Chapter 603:

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But seeing the hopeful look in Amelia’s eyes, she relented. It was just a trip to the grocery store, and this particular market had excellent security. It should be fine.

At the store, Amelia pushed a cart like any other expectant mother, browsing the colorful aisles of snacks.

Nina followed close behind, her eyes scanning their surroundings while her hand clutched the phone in her pocket.

As Amelia was intently comparing two flavors of yogurt, Nina’s phone vibrated violently.

It was a blocked number. Nina’s heart leaped into her throat. It was him. The loan shark.

“I need to use the restroom,” she whispered to Amelia, then hurried to the other end of the store, hiding in an empty aisle to take the call.

“Do you have the money?” the voice on the other end was cold and brutal.

“Please, just give me two more days,” Nina pleaded, her voice choked with tears. “Just two…”

“Two days? Your brother’s leg was broken in holding. You want to wait two more days?” the man snarled. “I’m telling you, by noon tomorrow, five hundred thousand dollars. One dollar short, and I’ll have his other leg broken. Then I’ll tell the cops everything he did.”

W𝗲𝗲kl𝘆 𝗿е𝘭e𝗮s𝖾𝗌 o𝘯 𝗴𝖺𝘭𝗇o𝗏𝘦𝘭ѕ.𝖼𝗈𝗆

The words struck Nina like a bolt of lightning. Her knees buckled, and she had to grip a shelf to keep from collapsing.

Anton’s leg was broken? And they wanted half a million dollars? The sum was astronomical.

She begged desperately, but the man hung up without listening.

Nina stood there, her body frozen, the world crashing down around her.

She had no idea what to do. Fear and despair consumed her.

On the other side of the store, Amelia had finished her shopping and was waiting by the ice cream freezer. Nina was nowhere to be seen.

Worried, she took out her phone to call her.

Just then, Nina emerged from the end of an aisle, looking like a ghost.

Her face was as white as a sheet, her eyes empty, as if her soul had been ripped out.

Amelia rushed to her side. “Nina! What happened? Are you okay?”

Seeing Amelia, Nina looked like a drowning person grasping for a lifeline. Her lips moved, but no words came out.

She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t drag her employer into this filthy mess.

She shook her head, her voice hoarse. “I’m fine, Amelia. Let’s… let’s just go home.”

She avoided Amelia’s eyes, grabbed the cart from her, and hurried toward the checkout.

Amelia watched her frantic retreat, the cloud of suspicion in her mind growing darker. She knew Nina was in serious trouble. And that trouble felt like a ticking bomb, ready to detonate right next to her.

Back in his hospital room, Garrett eased himself down from the physical therapy machine. Every muscle in his leg screamed in protest, but he kept his back straight, refusing to show any sign of weakness.

He showered, changed into fresh clothes, and settled by the window for his daily video call with Amelia. He needed her to see a husband who was recovering quickly, a man she could rely on, not an invalid trapped in a hospital bed.

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