Chapter 1

A pair of rough hands was tearing at Heidi Jonassen's dress rather violently. The owner of those hands gave her no time to catch her breath. His movements were swift, deliberate, and without warning. He kissed her aggressively, as if he had been waiting for this moment. It hurt, but there was also a strange, familiar thrill in it. In the darkness, she couldn't see his face, but the scent of him was unmistakable. Heidi's body gave way, the strength draining from her as the kiss deepened. Every cell in her body screamed in surrender. Her thoughts clouded, leaving only instinctive gasps and shivers. He led her through the crashing waves of sensation as pure pleasure completely consumed her. Then, in an instant, Heidi's eyes snapped open. The car had just emerged from a tunnel, and the streetlights were causing her vision to go blurry. Her heart was racing, while her mind was still foggy from the dream. Again. The same dream happened again. What was wrong with her lately? Was she starved for intimacy? "Are you awake? What did you dream about? You look like you've seen a ghost." Nelson Cooper's voice jolted her back to reality. Heidi shot him a glare, rubbing her temples in frustration. "It was an erotic dream." Nelson exaggeratedly shook his head. "Man, you really are something. You've only been separated for just a short while, and you're already this starved for intimacy?" He quickly changed the subject. "It's almost New Year's, and you two are still in a standoff? He left a beautiful woman like you with me, but he's not even bothered?" Heidi pulled the corners of her lips into a bitter smile. Maverick Cadwell probably wished she would never go back, just to avoid bothering him. The sweetness of the dream faded quickly. "He won't care." Heidi had made up her mind. If Maverick didn't clear up the situation with that woman, it was time to end things. Two years of marriage, and she had gone from feeling full of warmth to just a shell of emptiness. The car cruised smoothly in the dark. Suddenly, Nelson clicked his tongue. "Police checkpoint up ahead." Heidi lifted her gaze, following his line of sight. At the intersection ahead, police lights flashed in the distance. A few figures in fluorescent green were pulling over drivers. One stood out, tall and imposing. Even from a distance, she recognized him. Her heart leaped into her throat. No way. Was this a coincidence? Nelson rolled the window down slightly and widened his eyes. "Hey, look. It's your husband." … "Give me your name and age. Hand over your driver's license and ID, please." A moment's silence later, the voice came again. "Didn't you hear me?" Nelson rummaged through the glove compartment while muttering, "Captain Cadwell, you're getting involved in too much, aren't you? Don't tell me you're patrolling here now." Maverick took the documents without a word, glancing at the passenger seat. "There's a strong smell of alcohol." Nelson quickly raised both hands. "It was Heidi! I didn't have a drop." He then slapped Heidi on the shoulder in a half-exasperated way. "Come on. Say something!" Heidi felt her heart skip a beat under Maverick's gaze. She instinctively turned her head, showing only the elegant curve of her neck. The heater was on full blast, and her off-shoulder wool sweater exposed her delicate collarbone. Maverick turned his attention back to the breathalyzer, handing it to Nelson. "Blow." "Alright, alright. Don't say I'm not cooperating with law enforcement." Nelson blew into the device, and the machine beeped. He stared at the result, bewildered. Maverick glanced at the numbers on the screen. "Can you read? Take a look yourself. Turn off the engine and get out." 0.08%. Right on the line. Nelson turned to Heidi in disbelief. "Hold up. Is the fruit wine I had at lunch still lingering?" Heidi rolled her eyes in irritation and got out of the car. As Maverick wrote up the ticket, Heidi sat down on the curb. Snowflakes landed on her face, quickly melting into dampness that chilled her chest. "Heidi, it's snowing. Come sit in our car for a bit." Heidi looked up and saw Jackie Taschner from the police team. She had met Jackie a few times. "I'm fine. It's not that cold. You go ahead." Jackie hesitated, then walked back to the police car. A young rookie approached, asking, "Who's that? She looks like a celebrity." "That's Captain Cadwell's wife." Heidi was definitely dressed lightly for the weather. Heidi had dressed up on purpose to accompany Nelson to the dinner. She was wearing shorts with high boots, and those long, slender legs were left exposed as if she didn't feel the cold in the least on this winter night. As cars passed, she could feel eyes lingering on her. Heidi stood up, glancing toward the figure in the distance. It had been about two months since she moved out. She didn't expect to run into Maverick today, of all days. She had convinced herself that she had moved on and that she could stay calm. But seeing him now, all the pain she had kept bottled up flooded back. Her heart was twisting in pain. After finishing up with Nelson, Maverick turned and grabbed his police coat from his car, then walked toward Heidi. He looked down at her, and in the two months since they last spoke, his first words to her were, "Thought you had gone off alcohol?" Heidi sniffled and took the coat, slipping it on. "Well, since we're not trying for a baby anymore, I don't think I need to stay sober." Before she moved out, she had only been thinking of having a child with Maverick. In three years of love and two years of marriage, she had given him everything. From their college days to adulthood, she had devoted herself entirely to him. She gave up smoking, drinking, and worked hard to stay healthy, all in an effort to create the family she dreamed of. Nelson had teased her, saying she was under Maverick's spell, but she didn't care. She loved Maverick and wanted to have his children. That was just natural. It wasn't until that night when she stopped him as he opened the condom package, and she said, "Don't use it. Let's have a baby." There was a strange, deafening silence in the air for a moment. He turned away from her without a word, heading for the bathroom. When he came out, he was already dressed in his pajamas. "I don't want to." Heidi didn't understand. "Why?" Maverick had said, "I'm too busy. If you get pregnant, I won't have time to take care of you or the baby." Heidi had brushed it off at first. "We can hire a nanny." But every time she brought it up, he rejected it with a new excuse. When it happened the last time, Maverick had become impatient. He shoved her hands away, scolded her, and then retreated to the guest room. He never touched her again. That night, Heidi cried herself to sleep. Maverick had been the one Heidi pursued relentlessly in college. He was cold and distant, never showing much emotion. Only when they were in bed did she feel his fleeting tenderness, the only proof she had that he loved her. But when he stopped being in bed with her, the conversations slowed, and they became more like roommates than a married couple. Their separation occurred after that woman's phone call. But Heidi knew the truth. They were done ever since that night when he said he didn't want a baby with her. Heidi blinked, pushing back the sting of tears, just as Maverick spoke again. "Come back with me to the station. We'll go home together after." Heidi replied, "I still have things to do with Nelson." She started walking toward Nelson's car, but Maverick grabbed her wrist, frowning. "His license is suspended. The car's getting towed." "We'll just take a cab." "Heidi, don't make this difficult," he said those words again. That was how Maverick always was. No matter what she said or did, whether it was right or wrong, to him, she was just being unreasonable. Nelson quickly rushed over to smooth things over. "Hey, Captain Cadwell. Let's keep this civil. Look, you're hurting Heidi." Maverick shot Nelson a cold look as he released Heidi. "Look, Captain Cadwell. How about you give us a ride? I'll make sure she behaves, and I'll convince her to go back with you." Heidi glared at Nelson. "Next time you have an event, don't ask me to accompany you!" Nelson pulled her aside, trying to reason with her. "Look, just go with Maverick. The car's being towed. In this snowstorm, do you really want to walk miles to get a cab?" He paused, then whispered, "Besides, you two have relationship issues, and I don't. You've been living at my place, and now my boyfriend's too shy to come over!" When Heidi heard this, she stopped responding to him. She shook off his hand and, after scanning the car's license plate number, got into Maverick's patrol car. Fine. It was almost New Year's. There was no need to make this worse for herself. She might as well avoid freezing to death in the street. Once they reached the station, Maverick dropped Nelson off at the entrance and took Heidi back to the home she had left two months ago. The car ride was silent. In the vehicle, the space felt suffocating, with Maverick's presence almost overwhelming. The combination of alcohol, the warm air, and the swirling emotions left Heidi dizzy. She didn't even know how she ended up in bed, only that when she woke up again, it was pitch black outside. The warmth surrounding her came from the body pressed against her back. There was an arm wrapped around her waist, a simple reminder that she was home. She moved slightly, but the man behind her, apparently deep in sleep, pulled her closer instinctively. Heidi fought the urge to crawl into his arms, slowly prying his hand off her and sliding out from under the covers. She went to the living room and checked her phone. It was 5:00 am. It was Thursday, Maverick's day off. According to his routine, he would sleep for another hour before going for his morning jog. Heidi glanced at the other phone on the table. She thought, if only he would explain the whole situation with that woman, and if he would just talk and apologize to her, she might forgive him. After all, he was the one who had asked her to go home with him. Surely, that meant he missed her and wanted to reconcile. Before she could finish her thoughts, Maverick's phone lit up. Heidi's heart skipped a beat. Without thinking, she glanced toward the bedroom. The phone screen showed a preview of a message that read "When are you coming back?"