Chapter 67

Howard's POV

I ended the call with Philip Baker, his desperate threats still echoing in my mind: "She's mine. She'll always be mine." The possessiveness in his voice triggered an unfamiliar surge of anger that I carefully controlled.

Annie stood watching me, her expression a mix of concern and something else that made my usual analytical detachment waver.

"Your ex-husband seems unable to accept your happiness," I observed,keeping my tone measured despite my lingering irritation.

Annie laughed softly. "He probably can't stand seeing me better off than before."

I studied her face. The defensive tension that had characterized her early days at Howard Technologies was gone. She'd grown stronger,more confident. The transformation was... satisfying to witness.

"He indeed lacks the capacity to provide you with an improved quality of life," I stated. The words came out more intensely than intended.

"Perhaps he just wanted me to witness his 'perfect love story' with Sarah."Her voice carried amusement rather than pain now.

I moved closer, drawn by an impulse I didn't bother analyzing. "Perhaps we should consider making this arrangement more permanent."

A blush colored her cheeks. Her eyes met mine, carrying equal measures of anticipation and hesitation. My pulse quickened - an unusual physiological response that I chose not to examine too closely.

*Say yes*,I thought. *Just nod. I know you feel it too, Annie. This stopped being pretense long ago.* "Dad! Mom!" Lucy's voice interrupted the moment. She appeared with Penny close behind. "Penny's tired. Can we take her home now?"

Annie stepped back quickly, her hand rising to her flushed cheek. I suppressed a flash of frustration at the timing.

"Of course, sweetheart," Annie replied, her voice slightly unsteady.

In the car, Penny and Lucy's excited chatter filled the back seat despite their obvious fatigue.

"And when the fairy queen granted us three wishes," Penny was saying,"we used the first one to make all the flowers sing!"

"The second wish was for butterfly wings," Lucy added softly.

"Mom can play these games with me now," Penny said. "Ever since she started working at Thompson uncle's company, she smiles a lot more."

"Just like my mom," Lucy agreed, reaching for Annie's hand.

Penny turned to me. "Thank you, Thompson uncle, for helping my mom."

The simple sincerity in her voice caught me off guard. Through the mirror,

I saw Annie's expression soften in a way that made my chest tighten unexpectedly.

The girls drifted to sleep, Lucy's head resting on Penny's shoulder. I found myself imagining more evenings like this - Annie beside me, Lucy happy and secure. The domesticity of the thought should have alarmed me.Instead,it felt right.

The evening's tranquility shattered as we approached Sue Peterson's apartment building. The security door stood conspicuously ajar, its lock visibly damaged. Something was wrong.

"Annie." I kept my voice deliberately calm. "Stay here with the children.Lock the doors."

She caught my eye in the rearview mirror, understanding immediately. "Five minutes before I call the police?"

I nodded once. "Exactly."

Lucy's small hand caught my sleeve. "Dad..."

"Everything will be fine," I assured her, noting how she pressed closer to Penny, both girls drawing comfort from each other's presence.

The stairwell would be quieter than the elevator. Fourth floor,west corridor. Dave's raised voice carried clearly through the damaged door.

"You think you can just cut me off?" His words dripped with drunken rage. "After everything I've done for you?"

Sue's response was too quiet to discern, but the underlying fear was evident.Something crashed against a wall.

"The money stops when I say it stops!" Dave's voice rose to a roar."You think you're better than me now? With your fancy new job and your rich friends?"

A cold fury settled over me at the sound of another crash. Without hesitation, I kicked the door open.

The scene froze: Sue bound to a kitchen chair with what appeared to be a necktie, Dave looming over her with his fist raised.

His head snapped toward me, face contorting through a fapid succession of emotions - surprise, fear, then misplaced bravado."Who the hell do you think you are?" he snarled, taking an unsteady step forward. "This is a private matter between me and my wife!"

"Ex-wite," I corrected coldly, "whom you're currently assaulting."

Dave's face flushed an ugly red. "You don't know anything!" he shouted,gesturing wildly, "She owes mel After everything I've done, all the sacrifices T've made "

I didn't let him finish. One precise kick sent him stumbling backward.His eyes widened in shocked outrage as he clutched his stomach.

"You,,. you can't..," he wheezed, face alternating between pale and flushed."Do you know who I am?"

"A coward who threatens women," I stated flatly, advancing toward him."Who breaks into homes and demands money he hasn't earned."

Dave's expression twisted into something ugly. "She's nothing without me!I made her what she is!" He lunged forward unsteadily. "You think you can just-"

Another kick dropped him to his knees. His bravado crumbled into sniveling panic. "Wait, please... I didn't mean... I was just..."

I looked at Sue, still bound to the chair, trembling but unharmed."Annie and the others are waiting outside," I told her calmly. "Let them help you get those ropes off."

Sue nodded frantically,relief flooding her features as she managed to stand,still tied to the chair, and made her way carefully toward the door.

"Thank you," Sue whispered, hurrying toward the door.

I turned back to Dave, who had pressed himself against the wall, all his earlier bravado replaced by naked fear. His eyes darted between me and the exit like a cornered animal.

"Wait..." he stammered. "We can talk about this... I was just upset... I didn't really mean to..."

I advanced slowly, my expression making it clear that the time for talk had passed.

I'd make sure he would learn his lesson this time.