Chapter 169

Chapter 169

I couldn

bear the thought of owing Bryant favors, especially now that we were on the brink of divorce! And why should I? After all, Allen had racked up the debt, not me. I refused to pick up the tab for someone like him.

“I’m well aware of the kind of clout that guy has,” the raspy-voiced man muttered, pressing the call button and switching on the speaker. “We’re not looking to make an enemy of him. If you truly divorced him, I won’t stir up trouble for myself.”

Tension knotted my stomach as the phone rang with a persistent beep. Should I plead for Bryant’s help or sever ties completely?

These thoughts bounced around in my head until the call connected, an’s answer

came through, but not how I expected. It was Margaret’s voice that greeted me. “Who’s this? Why are you calling so late at night?”

into my My fingernails dug palm, the pain sharp. “It’s me, Jane,” I said, “Where’s Bryant?”

Bryant was supposed to be signing some documents. But why was his phone in Margaret’s possession?

Margaret paused, and then her voice oozed smugness as she cooed, “Oh, him? He forgot that it takes a month to get the period after a miscarriage. He thought I was about to start mine and ran out to buy me tampons, leaving his phone behind. What’s up?”

Tampons? That word hit me like a ton of bricks. In three years of marriage, he’d never once remembered my cycle, let alone buy me such personal items.

Suddenly, a memory from our third anniversary flashed through my mind. Bryant asked was about to start my period and quickly dismissed it as a mistake.

But he hadn’t made a mistake. He had always kept track of Margaret’s period, not mine.

The irony stung. It felt like an invisible hand was squeezing my heart, the pain intense an prickling, “Oh, I just wanted to ask about finalizing our divorce next month. No issues, right?”

“Of course not!” Margaret’s response was sharp. “Bryant can’t wait to be rid of you!”

I glanced at the man with the raspy voice, speaking calmly, “You heard her?”

He frowned deeply, snapping his phone shut as Margaret continued to rant, “What did you hear, huh? Jane, hear me out and stop calling. Gosh, you even changed your number and pestered us!”

The man kicked the seat before him and dialed another number, briefly flashing the name of Lloyd.

The raspy-voiced man reported, “Boss, this woman’s Bryant’s ex-wife! We’ve been

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dragging her around for nothing. What now?”

Whatever Lloyd said had him hanging up immediately.

The driver asked, “What did he say?”

The raspy-voiced man said, “Lloyd says to bring her back, decide there. Since she’s got no ties to Bryant, it’ll be easier. It won’t end up getting nothing.”

My heart sank. My phone had died at some point, and I couldn’t attempt any covert moves under their watchful eyes. All I could do was brace myself. It wasn’t long before the car stopped at an abandoned building.

The man with the raspy voice grabbed me by the collar and hauled me out of the car, shoving me into the building through a partially closed metal door and throwing me onto a pile of discarded sand,

Looking up, I saw Allen and a few heavily tattooed men lounging around, munching on hamburgers and fried chicken, swigging beer. The stench of alcohol filled the air. Outside parked several black cars, a clear sign of their n