Chapter 79
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Late night in Liono City, Dominic stood firm, blocking the path of Skyla’s wheelchair. “Before Chris left, he gave me strict orders to keep an eye on you and not let you go p>
Skyla’s fingers tightened around the armrests, the knuckles turning white. “So something really did happen to Winter p>
Dominic had never seen her like this.
She was usually gentle and composed. Now there was something tightly restrained in her expression, something almost frantic. For a split second, it sent a chill down his spine.
He frowned at himself. What was he thinking? She was just worried.
“She was kidnapped,” he said.
Skyla froze, then her voice turned sharp. “Didn’t William leave bodyguards with her? They could have handled it. Gavin could have handled it. Why did Chris have to go himself p>
No one knew who had taken Winter. What if it was dangerous? Was he willing to risk his life?
Her words were cold, especially considering Skyla and Winter had once been close friends. But Dominic knew Skyla had never fully gotten over Winter marrying Chris.
He wasn’t getting involved in that.
“They’re still legally married,” he said calmly. “Even if Winter wants a divorce, that hasn’t happened yet. And she grew up in front of him. Even if there is no love left, there is history. It makes sense that he would go p>
He thought she might understand.
Instead, her expression grew darker. She signaled to the caregiver to push her wheelchair.
“I’m going to see for myself p>
Dominic immediately blocked her again. “And do what? They tracked her to a remote mountain area. You can’t even get up there in a wheelchair. Chris is going to rescue someone. If you go, you’ll only slow him down. What are you thinking p>
“I have had this awful feeling all night. Something is not right.” Skyla clenched her hands tightly.
She lowered her gaze to the ruby bracelet on her wrist. Unease tightened in her chest, as if something terrible was about to happen.
“Who kidnapped her?” she asked.
The man responsible was unstable and obsessive. Dominic summarized it briefly, then added, “It all started because of Jacob’s death. After Jacob died, he lost his source of income. He couldn’t pay for his girlfriend’s treatment. She took her own life. That pushed him over the edge p>
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Chapter 29.
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“Because of Jacob’s death…” Skyla muttered to herself.
Her gaze drifted to the snow resting on the shrubs in the courtyard. For a split second, something sharp and chilling flashed through her eyes.
Then it was gone.
Her expression smoothed over, her eyes turning still and empty, like the surface of a frozen lake.
The wind in the valley howled with an eerie edge.
The dim light, the snow and dry branches on the ground, the drifting mist. It felt detached from reality, like another world entirely.
Chris stood in front of Winter, blocking the worst of the wind.
She could hear her own heartbeat racing. She focused on the hand gripping hers, waiting for some involuntary reaction. A reflex would be honest.
But he didn’t move at all.
A dry branch snapped under his foot.
His voice, as cold as the wind and snow, reached her.
“No p>
Her consciousness was fading, but she forced herself to hold on long enough to hear his answer.
That answer.
A faint smile curved at her lips.
“That’s good p>
Sam had warned her that Jacob was lucky he died after being discharged from the hospital and showing himself in public. If he had died right after she hit him, she would never have been able to clear her name.
For a brief moment, she had wondered whether Chris had been protecting her.
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Florence
A passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.