My Ex-Fiance The Detective Who Arrested Me Chapter 01
I saw my ex–boyfriend for the first time in three years
in the middle of a raid.
He was the rising star of the Criminal Investigations Unit, the youngest captain the unit had ever had. I was a murder suspect who’d been on the run across eight
states.
Our eyes locked, and Arthur Sterling froze.
“Hazel…? No. No way.”
I bolted the second his guard dropped. A round ripped
into my calf before I made it three steps. One of his
officers had already fired.
In the interrogation room, Arthur’s eyes were
bloodshot. His voice was hoarse from shouting.
“Four people, Hazel. Four. How the hell could you do
this?”
“Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me this is a mistake. Say it!”
I looked into his shattered eyes and laughed.
“Oh, you’re wrong about something.”
“It’s not four. It’s five.”
“You care so much about your precious wife–my best friend, Clara Hayes. Funny how you didn’t even notice
she’s missing.”
All the color drained from Arthur’s face.
His hands were shaking when he pulled out his phone.
His lock screen used to be a photo of me. Now it was
their wedding photo.
He tapped Call. A familiar ringtone echoed from my
pocket.
I fished out Clara’s phone, still smeared with blood,
and answered it with a grin.
“Hi, hubby.”
“Why won’t you come save me? I’m so scared…”
Arthur lunged across the table and grabbed me by the
throat.
“What did you do to her?!”
My vision was going black when the lieutenant rushed
in and dragged him off me.
“Captain! Stand down! This live feed is broadcasting to the press!”
Arthur’s jaw was clenched so tight the words barely made it out.
“Where is Clara?”
I held up my cuffed wrists and shrugged. The chain clinked.
“I don’t know.”
“If you were good enough to catch me, I’m sure you
can figure out where she is.”
“Hazel!”
Arthur looked like a man coming apart at the seams.
“Clara was your best friend. When people picked on
you in school, she was the one who had your back.”
“When your mom got sick, Clara pulled strings to get
her a hospital bed. She was there every single day. She
did more for your mom than you ever did.”
“When you couldn’t cover the medical bills, she dipped
into her own savings to bail you out.”
“And this is what you do to her?”
On the monitor beside us, the comments were flying.
[omg wait is that THE Dr. Clara from Mercy General??]
[I know her!! she’s basically a saint. When my father
was really sick and we couldn’t pay, Dr. Clara quietly
covered his meds out of her own pocket]
[why is it always the good ones?? lock this psycho up and throw away the key]
I glanced at the screen, gave a cold little laugh, and looked away. Not worth my time.
That set Arthur off.
He tore the St. Christopher medal off Clara’s phone
charm and slammed it on the table in front of me.
“All Clara did was keep me updated on your mom’s
condition. That’s it. And you lost your mind. You
accused her of trying to steal me from you, and then
you stabbed her.”
“I had you arrested. I had to. And Clara couldn’t stand
it. She refused to testify just to get you out. And what did you do? You disappeared. Not one word. Not one
call. Clara was so worried she made herself sick over you.”
“This medal? Clara spent hours at the altar, lighting
candles for you every single day, asking God to keep
you safe out there. And you repaid her by killing four
people and coming after her too.”
Arthur’s voice was ragged. He looked at me like he
wanted to tear me apart with his bare hands.
“Did you know your mom was dying while you were locked up?”
“Clara operated on your mom with a stab wound still healing in her side. Twelve hours in surgery. Didn’t
even stop for water. Your mom didn’t make it, and Clara cried like she’d lost her own. She still handled
the funeral herself.”
“She blamed herself. Every year on the anniversary of your mom’s death, she took the day off to visit the * grave and lay flowers. After everything she’s done for you, this is how you repay her?”
The second he brought up my mom, my eyes burned.
He saw it land. His fists unclenched.
The same hand that had once slipped an engagement
ring on my finger was now pressing down on my shoulder.
“Hazel, where is Clara?”
“If you cooperate, if you show real remorse, I can cut a
deal for a lighter sentence.”
I lifted my chin, tears still wet on my face, and smiled.
“Leniency?”
“You cheated on me, Arthur, You don’t get to play hero. Who do you think you are, offering me a deal?”