Chapter 25
“Laris Halloway, someone’s here to see you.”
Laris had been in the detention center for only a few days, but she was already a shadow of herself. Her face and body was marred with bruises.
Numbly, she rose and followed the detention officer to the visitation room. Upon seeing Micah, terror gripped her, and she stumbled back, clutching the officer’s arm. “Please, I don’t want to see him. Take me back!”
The officer shook her off and turned to Micah. “Since you’ve signed the victim–offender agreement, I’ll handle the paperwork, and you can take her.”
Micah nodded, his face unreadable.
Laris’s fear shifted to relief at the officer’s words. She assumed Micah was there to free her. “Micah, I knew you’d save me!” she cried, grabbing his arm. “Get me out of here. I can’t stand this for another second.”
Raised in privilege, Laris had never faced such hardship. The detention center had been merciless, with officers and inmates alike doling out brutal lessons, leaving her battered and broken.
Micah’s gaze was cold, but his voice was deceptively soft. “Of course, Laris. I’m not leaving you here. I came to take you away.”
Laris clung to him, terrified he’d abandon her. “Micah, you’ve always been so good to me. I love you.”
Her only thought was escape. She was even willing to overlook Micah’s role in the Halloway family’s collapse and Kenneth’s death. As long as he treated her well, nothing else mattered.
Micah led her to his car and drove off in silence.
“Where are we going?” she asked, unease stirring as the scenery around her grew more and more remote.
“Don’t worry,” Micah said, his tone still gentle. “I’m taking you to see a doctor. Look at you, covered in bruises. I can’t stand seeing you like this.”
Laris had missed the cold glint in his eyes, too relieved to be free of the detention center. “You’re so good to me, Micah,” she said. But inwardly, she relished the thought that Lena had lost and Micah was hers.
After a while, the car stopped, and Micah helped her out. When she saw the psychiatric hospital sign, panic surged within her.
She tried to run, but Micah’s grip on her wrist was ironclad.
“Micah, is this the right place?” she asked, clinging onto hope. “It’s so scary. Please, let’s go.”
Micah’s mask fell, and his eyes blazed with fury. “It’s no mistake. Prison was too kind for you. This is where you belong to atone.”
Laris screamed and bit his hand, desperate to break free. But Micah held firm, unmoved.
“I’m sorry, Micah! I’ll go back to prison!” she cried as the psychiatric hospital staff approached. They dragged her inside, her body thrashing against the floor as she reached for Micah’s leg.
But Micah kicked her hand away and turned to the staff, saying, “Ensure she gets proper treatment.”
Laris fought with all she had. She knew that these doors meant the end of her freedom. “No, Micah, I’m sorry!” she screamed. “I’m not staying here. I’m not sick!”
Micah stood unmoved, watching as they pulled her inside. Then, he took a handkerchief and carefully wiped where she’d touched him. After that, he tossed it to the ground and drove off without looking back.
Laris stared at his retreating figure, her struggles fading. Despair settled over her as the heavy doors slammed shut.
