't happening today, and certainly not so she could walk into a police station. "You keep deciding things for me," Claire said, looking between the two of them. "Both of you. Nobody tells me the truth about anything, they just decide what's best and expect me to sit here and accept it." "I'm not trying to control you," Adrian said again, though the words felt heavier this time, because he knew exactly how true her accusation was, just not for the reason she thought. "Then stop hiding things from me." He didn't answer that. He couldn't, not without admitting where he'd actually spent the night before, and the silence between them str

Marsh was still crouched beside the body when the anger finally caught up with him. He stood and turned on the officer in the doorway."Who went in there.""No one, sir." The officer's voice shook slightly. "I was on the door the whole time.""The whole time. You never left.""I stepped away once, maybe two minutes, to use the restroom. That's it.""Two minutes," Marsh repeated. "That's all it takes. When did you last check on him before that.""Maybe twenty minutes before. He was sitting on the cot. Fine. Quiet, but fine.""Did anyone come by during your shift. Anyone at all. Another officer, someone from another department, anyone asking about him."The officer hesitated, just slightly, before shaking his head. "Not that I saw, sir.""Not that you saw," Marsh repeated, letting the words sit there. "That's not the same as no.""I don't know what you want me to say. I found him like this."Marsh didn't answer right away. He looked past the officer, back into the small room, at the cot

A nurse helped Claire into fresh clothes while Claire talked almost nonstop, moving through the process faster than anyone expected, practically bouncing on her good foot with every step."I keep thinking about what I'm going to ask him first," she said, mostly to herself. "Where he kept her. Whether she's even still alive. Whether he was even working alone, or if there's someone else out there too.""You'll want to write some of that down," the nurse said, amused, folding a blanket over the end of the bed. "Sounds like you've got a whole list building.""I do." Claire laughed, a little embarrassed. "I've been thinking about it for hours. I just want to understand what happened. All of it. Finally."Adrian stood by the window, saying nothing, the weight of what he already knew sitting heavy behind his silence. He watched her face, so alive with hope, and felt something twist tighter in his chest with every question she added to her list.Claire glanced over and caught his expression.

"I came because you won't answer my calls," Victoria said, not moving from the sofa. "Three today alone, Adrian." "I've been busy." "Too busy for me, apparently." She tilted her head, studying him with an ease that made his skin prickle. "That's not like you. Not after everything." "Victoria, whatever this is, now isn't the time." "When is the time?" Her voice stayed light, almost playful, but something underneath it had an edge to it he didn't like. "You disappear from my apartment without a word beyond 'it was a mistake,' and then you just stop answering. I think I deserve a conversation, don't you?" "I told you where we stood that morning. I meant it." "Did you." She uncrossed her legs and leaned forward slightly. "Because it didn't feel like a mistake at the time, Adrian. It felt like something neither of us could have stopped even if we wanted to." Adrian's jaw tightened. "I need you to leave." "I will." She stood, smoothing her skirt, unhurried. "I just wanted you to kno

Claire drove without really paying attention to where she was going, her knuckles tight on the wheel, Adrian's voice still echoing in her head. I said I'll let you know. The shout had come out of nowhere, over nothing, just a simple question about Marsh, and she couldn't stop turning it over, trying to make sense of what could put that much fury in him so suddenly. She took one turn, then another, barely registering the streets passing by, her mind too full of his face in that moment, the way it had gone from guarded to furious in half a second. The car jerked hard to one side before she even noticed the sound that came first, a dull thump followed by a steady flapping noise. She slowed down and eased onto the shoulder, her heart sinking as she stepped out into the cooling evening air and saw the tire sagging flat against the asphalt. Her anger drained out of her almost instantly, replaced by something closer to panic. She crouched down and looked at it as if staring hard enough mi