Chapter 207
Chapter 207:
The next day, Eliza was discharged. She wore large sunglasses to hide her swollen eyes and a simple black dress that felt like armor.
“I want to go to the police station,” she told Dallas as they walked out through the hospital entrance. “To file the report on Buck.” Her voice was steady, stripped of the fragility of the day before — the voice of a woman with a purpose.
“Zane is meeting us there with the lawyers,” Dallas said, guiding her toward the waiting car.
Anson was waiting beside his silver Aston Martin in the parking lot. He looked disheveled. He hadn’t slept.
“Eliza,” he called out, moving toward them. “We need to talk about the defense. Buck will try to blame the fire on faulty wiring. I have the inspection reports from ten years ago p>
“I have Dallas’s lawyers,” Eliza said, walking past him without breaking stride.
Anson caught her arm. “I’m trying to help you finish this. I have the files p>
𝗣𝖣𝘍𝗌 on ѕ.с𝗈𝘮
Dallas stepped in and broke Anson’s grip with a sharp chop. “She said no.” He shoved Anson back.
“You think you’ve won, Koch?” Anson’s frustration boiled over, his voice cracking. “She’s only with you because she’s broken. You prey on weakness. What happens when she’s strong again — will you still want her then p>
“She’s with me because I don’t treat her like a broken doll to be fixed,” Dallas said. “I treat her like a partner p>
“I gave up everything for her! My family’s honor! My freedom!” Anson shouted. “I lived with the guilt for ten years p>
“You gave up nothing. You kept secrets to keep control,” Dallas said. “You wanted her dependent on you — so dependent she couldn’t leave p>
Anson swung at him. It was a desperate, sloppy punch driven by exhaustion and heartbreak. Dallas dodged effortlessly and landed a clean cross to Anson’s jaw.
Anson went down to the asphalt. He didn’t get up right away. He sat there, pressing the back of his hand to his bleeding lip.
Dallas stood over him. “You didn’t pull her from that fire to give her a life, Anson. You saved her to own her p>
Anson looked up at Eliza.
She stood by the car door. She didn’t look away. She didn’t flinch.
“Is that true?” she asked softly. “Did you want me to be helpless p>
Anson said nothing. He couldn’t lie to her anymore. The truth was written plainly in his eyes — the desperate, consuming need to be her entire world.
“Goodbye, Anson,” Eliza said.
She got into Dallas’s car. Dallas took the driver’s seat, and they pulled out of the parking lot without looking back.
Anson remained on the ground, watching the taillights shrink and disappear into the distance. Then he laughed — a single, broken sound that startled a passing nurse into a wide berth.
“I won’t let you go, El,” he whispered to the asphalt. “Not ever p>
Inside the car, Eliza reached over and took Dallas’s hand.
“It’s finally over,” she said, letting her head fall back against the seat.