I Buried Him for Five Years, Then He Came Back with Another Woman Chapter 06

I Buried Him for Five Years, Then He Came Back with Another Woman Chapter 06

He had chosen the curtains.

Our initials were still carved into the headboard.

I held out my hand.

“Give me the compass.”

Tessa closed her fingers around it.

“It was Adrian’s engagement gift to me.”

“It belonged to my mother.”

Tessa stepped back.

“Stop being so aggressive.”

I moved toward her.

“Give it back.”

Her foot slipped, and she fell backward into the pool.

Water sprayed across the patio.

The housekeeper screamed.

“Ms. Lane fell in!”

Adrian rushed through the gate and jumped straight into the pool.

He lifted Tessa out of the water.

She shook violently, her face drained of color.

“I know you hate me, Maren.”

“But my baby did nothing wrong.”

I stood at the edge of the pool.

“I never touched you.”

Adrian looked up at me, his eyes sharp as knives.

“How long are you going to keep lying?”

An ambulance took Tessa away.

The hospital called thirty minutes later.

The doctor said she had lost the baby.

In front of everyone, Adrian slapped me across the face.

“Are you satisfied now?”

My head snapped to the side.

Blood touched the corner of my mouth.

“The security footage.”

“Check the cameras.”

The housekeeper lowered her head.

“The pool cameras were being serviced today, Mr. Caldwell.”

Adrian seized my chin.

“There’s always a convenient coincidence.”

“You pushed her into the pool, and now you want footage?”

I stared at him.

“I’ll say it one more time. I did not touch her.”

He thrust his phone in front of my face.

Wesley had been moved into an even smaller room.

The window had been completely sealed.

Adrian said,

“There will be a press conference tomorrow.”

“Apologize to Tessa.”

“Admit that jealousy drove you to destroy our relationship.”

“Then leave Port Sterling.”

I looked at Wesley’s pale face on the screen.

“Will you release him?”

“Do what I say, and you can take him with you.”

The next day, reporters packed the press conference.

Eggs and water bottles were stacked outside the security barrier.

Adrian handed me a written apology.

“Read it.”

Tessa sat in a wheelchair with a blanket around her shoulders.

Mr. Whitcomb stood behind her.

Reid guarded the edge of the stage.

The cameras switched on.

I lifted the microphone.

“My name is Maren.”

The crowd erupted in abuse.

“Get out of Port Sterling!”

“You killed her baby and still expect sympathy!”

“You were so terrifying that Mr. Caldwell had to fake his death!”

I unfolded the statement.

“Out of jealousy over the engagement of Adrian and Tessa, I lost control and harmed Ms. Lane.”

“I tried to interfere in their relationship.”

“I publicly apologize for the loss of Ms. Lane’s baby.”

An egg struck my shoulder.

Sticky yolk ran down my black dress.

Tessa sobbed so hard that she trembled.

“If you truly change, I’m willing to forgive you, Maren.”

Mr. Whitcomb sighed.

“You should have done this sooner.”

Reid spoke under his breath.

“It’s time to go, Maren.”

Adrian walked onto the stage and handed me a boat ticket and a black duffel bag.

“Leave the harbor tonight.”

“There’s enough money for you to live on.”

“Wesley will be waiting aboard the boat.”

I looked at the ticket.

“Half the docks in Port Sterling belong to my family.”

He said,

“Not anymore.”

“Don’t come back.”

I accepted the ticket.

The duffel was heavy.

It was filled with cash.

Hush money handed to me like spare change for a beggar.

Adrian turned to help Tessa.

The cameras kept recording.

“Ms. Hale, do you have anything else to say?”

I looked directly into the lens.

“No.”

That night, Adrian returned to the Caldwell house.

The foyer light had been left on for Tessa.

A housekeeper took his coat.

Tessa called from upstairs.

“Adrian, are you home?”

As he stepped into the foyer, his phone rang urgently.

“Mr. Caldwell, Ms. Hale’s boat exploded offshore. There were no survivors.”