Chapter 188
Delaney had thought for sure that after everything she’d done to me, I’d be dead by now
But when she got discharged from the hospital and still hadn’t heard any news about my death, her nerves started to fray. She spent days in anxious silence, pacing and waiting–until the news finally came: Beckett and I had divorced.
She nearly jumped from excitement. She wouldn’t have to kill me. I had already walked off the battlefield on my own.
Which meant the title of Mrs. Shaw was hers for the taking.
Delaney knew Beckett still had feelings for me, no matter how much he tried to bury them.S
It was obvious when she merely brought up the idea of getting a marriage license–and Beckett went off on her, practically shouting her out of the room.
But that didn’t matter to her.
She knew exactly where Beckett’s weaknesses lay.
Between the threat of death and the so–called “life–saving debt” she claimed to hold over him, Beckett had no choice but to agree to marry her.&
She didn’t care what Beckett actually felt. She didn’t care if he hated her down to his bones. All she wanted was the luxury, the name, the social standing. She wanted to be Mrs. Shaw.
Everything was supposed to go smoothly. She was supposed to walk straight down the aisle and take everything she thought I’d left behind.
But things had gone horribly wrong.
Delaney froze for a moment, seething in place, before she snapped. Her face twisted into a bitter grimace as she dropped to her knees and began tearing the papers scattered on the floor–one by one, ripping them to shreds.
“So what if you know the truth now?” she hissed. “You won’t get rid of me that easily.”
Her eyes narrowed as she snatched up her phone.§
She’d lay low for a while. Now wasn’t the time to show her face around Beckett–not until the dust settled. But she still had one card left to play: the baby. As long as she was carrying his child, she still had leverage.
With clenched teeth, she gathered up her designer bags, jewelry and all the expensive clothes she’d packed into the guest room. And just like that, she stormed out without a single glance back.
At the hospital, Beckett finally opened his eyes.
Everything around him was a blinding white, but all he could feel was the hollow ache in his chest. He never imagined I’d suffered so much behind his back.”
Even the divorce agreement–he found out I’d traded the Saint Christopher necklace I always wore just to get it signed. He thought ! must’ve been in absolute agony when I handed it to him.
The memory made him want to punch himself.§
The sterile scent of antiseptic filled his nose, dragging him back to every painful moment that had led to this. He hadn’t even gotten around to investigating the so–called life–saving incident Delaney kept using as a bargaining chip.§
But he didn’t need to anymore.
He knew now–Delaney had never been her savior. His chest tightened with guilt and rage as he sat up, gritting his teeth.
He called out to his assistant, voice raw with urgency. “Find Evelyn. I don’t care what it takes–money, manpower, whatever. Just find her!” “She has cancer… and she’s carrying my child. I need to bring her back before it’s too late,” Beckett said, his eyes bloodshot, as if he were about to break.!
Then he picked up his phone and dialed a private investigator.
When he hung up, his entire expression shifted–hardened into something colder.
He glared at his assistant.
“Get some men and lock Delaney up,” he ordered, “I don’t care what she says. She can’t go out.”
The assistant stared at him, stunned. Beckett had always treated Delaney like a fragile porcelain doll, someone untouchable. This shift…. was staggering.
Beckett’s patience snapped.”
“What are you looking at? Get it done–now!“%
“Tie her up if you have to,” he growled. “Then go find Evelyn. We have to find Evelyn.”
The assistant, trembling, nodded quickly and scrambled out the door.
