Chapter 597
She clawed at his wrist, panic flooding her face as tears spilled down her cheeks.
“Answer me!” he yelled.
Her voice trembled. The look in his eyes sent a cold wave through her entire body. In that moment, she believed he would kill her without hesitation. His grip tightened further. Her face flushed red as she struggled to breathe. “I didn’t do anything…”
Kyson stared at her as though weighing every word.
After a few seconds, Lyman stepped forward and forced Kyson’s hand away. “Strangling her won’t fix this. Kailey’s life is at stake. We find her first.” His eyes dropped to Candice, who had collapsed onto the floor. “We’ll deal with her later.”
Kyson’s breathing turned ragged. His chest rose and fell hard. “Where?” he asked in a strained voice.
Lyman gave him the location and tossed him the car keys.
He watched Kyson disappear through the doors, then slowly shifted his attention back to Candice, still sitting on the floor. A faint, humorless laugh slipped from his lips. “Miss Lawson, I finally have some time. Let’s settle this properly.”
Candice didn’t respond. Her body shook without control. If facing Kyson had always felt like a battle of wits, then standing in front of Lyman felt entirely different. He wasn’t the type to scheme in the shadows. If he decided to act, he would simply crush her outright.
Kyson reached the bridge where police and rescue teams were still combing through the area.
Hours had passed. There was nothing.
An officer walked over and explained the situation again. Kyson stood there, his face rigid, a faint tremor running through him.
“Mr. Blake?” the officer said carefully when he didn’t react. “Given the circumstances, you need to prepare yourself. If she was carried downstream, the situation could be complex and unpredictable.”
That word struck him hard. Unpredictable. It felt like something heavy had slammed into his chest.
“Please,” he said, his voice hoarse. “You have to find her.”
The officer heard the strain in his voice and hesitated, unsure how to offer comfort. He nodded solemnly. “We will do everything we can.”
But after so many hours with no sign of her, the search had already begun to feel impossible. They had combed through the river again and again. Waiting became its own form of torture.
Teams rotated in shifts, yet Kyson refused to step back. He changed into rescue gear himself and joined the search, moving between the river and the shore without rest.
“Mr. Blake!” Devin finally stepped forward. “You need to stop. If you keep going like this, you’re going to collapse.”
“Move,” Kyson said. His face had turned pale. Water ran down his features, and it was impossible to tell whether it came from the river or from sweat.
There was only one thought in his mind — find her. He refused to accept that something had happened to Kailey. The idea alone felt impossible.