The Second Marriage Chance

Sarah

In an attempt to melt away the stress crushing me, I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed my back against the tanning bed. My heart hammered in my chest, and sweat beaded on my forehead. Then, a wave of dizziness slammed into me as the room began to whirl.

“Are you alright?” Josh asked, noticing the change in my demeanor. His brow was furrowed with worry.

“Yeah, I’m fine!” I smiled at him, though the stress was overwhelming.

My phone rang, snapping me back to reality. I needed to keep it together and finish this job. Seeing Trey’s name on the caller ID, I answered and put the call on speakerphone.

“Trey?”

Josh and the others listened intently, awaiting his report about the man who took the van out of the cruise.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“We’ve caught Madam Cornell’s man who drove the van out. He claimed his mother was in an emergency, which is why the staff allowed him to leave. Chairman’s men were waiting at the gate and alerted the authorities to retrieve the money. The cruise is about to depart, but the police have coordinated with the management to delay its departure until Jane is safely secured,” Trey reported.

“Thanks for the hard work!” I managed to tell him before ending the call.

Only a moment later, the Bluetooth earpiece crackled to life, and Emily and Bronn’s voices made an announcement.

“Sarah, we got Jane! The guy left guarding her room and tried to fight us. It’s a good thing I brought some extra bodyguards.” Bronn spoke in a rough, growling voice.

“Looks like she’s in trauma. Her condition isn’t good…” Emily added.

My heart clenched at the thought of my friend suffering.

“Jane, everything’s fine…” I heard Bronn say calmly, but I could hear her crying through the headset. I massaged my temples and took a deep breath to steady myself.

“Lexi’s on her way there,” Jakob’s voice crackled over.

“Now, Jake, let’s move on to the next phase!” I spoke with more confidence than I actually felt.

“Got ya!” came his affirmative reply.

Lexi had attached a GPS to Madam Cornell’s handcuffs, and according to the tracking app we were both looking at, the vile woman was still at sea. I wouldn’t be at ease until I was the one to catch that woman.

Feeling bad, I ducked into the nearby cabin, sinking down onto the edge of the small bunk, where Josh helped me calm down.

“Breathe in… breathe out…” he murmured soothingly. “Remember that panic attacks aren’t good for your baby’s condition,” he reminded me.

“I’m doing my best, Josh…” I replied, following his instructions on breathing deeply.

He handed me a bottle of water. “I’ll continue monitoring the handcuff’s GPS tracking. It’s better if you stay inside this cabin.”

“No! I’ll do this!” I protested, shaking my head stubbornly.

I had already promised myself that I would be the one to catch Madam Cornell, and I was so close to achieving what I was looking for.

“Are you okay, Madam Sarah?” Assistant Alex asked, fixing the work Philip had left behind. He had been in the cabin for a while, anxious about what was happening.

“I’m fine,” I said, giving him a reassuring smile.

“It would be better if you rest first, Madam Sarah,” Assistant Alex urged.

They looked at me pleadingly. Seeing I was outnumbered, I sighed and let them take over monitoring the laptop. I leaned back against the couch, closed my eyes, and focused on taking slow, deep breaths to regain my strength.

A few moments later, the insistent beeping from the laptop grew louder; the three of us in the cabin were almost startled. Josh, Alex, and I exchanged glances.

Then Jakob’s voice crackled urgently in my earpiece, “Sarah, Madam Cornell is near the yacht!”

“I know! Her GPS tracker is beeping like crazy-I think she’s getting tired from swimming!” I replied. I had to ensure my yacht was her only rescuer at this crucial moment.

I quickly lowered the laptop volume to make the beeping quieter and less noticeable.

A few moments later, one of the guards came in. “Miss, Madam Cornell has boarded the yacht.”

“Good,” I commented with grim satisfaction.

All my companions on the yacht were Amir’s guards except for Josh, so Madam Cornell didn’t recognize the people on the deck who welcomed her exhausted form from the sea.

I strode out onto the deck, followed by Assistant Alex and Josh. I could hear Madam Cornell dramatically telling the crew about her unfortunate experience.

“I was kidnapped! I jumped off the ship to escape those shameless kidnappers,” she cried dramatically. “Luckily, I found this yacht because I had such difficulty swimming further.”

With a detached calm, I watched her spin a web of lies. Her endurance, having crossed such a distance by water, was undeniable. Then again, I guessed demons had more than one life to spare.

I shook my head, opening the wooden door that led out onto the yacht’s deck. Raising my eyebrows, I clapped my hands slowly at her dramatic story. “Well, Madam Cornell, that was quite an entertaining tale!”

Her eyes widened in shock. She was sitting in a lounge chair, wrapped in a plush white towel provided by my staff after her swim, holding a glass of cool water.

Three of my burly guards swiftly blocked her path as they witnessed her panic and attempt to leap into the water.

“Checkmate, Madam!” I calmly stated.

She trembled, shocked to see me there, expecting me to be aboard the cruise.

“Who are these people? Why are you here?” she shouted at me, unable to piece together what had happened. “You really are the devil’s spawn!”

“Madam, I own this yacht. As for who these people are… they are my people,” I replied casually.

“Th-this is impossible! You’re just a poor orphan, aren’t you? Surely, you’ve sold yourself to some vile bastard! When Philip finds out, he’ll abandon you!” she continued, her voice rising in hysteria.

I approached until I was mere inches from her face, then delivered a sharp slap across her cheek. She stiffened, her eyes filled with resentment.

“I’ll kill you!” she screamed, struggling uselessly, held back by my guards, her limbs flailing like a trapped animal. Her eyes burned with rage, driven by a fierce desire to harm me.

My anger towards my former mother-in-law burned within me. “Listen to me! I always wanted to make you pay for the suffering you inflicted! But I restrained myself because you were Philip’s mother… even after you hurt my baby… even after you ruined my life!”

Tears welled up, and I fought off the panic attack gripping my chest as I confronted Madam Cornell.

“I wanted to kill you then, Madam! To avenge the loss of my child! But I wouldn’t allow myself to stoop to the level of a soulless monster like you!” I said bitterly, my voice thick with resentment and anger. The memories of her past cruelties tightened my lungs.

“Philip will find out about this! I’ll make sure he hates you!” she shouted angrily.

“Oh? That’s quite the news! Were you aware that Philip was the reason authorities were after you? How does it feel to be betrayed by your own son?” I calmly countered Madam Cornell, noting the narrowing of her eyes.

Her lips agape in disbelief as she glanced at Josh and Assistant Alex, seeking confirmation of my words. Assistant Alex remained silent. Madam Cornell seemed unable to comprehend that her beloved Philip could gather evidence to imprison his own mother.

“No! Not my Philip! You witch! You’ve bewitched my son! You shameless woman! Philip belongs to me! My son should only trust me!” she ranted, seeming to teeter on the edge of sanity.

Ignoring her, I felt uneasy. I didn’t want Madam Cornell to discover I was pregnant, a vulnerability I couldn’t afford at that moment.

By then, the yacht was nearly back to the port, just meters from the dock. Chairman Cornell awaited with a dark expression, flanked by his guards and authorities.

Seeing his wife, Philip’s father couldn’t contain his rage, delivering several stinging slaps to the woman’s face in a rage.

Amidst the chaos, darkness enveloped me as I was escorted away, finally collapsing into the arms of the one who had been waiting for me all along…