Page 52 of He Doesn't Deserve You

Roman gently lifted her chin, making her meet his gaze. “I’ll protect you,” he promised.

Emily nodded, tears streaming down her face, and kissed Roman softly. The moment quickly escalated, their emotions running high. Suddenly, Emily pushed him away, saying, “Wait a minute.” She got up and went to the window, glancing outside to ensure Gabriel was gone.Satisfied, she returned to the couch, removed her pants, and climbed onto Roman’s lap.

“We need a condom,” Roman whispered between kisses.

“It’s okay,” Emily replied softly as she unbuttoned his pants, “I’m on the pill.”

Roman was slow and gentle with her, so different from their first time, yet still managed to fill a deep longing within her. When they finished, she rested her head on his chest, her breathing steadying. As she drifted off to sleep, she could have sworn she heard him softly whisper, “I love you,” in her ear.

27

Detective Martin approached the booth, flashed his badge, and said to the security guard, “I’m here to see Michael Culliver.”

The guard slid a clipboard under the glass. “Please sign in,” he instructed.

Martin signed the sheet, then heard a buzzing sound as the door unlocked. He pushed it open and stepped through. The security guard arrived and guided Detective Martin to an interrogation room. “Wait here,” he instructed before leaving. Detective Martin’s footsteps echoed softly against the tiled floor as he paced back and forth. Despite his years of experience, the moment’s weight never seemed to lighten.

Fifteen minutes passed before the door opened again, and a guard escorted Michael inside. Detective Martin immediately noticed Michael’s look of disappointment. He was likely hoping Maggie was there to bail him out.

“What do you want?” Michael asked tersely, his hands and feet bound in shackles. He shuffled over to a chair, and the guard pushed him firmly into the seat.

Detective Martin made eye contact with the guard. “Uncuff him,” he instructed.

The guard hesitated momentarily before removing the handcuffs from Michael’s wrists, but he left the restraints on his feet.

“It’s about Maggie,” Detective Martin said solemnly.

Michael’s eyes widened as he rubbed his wrists. “Did you find her?” he asked, his voice filled with hope and anxiety.

Detective Martin took a deep breath and spoke softly, “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but Maggie is deceased.” The weight of the words hung heavily in the air.

“No!” Michael cried out as his face contorted in anguish and tears welled up in his eyes. He buried his face in his hands, elbows resting on the table, struggling to process the devastating news.

Detective Martin explained, “She hadn’t shown up to work for three days. A doctor from the clinic where she works requested a wellness check. She was found in her apartment, and we are currently investigating the scene.”

“She was murdered, wasn’t she?” Michael asked, wiping the tears from his cheeks.

“We need to wait for the autopsy to be certain, but it appears so,” Detective Martin replied.

Michael’s sorrow quickly turned to anger. “She did this to her. You have to arrest her.”

“Who?” Detective Martin asked.

“Emily!” Michael exclaimed.

“She’s on our list of suspects but so are you and anyone else close to her. We’ve only begun our investigation and need to examine all of the facts first.” Detective Martin explained. “Once the medical examiner determines the time of death, we’ll verify her alibi.”

“Oh, come on! Who else could it be? Emily publicly threatened Maggie, accusing her of sleeping with her husband. Now Maggie ends up dead.”

“There’s always the possibility it was Gabriel.”

“I don’t think so. Despite what Emily believed, Maggie wasn’tsleeping with Gabriel. She just started dating one of my good friends.” He started to break down, “She said he might be the one.”

“I need the name of that person and his contact information. Do you know if Maggie was pregnant?”

“Maggie had ovarian cancer a couple of years back. She had to have a total hysterectomy. So, no, she cannot be pregnant. Why?”

“We have some evidence that Emily was being blackmailed possibly by a woman.”

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