The CEO's Runaway Wife And Secret Heir

thing compared to the throbbing in her wrists. The red, raw marks left by the handcuffs felt like brandings. She stared at the scuff

iding up her thigh like he owned her. The way his breath had smelled like stale gin when he whispered what he wa

r back toward him with a string of filthy names. The panic had spiked, pure and hot, and she had shoved him. Ha

the gin on his breath. They had only seen the crying man on the floor and the woman

Officer Doyle had

dn't call her parents. She couldn't handle the disappointment in her mother's voice, the inevitable le

g her flinch. Officer Doyle appeared, a clip

na must have gotten the message. She scrambled to her feet, smoothing do

ask, her voice hoarse.

r parents. Standard procedure in that case is a background check. Your record flagged a prior connection to a

swung o

evaporated, replaced by a cold drea

rcoal suit that probably cost more than her annual rent, the fabric draping perfectly over his broad shoulder

s partner. Eliot looked at her with a mix of curiosity

ater in her veins. Shame, hot

ed dress, lingering on the red marks on her wrists. A slow, mocking sm

e suddenly full of respect, practical

ough to let her pass. "Look at this, Eliot," he said, his voice smooth and utterly devoid of wa

all, knowing no

reathe. The humiliation of the arrest was nothing compared to this. Being paraded in fro

buy a cup of coffee. He signed the forms, then turned back to her. He reached into his inner jacket pocket and pull

est," Keven said, his tone f

t followed, casting one last, lingering lo

er to the bench and picked up the card with trembling fingers. She didn't look at it.

ankly out the window. By the time she reached the small, cramped house, it was past midnight. She slipped her key into the lock

icked shut, the living

ed over her chest, her face like thunder. The TV w

en?" Deena's voice

oat tightene

ht, Helena. From the police. My daughter, arrested for assault. Do you have

na whispered, but the words so

are a mother, Helena. You have a child to think about. And instead of acting lik

e thin armor Helena had tried to build. She

ed out on your husband," Deena continued, her voice rising. "You threw aw

ssible to speak. She didn't argue. She didn't defend herself

y to the bedroom she shared with her son. She closed the door s

alling in peaceful rhythm. His curly hair was matted against

s. She traced the curve of her son's cheek with a trembling finger. He

Leo's toys stacked in the corner. She thought of Keven's cold eyes, hi

ouse where his mother was treated like a disease. She couldn't spend the

change this. She had to get out. For Leo. For herself. She had to find