Chapter 3

• Down at the precinct, it was one thing after another. Kaira could barely comprehend what was happening. One minute her bag was being snatched from her, the next she was signing papers she had no idea the contents of, and the next, she was being pushed toward a wall covered in writing, flashes from camera lenses nearly blinding her eyes.
• Finally, she was shoved down a dark hallway. She asked several questions, but no one gave a damn — not even the good-looking man who had forcefully brought her to the station.
• Kaira didn’t know much about precincts, but she knew she had the right to demand a lawyer, especially since they would surely be questioning her any minute now.
• But they didn’t.
• Hours passed, and no one uttered a word to her. No one reacted when she screamed out her innocence or begged to be released.
• The precinct felt like a hollow concrete cube — one way in, with only a small rectangular window above, letting in just enough light to remind her she wasn’t buried underground. Given enough time, this place could easily make someone forget their own name. A person could stare at the dark walls for what felt like hours, only to realize mere minutes had passed.
• The silence wasn’t comforting. It was deafening.
• Kaira could feel her mind slowly turning against her. She was terrified. She didn’t know what awaited her or how long she would be left here. No one explained anything to her. No one even cared enough to hear her side of the story.
• She had been locked up for at least two hours — maybe more, or maybe less. Time meant nothing anymore. She had yelled, slammed against the metal doors, begged for someone, anyone, to answer her. At some point, Kaira gave up and curled herself on the rugged bed in the corner.
• It was the most inappropriate time, but she finally let go of all the pent-up emotion she'd been bottling up.
• She began to cry — it just happened. Her eyes didn’t simply water; she didn’t suck in deep breaths to control herself. She didn’t blink to stop the tears.
• They simply fell. And fell. Until she was sobbing.
• Much later, after her tears had dried, Kaira sat in the same spot, staring at a small hole dug into the wall.
• The clanking of metal against metal jolted her awake. The door creaked open.
• "Follow me," the cop said, stepping aside and waiting for her to move.
• He was a bald man, probably in his late forties, judging by the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and forehead. His expression was tired, and Kaira couldn’t tell if it was from a long day or sheer indifference to her situation.
• She studied the officer’s face, looking for any sign that he was bluffing, but when she found none, her confusion only deepened.
• "Hurry up," he barked, giving her a shove that almost made her stumble.
• This time, he led her down an even darker hallway that smelled of mold. Tears prickled at her eyes again.
• She didn’t want to be here. She just wanted to go home.
• The officer opened a heavy metal door and roughly pushed her inside. Before she could even take in her surroundings, he slammed the door behind her.
• Then, a single overhead light flickered on, illuminating the room like a scene straight out of a crime novel.
• Oddly, Kaira felt a tiny bit of relief — someone was finally going to listen to her.
• But then she heard that same sultry, authoritative voice that had dragged her into this nightmare.
• "Sit," he commanded.
• The firm tone made her gasp.
• She didn’t want to sit. Right now, sitting alone in that cell seemed more appealing than facing him.
• Still, she obeyed, sinking into the chair.
• "I’ll get straight to the point," he said, sliding a paper and pen across the table toward her.
• "Sign this, and you’ll be a free girl again."
• Kai sat back, arms crossed.
• Kaira took her time reading through the paper, and to say she was appalled was an understatement.
• Her eyes had to be deceiving her.
• "Is this some sort of sick joke?" she spat.
• "Do I strike you as someone who jokes about matters like this?"
• "At least you understand how serious this is," she shot back. "And the answer is a big, fucking no!"
• She threw the paper back in his face.
• A slow smile crept onto Kai's face as he stooped to pick up the paper.
• Kaira abruptly stood and rushed to the door. She pounded her fist against it, ready to scream, when his voice came again:
• "Part of me knew you’d hesitate," he said. "Let me make it clear: this is your only way out. Sign it, and you're free."
• "And I said no!" she screamed back. "I’ll be damned if I ever get involved with you like that!"
• "Then you’ll be locked up for life — for theft," Kai replied calmly, almost eerily.
• "The necklace you stole from me is worth no less than ten billion francs."
• "I didn’t steal it!" she cried. "It was a gift!"
• "From who?" he asked, voice like steel.
• "None of your fucking business."
• "Then it’s settled," he said coldly. "Life imprisonment."
• "You can’t keep me here for something I didn’t do!"
• "I can, and I will," Kai replied. "I gave you an option, and you threw it back in my face."
• Tears welled up in Kaira's eyes. The universe must have been punishing her because nothing else could explain why so many battles were being thrown her way.
• She needed a goddamn break.
• "I didn’t steal it," she whispered, her voice trembling. She refused to cry in front of him.
• "So what's it going to be? I don’t have all day," Kai said, glancing at his watch.
• Kaira hesitated. She searched desperately for any option that didn’t involve giving in to this arrogant, cruel man. But deep down, she knew — even signing didn’t guarantee her freedom.
• Still, it was better than rotting behind bars.
• "I don’t have all day," Kai pressed.
• Kaira blinked rapidly, fighting the tears threatening to fall.
• Finally, as one tear slipped down her cheek, she opened her mouth and said the words that sealed her fate:
• "Yes, I’ll marry you."
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