\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 10\u00a0<\/p>\n
DAVID\u2019S POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
I could not sleep that night. Not a single damn minute.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood on the balcony with a cigarette burning down to my fingers. Did not even feel it. The sea breeze hit my face but it did nothing. My chest felt like it was on fire. Like something heavy was sitting on it, laughing at me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I dialed Mark.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDig everything,\u201d I said. Voice calm. Too calm. \u201cEverything about Isabella. That kidnapping day. The bruises. The weight she lost. Why she looked like she was fading right in front of me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took another drag. My jaw tightened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen she came back, she looked like hell. Thin as glass. I told Westley to treat her like a damn queen. I paid him every month. Five star food. Best place. No excuses.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I laughed once. Bitter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI trusted that bastard. Now I want facts. No blind spots. No bullshit.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The call ended. I stayed there until the sky started turning gray.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By morning, Mark walked into my office looking like shit. Dark circles. Shirt wrinkled. Hands shaking like he had seen a ghost.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He dropped a thick folder on my desk. Hard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBoss,\u201d he said quietly, \u201cwe pulled deleted files. CCTV. Hidden cams. Audio. Safe house footage.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He swallowed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone wiped it all on purpose. Thought it was gone for good.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I opened the first file.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The screen lit up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Isabella was chained to a chair. Barefoot. Bruised everywhere. Face swollen. Eyes red.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Westley walked around her like he owned her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStop crying,\u201d he said, laughing. \u201cYour husband handed you to me. You belong here now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her voice was barely there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease\u2026 don\u2019t- don\u2019t hit me again! I\u2019ll stay quiet. I swear.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:07 Wed, Jan 28\u00a0<\/p>\n
He punched her. Just like that. She dropped to the floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hand slammed the desk so hard it cracked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at you,\u201d Westley said, smiling. \u201cStill waiting for him to save you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My vision went white.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Next clip.\u00a0<\/p>\n
87\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was on the floor. Knees scraped raw. Lip bleeding. Naked except for her hair covering her face. I felt sick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Westley crouched in front of her, cigarette lit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cry too much,\u201d he said casually. \u201cTime to teach you how to shut up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She shook her head fast. Panic all over her face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo\u2026 please\u2026 please don\u2019t\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He pressed the cigarette into her shoulder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She screamed once. Then bit it back so hard her jaw shook.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Westley laughed like it was funny.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s it. Learn fast.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned away. My stomach twisted. I felt like I was going to tear something apart or throw up or both.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Third clip loaded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She stood under harsh light. Men sitting around. Drinking. Watching her like meat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Westley grabbed her hair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStand straight. Let them see.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her voice cracked. Almost gone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid\u2026 please\u2026 help me\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He slapped her hard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe can\u2019t hear you,\u201d Westley said. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t love you. Never did. You\u2019re trash he threw away.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He leaned closer to her ear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBy the way, he\u2019s marrying your sister tomorrow. Roxanne. In your house. Too bad you\u00a0<\/p>\n
can\u2019t attend.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Someone laughed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBoss, let her go tomorrow. Let her see the wedding.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Westley shook his head. \u201cNah. David would lose his shit if he saw her like this. And I\u00a0<\/p>\n
29.03.\u00a0<\/p>\n
like her here. She\u2019s my favorite toy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her eyes went empty. Just gone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My breathing broke. My hands shook. I had not felt that kind of rage in my life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The room went silent. Mark did not say a word.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The truth hit me like a bullet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She did not act. She did not lie. She did not exaggerate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She survived hell while I slept next to another woman and believed a story.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood up slow. My vision dark. My blood loud in my ears.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s Westley,\u201d I asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mark swallowed. \u201cOverseas. New name. New face.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBring him back,\u201d I said. \u201cI don\u2019t care how. Alive or dead.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another assistant spoke up, careful. \u201cBoss\u2026 there\u2019s more footage. You want to see?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The screen changed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A car crash. Twisted metal. Blood everywhere.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Isabella crawled out, dragging herself. Ryle screaming somewhere off camera.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Five men rushed her. Dragged her by the hair. Kicked her. Punched her. Ryle was crying, trying to reach her bloody face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They threw her into the back of a van.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Next clip.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A cemetery.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They dragged her out again. Beat her like she was nothing. Dumped her beside a grave. Threw dirt on her. Left her there like trash.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at the screen until it went black.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The world tilted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shot up so fast my chair screamed against the floor. Black crept in from the edges of my vision and I had to grab the wall just to stay upright. My mouth filled with that bitter metal taste like I was about to throw up blood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWho,\u201d I growled. My voice was rough. Broken. \u201cWho the fuck did this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mark dropped his head. He stayed quiet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That snapped it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I slammed my fist on the desk. Hard. \u201cTalk, Mark. Say the damn name.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 10\u00a0<\/p>\n
214 2009\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:07 Wed, Jan 28\u00a0<\/p>\n
His shoulders tensed. \u201cThe money trail, boss. Every payment. Every transfer. It all comes from Roxanne\u2019s personal account.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The room went dead silent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then he spoke again, softer. Slower.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe men who attacked Miss Isabella. We caught them. They confessed.\u201d He swallowed. \u201cRoxanne told them it didn\u2019t matter if Isabella lived or died. That\u2019s why they dared to tie her to the car. Drag her across the road. Dump her into a mass grave.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Something cracked in my chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mark clicked another file.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The screen lit up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I watched.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I watched them hurt her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her groans filled the room. Weak. Broken. Begging. Their laughter cut through her pain like knives.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My head throbbed. Veins pulsed at my temples. I wanted to smash the monitor. Rip it apart. Jump through the damn screen and put my body between her and every hit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I couldn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was chained to the truth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her phone call flashed in my head. Her shaking voice asking for help. I hung up on her. The hospital came next. She stood alone in line paying her bills. I thought she was stalking me. Thought she was trying to mess with Roxanne. I yelled at her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shoved her with Ryle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Left her on the floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My chest burned. Her cries wouldn\u2019t leave my ears. How much pain did she go through while I turned my back like a blind idiot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mark\u2019s voice pulled me back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s one more thing, boss,\u201d he said. \u201cThe twins. Isabella didn\u2019t kill them.\u201d My body froze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:07 Wed, Jan 28\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u0e1e\u0e23 87\u00a0<\/p>\n
Prepare the divorce and ruin your husband by Mark Twain 10 \u00a0 Chapter 10\u00a0 DAVID\u2019S POV\u00a0 I could not sleep […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-his-regret-my-victory-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23541"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23541\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}