I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 142

She ended the call right then and there, sharp and decisive, without a second of hesitation.

Cassie sat on her massive, empty bed, staring dumbfounded at the 'Call Ended' screen.

Tears pooled in her eyes, threatening to fall. Her lower lip quivered as she sat frozen for a long moment, as if struck by a paralyzing spell.

She couldn't believe her mother had actually abandoned her. It used to be that the second she cried, her mom would rush over no matter how busy she was. Why was everything different now?

She pulled the comforter entirely over her head, curling into a tight, trembling ball beneath the covers, sobbing uncontrollably.

Her muffled voice broke through the thick blanket in intermittent gasps. "I don't want a mom anymore! I'm never going to forgive her."

Crying herself to exhaustion, Cassie finally fell asleep, her fists still clutching the edge of the blanket.

...

In the dead of night, the storm weakened, fading from a torrential downpour to a steady drizzle.

Nora slept fitfully, tossing and turning as a chaotic mess of images spun through her mind.

At three-thirty in the morning, her phone rang out of nowhere, the sudden noise jarring in the pitch-black bedroom.

She frowned and fumbled for her phone. Her eyelids felt heavy as lead. Being dragged out of a hard-won sleep left her in a foul mood, and she snapped, "Who is it?"

A deep, cold male voice came through the line. "Nora?"

She frowned and brought the phone back to her ear, a note of hesitation in her voice. "Mr. Harrison, are you sure you have the right time?"

Xander's tone turned dead serious, dropping all hesitation.

"Listen to me. Bonnie just called to say someone broke into the house. I suspect one of the staff is involved. She's home alone right now, and it's dangerous. I've already called the police, but it will take them a while to get there. You live very close to the estate. Please, I am begging you to go check on her."

Hearing such a desperate plea from a man like Xander Harrison caught Nora completely off guard.

Once she processed his words and realized a break-in was happening during a storm like this, her heart lurched. How terrified must Bonnie be, all alone in that massive house?

Nora didn't dare waste another second. She threw off the covers and leaped out of bed, her voice urgent. "Okay! I'm on my way!"