I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 144

Winona took a step back, the tip of the knife inching dangerously close to Bonnie's delicate neck. Her voice was shrill and trembling.

"Stay back! Ms. Newman, what the hell are you doing here? I didn't mean any harm! I just wanted to take some cash and leave. It's life-saving money! Why did you have to interrupt me? Why couldn't you just pretend you didn't see anything?"

Her eyes were bloodshot, and the veins on her forehead bulged. Standing on the precipice of a total breakdown, she swallowed hard, her words tumbling out in a frantic mess.

"The stuff I took is practically pocket change to people like you! I didn't even grab anything insanely expensive. Why won't you let me go?! Did you call the cops?!"

Nora swallowed carefully. She hadn't expected Winona to be this unhinged. The knife was pressed flush against Bonnie's throat; a mere fraction of an inch could mean absolute tragedy.

Her heart hammered against her ribs, threatening to burst from her chest. "Stop! Don't hurt her!"

She immediately raised her hands in a placating gesture, softening her voice. "Winona, put Bonnie down. Let's talk about this. I didn't call the police. I only came over because Bonnie was scared of the storm."

Winona let out a bitter scoff, her lips trembling violently. "Do you think I'm an idiot, Ms. Newman? I know you're only here for Mr. Harrison. We both want the same thing! You want his money and status, and I just want cash. I don't want to hurt the girl. Let me go, and I'll leave with the money."

Nora didn't bother defending herself. Refusing to agitate the woman further, she played along. She slowly took a step back, clearing the path to the stairs, moving deliberately so as not to startle her. "Okay."

Winona shuffled forward, keeping Bonnie locked in a chokehold. The tiny girl was completely stiff, her eyes brimming with tears that she was too terrified to let fall.

She looked at Nora, her voice shaking violently. "Nora, I'm scared."

Winona's face went ashen. She violently pressed the blade closer to Bonnie's neck, her bloodshot eyes snapping toward Nora as she let out a guttural shriek. "You called the cops! You lied to me!"

Before Nora could even speak, the front doors were kicked open. Armed officers poured in, led by none other than Xander.

He was clad in a black suit, completely drenched, the wet fabric clinging to his imposing, broad-shouldered frame. His dark eyes were frighteningly calm—the eerie stillness before a catastrophic hurricane. His lips were pressed into a grim line, radiating a terrifying, predatory aura that sent a chill through the entire room.

The moment Bonnie saw him, she cried out, "Daddy!"

For a man as calculating and ruthless as Xander, seeing a blade pressed to his daughter's throat caused a rare, almost imperceptible flash of sheer panic in his eyes.