The moment those words left her mouth, every pair of eyes locked onto Denise's loose-fitting clothes.
Panic flashed across her face. She burst into tears.
"You're smearing my name just because you know I'm too decent to fight back! Demanding I bare my stomach in front of all these people! You're trying to destroy my reputation!"
"Fine then, I'll just die! If that's what it takes to prove my innocence!"
She bolted toward the cliff's edge.
"Denise!"
Ezra shouted and lunged forward, catching her before she could reach it.
Her face had gone white as paper, and she collapsed limp in his arms. He turned on me, his voice cutting through the air like a blade:
"Shelagh! You forced my hand!"
He wheeled toward the officers, anguish twisting his features:
"Sir! I'm formally requesting that my wife be sent to the psychiatric facility for treatment!"
"I've heard electroshock therapy can correct certain mental disorders. I'm requesting she undergo the procedure!"
I whipped my head toward the officers:
"Sir! Everything I said is true! If you don't believe me, go check! The convicts you brought in a few days ago are already gone!"
"The only person with the authority to release them is Ezra Mason!"
I could see it. The officers' expressions had turned grave. One of them was already reaching for his pager, about to contact headquarters.
Ezra's voice cracked through the room like a whip.
"Shelagh! That's enough!"
He squared his shoulders and addressed the officers, every word measured and absolute:
"I stake my entire career as my guarantee. Everything she's said is the raving of a sick mind. There is nothing between Denise and me. And we certainly did not release any convicts to harm her."
"If any of it turns out to be true, I will surrender everything willingly. I'll accept whatever punishment comes."
The officers exchanged a long look, then turned to me:
"Comrade Galloway, it would be best if you cooperated and went to the facility for treatment. The sooner you start, the sooner you'll recover."
"No!"
I screamed and thrashed, but Ezra's subordinates pinned me to the ground and dragged me into the transport vehicle.
Through the window, I saw Denise still nestled in Ezra's arms. She lifted her face just enough for me to catch it. A smile. Triumphant. Gloating.
Hatred surged from the pit of my stomach, wave after wave, relentless.
Ezra Mason. If you knew that the woman you just staked your entire future on sees you as nothing more than a stepping stone...
Would you still throw everything away for her so willingly?
……
After Ezra brought Denise to the hospital, the unease in his chest refused to settle.
He paced. He sat. He stood again. Finally, he decided to call the psychiatric facility.
He had heard things about electroshock therapy. That the pain was excruciating. That patients lost control of their bladders, their bowels. That some were left on the floor afterward, unable to move.
Even the most hardened criminals broke after a few sessions, sobbing through their confessions.
Shelagh was so thin. So slight. If she was strapped into that chair, something could go terribly wrong.
He pulled out his pager and was about to dial when the door burst open.
A communications officer stumbled in, ashen-faced, and shouted at everyone in the room:
"We have a situation! Headquarters just confirmed that twelve high-security convicts are missing!"
"Someone on the inside let them out!"
