Chapter 96
Chapter 96 Shattered Illusions
His voice was cold as ice.
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Anneliese’s grandmother in Baytree suffered from kidney disease. Though it had not reached the point of needing a transplant, she still had to undergo dialysis twice a month.
The old woman refused to move away, and while Baytree’s cost of living was lower than here, Anneliese had still arranged the best treatment plan money could buy. It was far from cheap.
She couldn’t believe Zacharias would stoop so low as to use that against her. He wasn’t even human anymore.
Her voice trembled with fury. “You’re a monster, Zacharias! My grandmother practically raised you. If not for her giving up my father’s pension, you, your mother, and your sister would have been living under a bridge! How dare you use her as leverage p>
“I didn’t want this either, Anne, but you left me with no other choice. So, get over here now p>
Anneliese said nothing more, only hung up in anger. Still, Zacharias knew she would come. Yet as he gripped the phone, the veins stood out on his hand, his chest tight with irritation.
That uncontrollable panic, that spiraling sense of loss as everything slipped further from his grasp the more he pressed, the further she pulled away. It left him raw, frantic.
He could feel it deep down: something about her was different now. She no longer cared about his moods, his feelings. It was as though she was preparing to fly away from him, and he had no idea how to hold her down, no idea what exactly he was about to lose.
The uncertainty gnawed at him like standing on the edge of a cliff, knowing the next step could send him plunging into the abyss.
An hour later, Anneliese still arrived at the station.
The moment she stepped out of the car, she spotted Zacharias beneath the tree outside the office building. A cigarette burned between his fingers, his tall frame sharp and unyielding, his handsome face shadowed by smoke.
Even with the bustle of people going in and out around him, he stood there as though he belonged to another world. But Anneliese was no longer swayed by that flawless shell. To even look at him twice felt like an insult to herself. She barely spared him a glance before heading straight toward the building.
Zacharias crushed out his cigarette and strode after her. Before she could reach the doors, his
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Chapter 96 Shattered Illusions
hand clamped hard around her wrist.
“Let go!” She tried to pull free but couldn’t.
He yanked harder, dragging her forward. “We need to talk p>
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Pain flared in her wrist. She frowned. “Zacharias, this is a police station. If you don’t let go, I’ll scream for help p>
“If you don’t mind the scene, go ahead. See if anyone will intervene when a husband holds his wife’s hand,” he shot back.
Anneliese’s pride held her silent. He forced her along to the Bentley, shoved her into the back seat, then climbed in after her. The door slammed, sealing them in a tense, suffocating silence.
Arms crossed, she shifted as far from him as possible. The distance tightened his jaw, his dark gaze fixed on her. Finally, his tone softened, coaxing. “Don’t be difficult. Just sign this settlement. It’s for your own good p>
He slid the document in front of her.
Anneliese’s eyes flicked down. The paper declared she would not pursue charges against Melody–and, by extension, against Jameson. He had claimed Jameson was only acting under Melody’s orders and even had recordings of her phone calls to him. If she let Melody off, she’d be letting Jameson off too.
Her heart chilled. She had long since given up on this man, but once, he had been the boy she loved beyond reason, the one she had dreamed of growing old with. That boy was gone. What sat across from her now was someone unrecognizable, someone who kept shattering whatever hope she once had.
Hatred rose, sharp and choking. And when anger reached its peak, laughter sometimes followed. She let out two bitter chuckles. “For my own good? Tell me, how exactly is forgiving someone who tried to rape me supposed to be for my good p>
Her voice was frigid, her expression stripped of every trace of the warmth and gentleness she had once shown him. Those clear eyes of hers, always bright like twinkling stars when they looked at him, now held nothing but cutting contempt.
Zacharias felt as though a giant hand had clamped down on his heart, stealing his breath. He knew she was hurt, but what choice did he have? No matter her anger, he couldn’t abandon the mother who raised him.
It’s fine. We still have a lifetime ahead of us. I’ll make it up to her slowly.
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Chapter 96 Shattered Illusions
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Clinging to that thought, he spoke in a low voice. “Anne, you need to understand–even if you refuse to sign, neither Tate nor my mother will actually be convicted. My mother only did this because you set your dog on Lenora. She just wanted Jameson to scare you a little p>
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