Chapter 143
Ellie POV
She looks nothing like the woman I remember.
My mother has always been strong.
Elegant.
Untouchable.
But now…
She looks gaunt.
Like the world has been slowly taking pieces of her away.
“Mom…”
The whisper barely leaves my mouth.
Her head lifts.
And the second her eyes find mine, she freezes.
Like she’s looking at a ghost.
“Ellie?”
Her voice breaks on my name.
She moves too quickly, stumbling forward until her hands grip the bars between us.
“What—”
Her eyes widen.
“My baby, what are you doing here?”
Her gaze drops over me.
The wheelchair.
My pale face.
The exhaustion I can’t hide.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
I roll closer, my chest painfully tight.
My heart is beating so loudly I can barely hear anything else.
There’s no time for greetings.
No time for pretending everything is okay.
“Did you do it?”
Her expression falls.
“What?”
“The fraud.”
My voice shakes.
“The money laundering.”
I grip the wheels of my chair.
“Mom, tell me you didn’t.”
Her eyes flick past me, toward the guard standing nearby.
Then back to me.
Fear crosses her face.
“No.”
The answer comes out almost instantly.
“No, Ellie.”
She shakes her head.
“But, honey, we can’t talk about this here.”
“Mom, please.”
My voice cracks.
“I don’t know anything.”
I move closer.
“No one will tell me what happened. I’m completely in the dark.”
Her hands tighten around mine through the bars.
She looks torn.
Terrified.
Finally, she whispers:
“They say the firm filed the charges.”
My stomach drops.
“Vivian’s father’s company?”
She nods slowly.
“They’re accusing me of extortion. Fraud.”
Her lips tremble.
“They claim they have evidence.”
I stare at her.
The room suddenly feels too small.
“They’re not letting me out, Ellie.”
Her voice breaks.
“Not soon.”
A tear slips down her cheek.
“Maybe not at all.”
Everything tilts.
My fingers tighten around the bars until they ache.
“That’s impossible.”
My voice is barely audible.
“You wouldn’t…”
“I know.”
She interrupts quickly.
Tears are falling now.
“I know what you believe about me.”
Her hand presses against the bars.
“But they’re powerful.”
Her voice drops.
“And they’ve already decided what they want people to believe.”
She swallows.
“I don’t understand why he would do this.”
She stops.
Like even saying it hurts too much.
Like she can’t let herself believe someone she trusted could destroy her life.
I lean forward until my forehead is almost touching the cold metal between us.
“I’ll fix it.”
The words come out with certainty.
With desperation.
“I don’t care how.”
My voice shakes.
“I promise you, Mom. I will.”
Her hand rises.
Her fingers touch my cheek through the bars.
The metal of her cuffs clinks softly.
“Ellie…”
Her eyes soften.
“You’re sick.”
I look away.
“You’re barely holding yourself together.”
She shakes her head.
“You need to go back.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
“I swear.”
My voice cracks.
“I won’t let them do this to you.”
Before she can answer, Sarah steps forward.
Her expression is full of pain.
“Ellie.”
I know what she’s saying before she says it.
The guard looks at the clock.
“Time’s up.”
My mother’s fingers slip away from mine.
And suddenly, the distance between us feels unbearable.
Back at the clerk’s desk, the same officer looks nervous when he sees us approaching.
Maybe he remembers Sarah.
Maybe he remembers Dominic’s name.
I don’t care.
I wheel myself forward.
My hands are shaking so badly I have to brace one against the counter.
“I need to file for bail.”
The clerk looks at me.
“Or a review. Anything.”
My voice rises.
“There has to be something.”
“Miss—”
“I need a temporary release request. Emergency circumstances. Family crisis.”
He shakes his head.
“It doesn’t matter who you are.”
I stare at him.
“That’s not true,”
I explain.
I plead.
I argue.
I pull out every piece of legal knowledge I can remember.
I ask for exceptions.
For compassion.
For someone to just listen.
But every answer is the same.
Denied.
Not authorized.
Out of jurisdiction.
Above your clearance.
Every door closes.
Every possibility disappears behind a polite expression.
By the time Sarah pushes me back outside, I can barely feel my hands.
My vision fades at the edges.
She wraps one arm around my shoulders.
“Ellie…”
Her voice is soft.
“I’m sorry.”
I nod.
Because if I speak, I might scream.
Then—
Nothing.
The pain disappears.
The dizziness.
The crushing pressure in my chest.
Gone.
I freeze.
That only happens when—
Sarah notices immediately.
“Ellie?”
I don’t answer.
“What the…”
My breath catches.
“Ellie?”
A voice cuts through the air.
Sharp.
Alarmed.
We both turn.
Dominic stands several steps away.
His eyes are locked on me.
Like, he can’t believe what he’s seeing.
His jaw is tense.
His shoulders rigid.
A few grocery bags hang from his hands.
“What are you doing out of bed?”
The irritation is there.
But beneath it is something else.
Fear.
I don’t answer.
I just stare.
Really stare.
And suddenly—
Everything makes sense.
The relief.
The sudden absence of pain.
My body knew before my mind accepted it.
“Dominic.”
His expression changes slightly.
I stand.
My legs shake, but I move anyway.
Toward him.
“Ellie—”
“Take me to your father.”
The words come out fast.
Desperate.
“Right now.”
He blinks.
“What?”
“I need him.”
My chest tightens.
The ache threatens to return.
A warning.
A reminder.
“Please.”
I step closer.
“I don’t have time to explain.”
Dominic hesitates.
His eyes search my face.
Looking for something.
An answer.
A reason.
I don’t give him one.
I just reached out.
And grab his hand.
The second our fingers lock together, my entire body goes still.
Like instinct.
Like my body has been waiting for this.
Like my pride has been fighting something my soul already understood.
Dominic looks down at our joined hands.
Then back at me.
Something shifts in his expression.
His face hardens with determination.
“Okay.”
His voice is quiet.
Certain.
“I’ve got you.”
He pulls out his phone immediately.
“Yeah.”
A pause.
“Bring the car around.”
And for the first time in days…
I believe maybe I’m not fighting this alone.