Chapter 4

I watched helplessly as Roxanne hung up the phone and deleted the call record, a chill running through me. Just how terrified was she of my body being discovered? When Lucas returned, he kept drinking heavily. His eyes quickly grew glazed from the alcohol. Seeing he was drunk, Roxanne hesitantly spoke up, "Maybe... you could stay at my place tonight?" He paused, hesitated for a long moment, then shook his head. "I'll take you home." I drifted closer to him, somewhat puzzled. How weird. A beautiful woman was throwing herself at him, and with me out of the picture as an obstacle, why was he suddenly holding back? "Your injuries haven't healed yet. I can't touch you right now." Lucas found what seemed like a reasonable excuse. Injuries? From that car accident? How ridiculous. I was clearly the most tragic victim in all of this, but aside from Nancy, no one cared about me at all. For some reason, I found myself thinking about a cold hospital bed and that person. If Gabriel Dutton hadn't found those specialists back then, I probably never would have been able to get pregnant with this child. Thinking of Gabriel now, I felt nothing but guilt. Back when I was desperate to marry Lucas, I said so many cruel things to Gabriel. I never expected he'd still be willing to help me. … After Lucas left Roxanne's place, I followed him again. He sat in the car, staring blankly outside for a long time without telling the driver, James Wells, to go anywhere. Just as James was about to ask where to go, Lucas' voice shot up an octave. "Drive!" It startled me too. When we got home, he was completely wasted. James struggled to get him back to his room, and the moment he left, Lucas started shouting my name. "Joanne, get your ass out here! I want water!" I sneered coldly. Even at a time like this, he still wanted to boss me around and have me take care of him. Too bad his personal nanny was already lying dead in some alley. After yelling throughout the house for a while, he collapsed on the couch alone. He looked around and seemed to finally understand that I truly hadn't come back. "Joanne, just you wait. When you come back, I'm going to make you pay!" Hearing his threats, I smiled indifferently and drifted closer to him, my eyes dark as I stared at him. "Sure, Lucas. I'll be waiting for you right here. "Once you die, I'll make you pay for what you did to me and our child!" … The next day, I was woken by a commotion. Through my haze, I thought I saw Gabriel breaking down the door. Before I could process what was happening, he'd already grabbed Lucas by the collar and yanked him off the bed. Then his fist connected with Lucas' face. The punch instantly sobered Lucas up, blood streaming from his nose. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Gabriel still had Lucas by the collar, shoving him against the wall. He was livid. "Joanne's been missing for an entire day, and you're here sleeping off a hangover? Aren't you worried something happened to her?" "Something happened? What could possibly happen to someone like her?" Lucas scoffed dismissively. Gabriel's face turned ice-cold. He hauled Lucas up again as he snarled through gritted teeth. "The police have been calling you all night. Why didn't you answer?" A flicker of surprise crossed Lucas' eyes, and he blurted out, "The police? When did they… "Oh, that's just perfect. Joanne's really going all out to ruin my reputation, isn't she?" Gabriel's voice dropped dangerously low. "Lucas, if you don't love her, then just get divorced." "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Lucas looked stunned by the question, and I found myself staring at Gabriel with complicated feelings. "Let go of me, damn it! You'd better explain yourself!" Lucas struggled desperately, but Gabriel was stronger. He kept his grip on Lucas' collar and dragged him toward the door like he was hauling a sack of potatoes. … "Are you family members of Joanne Miller?" The police officer asked some basic questions. "Yes, I'm her husband," Lucas replied impatiently. "Your wife has been missing for a day. Why didn't you come to file a report?" The officer frowned as he flipped through his files. Lucas snorted dismissively. "Running away is nothing new for her. She just does it to get my attention." He said it so casually that I felt a chill run through me. "To get your attention? Sounds like you two have some marital problems." The officer turned to Gabriel. "And you're a friend of Joanne's?" Gabriel spoke urgently. "Yes, and I want to file a missing person's report." "File a report? That's not necessary. I don't have time to keep playing these games with her."