Chapter 376
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Chapter 376:
“You are Carmen,” Justin said, his voice steady and anchored in absolute certainty. “You are my son’s aunt. And you are the only woman on this earth I care about. That is all the identity you need p>
The raw, unfiltered devotion in his words hit Carmen’s shattered heart like a lifeline.
She leaned forward and dropped her forehead against his shoulder. Her hands released the cup and gripped the fabric of his dress shirt with desperate force. She pressed herself into his warmth.
Justin’s arms wrapped around her immediately, pulling her flush against his chest and completely engulfing her. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in her scent.
𝖳𝘩𝖾 𝘣es𝗍 𝘳𝗲𝗏𝗶е𝗐𝘴 on ѕ.𝖼𝘰𝗺
But as he held the trembling woman he loved, his eyes remained open. Staring at the blank wall, his gaze turned dark and calculating.
A soft knock broke the silence.
Leo stepped into the lounge holding a secure tablet. He took one look at the Senator holding Carmen and immediately averted his eyes.
Justin gently pulled away from her. He stood up, his face snapping back into a mask of cold authority, and stepped out into the hallway.
Leo handed him the tablet. “Preliminary police report, sir. It wasn’t an accident. The brake lines on Mr. Golden’s Mercedes were cleanly severed p>
Justin’s jaw locked. A murderous rage flared in his chest.
Someone had realized Carmen was getting too close to her past. Someone was trying to permanently silence the Goldens and keep the secret buried.
“Mobilize our private intelligence team,” Justin ordered, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper. “I want to know exactly who touched that car. I want them found before the NYPD gets to them p>
He walked back into the lounge.
The emotional exhaustion had finally taken its toll. Carmen had slumped sideways on the sofa, fast asleep, her face pale and streaked with dried tears.
Justin walked over, bent down, and effortlessly scooped her up into his arms. He carried her into the adjoining private bedroom of the suite and laid her gently on the bed, pulling the thick duvet up to her chin.
He sat on the edge of the mattress. His long fingers reached out, tracing the faint, white scar on her left wrist.
“Seven years,” Justin whispered into the dark room. “I will never let anyone hurt you again. Even if I have to build a cage of lies to keep you safe p>
Across the city, in the Collins penthouse.
Jocelyn shifted in her sleep. A soft groan escaped her lips as a dull ache radiated through her lower back.
She slowly opened her eyes. The room was dark, lit only by the faint glow of the bedside lamp.
Gaston was sitting beside her. He had drawn the silk sheet down to her waist, and his large, calloused hands, coated in a cooling medicinal ointment, were working the salve into the bruised muscles of her lower back with agonizing, meticulous care.
His touch was impossibly gentle, as though she were something priceless and fragile. His dark eyes held a deep, satiated tenderness.
Jocelyn felt a rush of heat flood her cheeks. She quickly closed her eyes again, pretending to still be asleep.