Chapter 10
Leonard snapped, his voice rising sharply, “I know her better than you do! If you hadn’t forced me back then. I would’ve never married Evelyn! I’ve never been happy a single day in this marriage!”
“I already did what you wanted-married someone I don’t even like! What more do you want from me?”
“We did it for your own good!” his mother cried, her voice trembling. “What’s wrong with Evelyn? She’s got a good background, a good heart, and she’s always treated you with love. Why can’t you see that?”
“I don’t love her! I never did!” Leonard shouted, years of frustration and resentment finally boiling over. “If it
weren’t for you, I would’ve been with Lillian a long time ago!”
With that, he turned on his heel and yanked the door open, slamming it shut with a violent bang.
Outside, the night had fully settled in. Streetlights flickered through the windshield, casting shifting shadows
on his face.
Leonard closed his eyes. His parents’ words echoed in his mind.
Evelyn wasn’t the type to lie… but Lillian? She wouldn’t fake something like this, would she?
Who was he supposed to believe?
He had thought he knew both women well. But now? Now he wasn’t so sure.
Whatever the truth was, he had to find it.
For Lillian. And for himself.
“Captain, are we heading back to the hospital tonight?” His aide, Zach, asked cautiously from the driver’s
seat.
“No. We’ll go tomorrow.”
“Got it. I’ll take you home then.” Leonard gave a quiet grunt of acknowledgment.
Suddenly, it started to rain. Droplets pattered against the car windows, echoing the storm brewing in his
chest.
As they passed a corner, a figure suddenly darted into the road. Zach hit the brakes just in time, but the car still clipped the man slightly.
“What happened?” Leonard’s brow furrowed.
“Sir, I think we might’ve hit someone. I’ll go check.”
Before Leonard could reply, Zach had already jumped out of the vehicle.
He bent down and peered under the car-but the man had already stood up. Just as Zach stepped forward,
Chapter 10
40.00%
เลิกรักในวันเกิด(พากย์ไทย)
the figure bolted, disappearing down the side of the road.
Zach returned to the car, slightly out of breath.
“Captain, he ran off before I could stop him. Must not be seriously hurt… but I think I’ve seen that guy before. Looked like that Travis Doyle-he’s the one who planted the nails in Miss Snow’s shoes.”
Leonard’s eyes narrowed as he recalled the limping silhouette.
Even without seeing his face, that hunched back and crooked left leg were unmistakable.
It was Travis Doyle. No doubt about it.
“What the hell is he doing here?” His voice turned sharp. “He’s supposed to still be in lock-up.”
Zach was just as confused. “That’s weird. I literally talked to one of the guards two days ago and told him to
‘keep an eye’ on that guy…”
Before he could finish, Leonard suddenly slammed the dashboard. “Stop the car. Turn around!”
Zach fumbled with the gears. “Captain, you want to go after him? I can call a couple guys to pick him up
instead-”
“Cut the crap.”
“There’s something off about this.”
Meanwhile, Travis seemed to realize he’d been recognized. He broke into a faster limp, dragging his bad leg
with a strange urgency-like a rat whose tail had been stomped on.
But it wasn’t long before the car caught up with him.
Leonard flung the door open and grabbed Travis just as he was about to run again.
Travis froze.
His face, pale as paper under the streetlight, turned even Lillianr when he saw Leonard’s military boots. His
knees buckled.
“C-Captain Grant…”
His voice trembled. His whole body was shaking.
Leonard didn’t say a word. He took two slow, deliberate steps forward.
In uniform, he looked even more imposing-broad-shouldered, cold-eyed, his very presence pressing down like a steel weight.
“What are you running from? You didn’t commit another crime, did you? Or are you just that scared of me?”
Chapter 10
40.00%
Travis swallowed hard, the brim of his cap tugged low.
“N-no, sir. I-I was just in a hurry to get home…”
“Home?”
Leonard’s gaze dropped to the worn soles of Travis’s shoes. “When did the jailhouse start looking like your
front door?”
The words hit like a hammer. Travis flinched.
“I-I was released on bail! Yeah, bail! A relative felt sorry for me and put up the money. Said I had good
behavior, admitted guilt…”
“A relative?” Leonard arched a brow, his fingers lightly brushing the edge of his holster. “Since when do
orphans have relatives? Where does this one live?”
Travis’s face turned a deep, blotchy red. He backed up toward the wall, stammering.
“I… I don’t know exactly. Said he was a friend of my cousin’s… or something. I was starving in there. He
offered to get me out and I just-just said yes…”
“So you believed a total stranger paid your bail out of kindness?” Leonard stepped in close, casting a long
shadow that swallowed Travis whole.
“You think I was born yesterday?”
Travis’s knees gave out, and he slid down the wall, hands flailing.
“I swear, sir! I really don’t know! I’ve just been hiding-hiding from you-I thought maybe you still blamed me for what happened…”
“Blamed?”
Leonard gave a sharp, joyless laugh. “I’ve been wondering who paid you to pull that stunt in the first place.”
“It was Evelyn!” Travis blurted. “She gave me the money to do it!”
Leonard’s eyes narrowed. “How much did she give you?”
“Fifty dollars!”
“Fifty? Didn’t you say a hundred last time? Which is it?”
Travis suddenly froze, realizing he’d tripped over his own lie. His face drained of color. He stumbled back, covering his mouth like he could take the words back.
Leonard’s gaze turned razor-sharp.
He grabbed Travis by the collar and hauled him up. “I’ll ask you one more time. Who was it?”
Chapter 10
40.00%
“…It was Lillian.”
Chapter 10
40.00%
