PART 6: The Trap Snaps Shut
Caleb scrambled up from the couch, his face pale as he looked at the armed intruders. "Who the hell are you?"
"Ah, the foolish young groom," Marcus chuckled, gesturing to his men. "Thank you for doing the heavy lifting, Caleb. Breaking her spirit made her so much easier to track. Now, step aside."
Katherine emerged from the hallway, her face white as a sheet. When she saw Marcus, she gasped, backing away. "Uncle Marcus..."
"Hello, Katherine. Tell me where the encryption keys to your father’s offshore accounts are, or this lovely family that you've lied to will pay the ultimate price."
In that terrifying moment, the scales fell from Caleb's eyes. He looked at Marcus, then at Katherine’s genuine, paralyzed terror. He realized with a sickening jolt that his mother had been right. He had been manipulated into torturing the woman he loved.
"You bastard," Caleb growled, lunging at Marcus.
But one of the armed men brought the butt of his gun down heavily on Caleb’s shoulder, sending him crashing to the floor. Katherine screamed, rushing forward to shield Caleb with her own body.
"Don't hurt him!" she wept, looking up at Marcus. "I'll give you whatever you want! Just leave them alone!"
Even after everything Caleb had done to her—the psychological torture, the humiliation, the hatred—she was still willing to sacrifice herself to protect him. Caleb looked up at her, his heart shattering into a million pieces. What have I done? he thought, tears of raw regret blinding him.
Suddenly, a loud siren wailed outside. The investigator had called the police the moment Grace dropped the phone.
May you like
"Boss, we gotta go!" one of the henchmen yelled as red and blue lights began flashing through the windows. Marcus cursed loudly, grabbing Katherine by the arm and dragging her toward the back door.
"No!" Caleb roared. Spurred by pure adrenaline and a desperate need for redemption, he tackled the man holding Katherine, knocking him into the glass coffee table, which shattered into a thousand pieces.
