Page 81 of Deadline for Love

Maria was the first to take a step and then fell into my arms; she broke down and cried. Enzo quietly let his tears fall andlooked down at the floor in shame. And I could do nothing but hold Maria in my arms.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered.

This only made Maria cry harder. Enzo then pulled us both into the house and closed the door before he wrapped his arms tightly around us. We stood like that for a long time. No words were spoken, but so much had been said.

I almost lost all my strength and just wanted to lie down and not get up again. But I knew if I did that once, I would drown in all my feelings. I couldn’t do that now.

They asked me to stay with them, so I briefly went to Amara and told her they shouldn’t wait for me.

After that, I returned to the house and sat on the couch. Enzo and Maria sat beside me on my left and right, putting their heads on my shoulders.

They apologized for what happened to me, but I assured them that they had nothing to apologize for. I loved them like my family and would never judge them for something they didn’t do.

The three of us couldn’t sleep, but we tried to rest and got up with the sun. Maria helped me change the bandage on my leg and disinfected my wound while Enzo made us a small breakfast.

We had no appetite but forced ourselves to eat something anyway. A little later, the bell rang at the front door, and Amara joined us.

I distracted myself with work. Although Amara tried to stop me, I returned to the office and worked on my articles. Writing had helped me to have at least some normality in my life. Work helped keep my mind off of the mess my world had become.However, as soon as I left, I sank into thoughts and nightmares that just destroyed me.

A few days passed, my cuts healed, and the whole city knew what had happened. Silence returned to Steel Valley, and the townspeople could breathe a sigh of relief.

Enzo had shut down his restaurant because of the incident. He felt guilty and uncomfortable facing people. He and Maria felt embarrassed and afraid of people’s gossip, and I felt really sorry for them, but I also understood.

Mr. Morgan had asked me to come for another debriefing, during which I had to give a detailed statement. In the end, he handed me the handbag I was carrying on the day of the abduction and my wedding ring.

My heart ached when I saw it. I had spent days trying not to think about Nathan. I worked non-stop and spent the night alternating between Amara and the Santiago’s but I could never really sleep.

I picked up the bag and then gently caressed the ring. Nathan had said he didn’t want to see me anymore…

“Miss Carter, there’s one more thing.”

Mr. Morgan stepped in front of me and gave me a faint smile. “I know you’re represented by a lawyer, but there is one thing... I don’t want to force you... it’s your decision ...”

I waited patiently for him to get to the point, which he finally did. “Fernando Santiago and Julian Blackwood have chosen to remain silent. Even though we have a lot of evidence and are guaranteed to put them behind bars, it would be quicker if we could get a confession.”

Mr. Morgan handed me a piece of paper with tomorrow’s date and time. “Mr. Santiago told us that he will sign a confession if you interview him.”

I blinked a few times. Was he being serious?

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me right. This is his last interview.”

My whole body tensed after that sentence. Mr. Morgan saw this and then patted me on the shoulder.

“It’s your decision whether you want to do this or not. But we’d be eternally grateful if you could help us.”

Then he left me alone in the room with the note, the ring, and the bag.

With an uneasy feeling in my stomach, I stood in front of the locked door of the police station. I wore my pant-suit and tied my hair back in a ponytail.

I had thought about everything yesterday afternoon and decided to do the interview. Yesterday, I also sat at my desk for a long time and wrote a letter to Nathan, which I would put in his apartment with the ring after the meeting… but that wasn’t important now.

I took a deep breath before entering the room.

The air was cold, and the space was gray; there was one table in the room, and Fernando was sitting behind it. His hands were handcuffed and lying on the desk. He was wearing gray clothes, and his hair was a mess. His appearance matched the atmosphere in the room.

His eyes were fixed on me, and he smiled, but I didn’t react.

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