Chapter 25
Three hours later, Callias returned, unlocking the heavy metal door with a harsh scrape.
Finding Skylar huddled quietly in the corner, his tense features softened. He offered a shopping bag, the plastic rustling in the silence.
“Eat something, baby. We’ll be leaving soon.” His voice held that dangerous gentleness she’d grown to fear.
Skylar stared at the bag, motionless, her face carefully blank while her mind raced.
Just as his jaw started to tighten with impatience, she reached for a water bottle with trembling fingers that weren’t entirely an act.
Unable to open it after a day without food, she held it out to him, eyes downcast, playing into his need for control.
The submissive gesture transformed his face. His smile returned as he opened the bottle, fingers lingering possessively as he stroked her hair.
“See? We belong together. I’ll handle everything with our parents. Don’t worry.” The words dripped with satisfaction.
Skylar nodded slightly, her voice barely a whisper. “Okay.”
That single word seemed to lift a weight from his shoulders, erasing weeks of darkness from his eyes. He relaxed enough to start eating a sandwich himself.
After a few careful sips of water, each one measured to show compliance, Skylar gestured at her bag. “Can I check my documents? For Denmark?”
He handed it over without hesitation, his guard finally dropping just as she’d hoped.
While he tilted his head back to drink, she slipped her birth certificate into a tear in the couch cushions, her heart hammering so loud she was sure he must hear it.
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Chapter 25
Making a show of thorough searching, she returned the bag with perfectly calculated
nervousness.
Callias checked his watch, satisfaction glinting in his eyes. “Time to go.” He pulled her to her
feet, his grip firm but careful, as if she were precious cargo.
The warehouse parking garage was empty, their driver mysteriously absent. Skylar’s pulse quickened everything was falling into place.
She slid into the passenger seat without protest, making a show of buckling her seatbelt like the obedient girl he wanted to see.
While he settled into the driver’s seat, she clutched her bag close, pretending to search for food while watching him from the corner of her eye.
As they emerged from the garage into the late afternoon sun, she drew in a sharp breath, letting panic edge her voice.
“The birth certificate – did you forget it? Or did I drop it upstairs?” Her hands fluttered nervously over the bag. “We need it for Denmark, don’t we?”
His smile froze, muscles tensing along his jaw.
“I had it. You sure it’s not there?”
Seeing her certain nod, frustration darkened his eyes.
“We’ll figure something out.” His knuckles whitened on the steering wheel.
Skylar’s palms were slick with real sweat now. Everything hinged on this moment.
“But Denmark’s strict about marriage documentation for foreigners,” she pressed, careful to keep her voice worried rather than argumentative. “What if we can’t do it without proper paperwork?”
The word “marriage” caught him just as she knew it would. His eyes flickered with desperate need.
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After a tense moment, he jerked the car to a stop. “Wait here. Don’t move.” He locked the doors with a sharp click.
Skylar watched him disappear into the building, counting her heartbeats.
A shadow moved behind the car.
Glass exploded inward with a deafening crash.
Skylar yanked off her seatbelt and scrambled through the broken window, feeling shards bite into her palms.
Victoria stood there, metal rod still raised, her eyes wild with something between hatred and triumph.
“Thank you,” Skylar breathed, meaning it despite everything.
Victoria jerked her head toward a narrow side street, her voice harsh. “I gave your fiancé the address. Whether he comes or not isn’t my problem.”
Skylar didn’t hesitate. She ran, her footsteps echoing off ancient stone walls, praying she’d chosen the right person to trust.
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Chapter 26
