Chapter 11
Ryan stood frozen, staring at the small, broken body in silence.
His heart felt like it had been ripped open, cold wind howling through the hole, sharp agony tearing through every inch of him.
“Once you confirm the identity, sign here.”
The sudden voice snapped Ryan back to reality.
He didn’t take the paperwork. Instead, he lunged forward, trying to gather Thea in his arms.
Someone blocked his path.
“What are you doing? Help her! Can’t you see she’s hurt?”
“Get away from me! She’s in pain-I have to save her before it’s too late!”
Somehow he found the strength to break free, rushing to Thea’s side.
“Thea, don’t be scared. I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Get a doctor! Someone get a doctor!”
“Mr. Mitchell, your wife has been dead for two days.” The officer’s voice was gentle. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
Thea was right here in his arms. What loss was he talking about?
Since no one saved her, he did it himself.
CPR. Mouth-to-mouth.
Like a man possessed, desperate and manic.
But you can’t bring back the dead. It was all useless.
Ryan held her close, trying to warm her cold body, but nothing worked.
“Thea, stop playing around. Just look at me, okay?”
“I’ll do whatever you want from now on. You don’t like Lyra? I’ll never see her again. Deal?”
“I was wrong. Hit me, scream at me, kill me if you want-just please don’t do this to me.”
Ryan kept calling her name until his voice gave out completely.
But the woman in his arms would never answer him again.
Ryan pressed his face against hers, not caring as her blood and soot stained his skin.
Tears blurred his vision as memories flooded back.
When Ryan first met Thea, he was at rock bottom.
His family business had collapsed, his father died of a heart attack, his mother’s health was failing, and Lyra had stolen what little money he had left before running off with someone else.
Thea’s pure love was the first light he’d seen in endless darkness.
That light was everything to him then-a hand reaching into the abyss, a fire in the bitter cold.
Salvation Hope.
A chance to live again
12.494
He hadn’t loved Thea back then, but he’d grabbed the only lifeline he had.
Thea was too good to him.
She loved him with everything she had, stayed through the worst of it, helped him get his life back on track.
Slowly, she’d grown roots in his heart until she became part of him.
He’d promised her he’d make it big, marry her, give her everything she deserved.
And he had. For three years of marriage, he’d never let anyone hurt her.
Until Lyra came back a year ago.
He knew exactly what Lyra was-a gold-digger, selfish and ruthless.
He knew she’d only come back for his money and status.
But when Lyra debased herself, throwing herself at him over and over without shame, he felt a sick thrill of satisfaction and revenge.
Thea caught on pretty quickly.
At first he felt guilty. Then it became routine. Eventually, he got annoyed.
Plenty of guys in his circle played around way more than he did. It was just business as usual.
He was only seeing one woman, and he’d promised not to take away Thea’s position as his wife. What more did she want?
When he got bored, he’d come back to her. Why couldn’t she just wait?
But he’d forgotten something crucial. The same Thea who’d defied her family to build a life with him from nothing was never going to settle for scraps.
Losing her was inevitable.
“Mr. Mitchell, based on witness statements and physical evidence, your wife took her own life. Did she show any signs of suicidal behavior?”
The words hit Ryan like a sledgehammer. His whole body shook.
