Chapter 2 - THE SOUND OF DISTANT GUNFIRE
The hospital room smelled of antiseptic and cold steel.
My left ankle throbbed beneath a heavy white cast.
My throat felt parched.
I stared at the ceiling tiles, counting the cracks.
Twenty minutes.
That was how long it took for Adrian's second team to reach me.
By then, my kidnappers had vanished into the Chicago fog.
They didn't want a ransom.
They wanted to send a message.
And Adrian had made sure his priority was safe first.
The door clicked open softly.
Adrian stepped inside wearing his charcoal tailored suit.
His dark hair was slightly messy.
His gray eyes looked tired.
“Claire,” he said, stepping toward the bed.
“You’re awake.”
I didn't turn my head.
“How’s Lily?” I asked, my voice flat.
“She’s fine,” he answered, stopping halfway across the room.
“Good,” I whispered.
His jaw tightened instantly.
“Don’t do that, Claire.”
“Do what?”
“Use that tone.”
I turned my gaze slowly to meet his.
“I’m just glad the person you chose first survived.”
“She couldn’t breathe,” he snapped, his voice rising.
“She had an asthma attack.”
“And I was tied to a chair in an enemy warehouse!”
“I had seconds to decide,” he growled, leaning over the bed frame.
“And you decided,” I replied, my voice chillingly calm.
He stepped closer, his chest heaving.
“I knew you were stronger.”
A humorless laugh escaped my lips.
“So the stronger person gets left behind.”
He reached out to touch my hand.
I pulled it away under the blanket.
“Rest, Claire,” he whispered.
“We’ll talk when you come home.”
“I’m not coming home, Adrian.”
He froze, his fingers hovering in mid-air.
“We’ll talk at home,” he repeated, harder this time.
I closed my eyes and turned away.
May you like
The gunfire I heard in the distance that afternoon wasn't just rescuing Lily.
It was the sound of our marriage dying.
