Emma closed her eyes, heartbroken and ready for the worst with Lucas, when James spoke up again. “Lucas, shouldn’t you take out the magnet under your table?”
As soon as he finished, two bodyguards stepped forward and grabbed Lucas.
James pulled a magnet from under the table and threw it down. “Cheating on my property and hitting on my woman? Do you want to die?”
Lucas turned pale. “Mr. Nicholas, this is just a misunderstanding!”
James ignored him and had him tossed out like trash. He then stood up, took off his coat and wrapped it around Emma.
“Scared? Let’s go home.”
In the car, James handed Emma a jewelry box containing her mother’s necklace. It had been repaired with gold and jade, looking even more beautiful than before.
“Emma, I would never really put you in danger,” he said, his eyes unreadable in the dark. “I just wanted you to know I’m always in control.”
He reached out to touch her face. Emma pulled away, clenching her fists.
He was in control?
To her, that just meant he enjoyed watching her suffer before "saving" her at the last second.
He knew exactly how much she hated being tossed between hope and despair in an instant. Yet, just to protect Charlotte or teach Emma a lesson, he put her through that nightmare anyway.
She stayed silent, clutching her necklace tightly. She thought it was over, but a few days later, James came to her again.
“Has Charlotte contacted you lately?” Emma was confused. “She called, but I didn’t pick up.”
James sighed, sounding both annoyed and protective. “I know you don’t like her, but she’s sensitive and easily scared. Tell me where she is, for my sake, okay?”
Emma’s heart sank.
“You think I kidnapped her?” James smiled at her like she was a pouting child. “I’m not doubting you, but she’s missing and you were the last person she called.”
He picked up the room phone and dialed a number. “Officer Matthew, my wife might know something about a friend’s disappearance. Please come and investigate.”
Emma felt a chill run through her as she looked at his calm eyes. “You called the police on me?”
James patted her hair. “It’s just a routine talk, don’t be afraid.”
The police arrived quickly and handcuffed Emma.
Before she was taken away, James gently draped a coat over her. “Just answer a few questions. I’ll come get you soon.”
As she was being led to the police car, James’s phone rang. He answered immediately, his voice full of concern. “Charlotte? Where are you? Stay calm, I’m coming.”
Emma leaned out of the car window. “James, I told you I didn’t do it!”
But James had already run off. He was in such a hurry to find Charlotte that he forgot Emma was being driven away in a police car.
Emma turned to the officer. “Officer, they found her. Can I go now?”
Officer Matthew looked at her sadly. “Mrs. Nicholas, we still have to follow the rules.”
Emma was locked in a dark cell. The cold and the small space triggered her claustrophobia, causing her to lose touch with reality. She hallucinated about the early days of their marriage, when James was kind and held her until she fell asleep.
Then the visions turned dark, showing James with Charlotte and then Michael lying in a pool of blood.
By morning, Emma’s fingernails were broken and bleeding. The walls were covered in scratches from her night of pure terror.
Officer Matthew felt sorry for her. “Mrs. Nicholas, why don’t you call your husband to bail you out? He loves you; he wouldn't want you here.” But even after ninety-nine calls, James never picked up.
