"Have a nice day, ma'am."
After paying the taxi driver with the last few bills she found crumpled in the bottom of her bag, the driver smiled politely at Brianna.
Brianna exhaled, looking at the retreating taxi. There was nothing 'nice' about a walk to the gallows.
She hadn't driven in her Maserati because it terrified her that the GPS would shut off or the engine would remotely lock if Lucian decided that was his next move.
Since she was finally here, she reached into her bag and pulled out her phone. She was exactly 129 minutes late.
Great.
Brianna glanced briefly at the divorce papers, let out another breath, before walking into the sterile, scent-choked lobby of the hospital.
On entering the reception, the sight made Brianna's heart hammer so fast she thought it'd drop from her chest. She panicked, hiding behind a towering saltwater fish tank in the corner of the entrance.
What were they doing here?
Brianna slowly raised her head, peeping at the two police officers standing near the receptionist's desk, their silhouettes looked distorted through the bubbling water and blue light.
Was this it? What would be said about the efforts with the attorney?
Brianna's mind, despite in this dangerous situation, drifted back to the attorney's face when he read her draft.
He had looked at her as if she'd grown a second head.
"Doctor, you're giving him ninety percent of everything you own... This isn't a divorce settlement. It's a surrender."
But it was the price for her life.
Now, hiding behind a tank of clownfish, that sacrifice felt meaningless. Did Thomas send the police to ensure she didn't even make it to the room?
He operated like that; treating Lucian like his Lord and personal saviour.
Looking at the officers in a deep conversation with the receptionist, Brianna thought about making a run for it. Figure out a way to leave the country.
She began to shift her weight, preparing to race back toward the sliding doors, when a small, high-pitched voice made her freeze.
"Mommy, why's there a woman behind the fishes house?"
Brianna froze. Looking at the face of the loud child tapping his mother. But his mother seemed too busy on her phone to pay attention to the little child.
There was a bowl of candy on the table close to the fish tank. Brianna struggled through the stiff corner until she managed to grab a handful of peppermint candies. She tossed them ridiculously towards the child, praying for a silent distraction.
The boy looked at the candy, then back at her. He didn't want sugar; he wanted attention. "Mommy! Look! There's a lady hiding!"
Brianna winced, her soul practically leaving her body. Squeak. Squeak. Squeak. The child's light-up sneakers announced his approach like a police siren.
When the mother turned to her son, she saw him going towards a disheveled woman crouching in the shadows of the blue light. She let out a piercing shriek as she pulled her son back. "Leo! Get away from there!"
Hugging her son, she looked at Brianna with distain. She immediately marched toward the two police officers. One of them was mid-bite into a chocolate-glazed donut; he nearly choked as she pointed a trembling finger at the corner.
The two police officers instantly got into action.
Brianna panicked. No, no, no. Surging to her feet, she was pulled back down. The hem of her sleeve was stuck on the metal edge of the tanks infiltration system.
She looked down, then back up at the officer's closing in.
"Hey! Don't move!" the donut-officer barked, struggling to swallow as he reached for a pair of cuffs that got stuck in his belt.
Still panicking, Brianna threw her entire weight backward. R-r-rip! Her sleeve stayed, but she went flying, landing on her back. Her heels hit the glass with a heavy thud.
Brianna recovered quickly, ignoring the gasps and her detached sleeve, she was about to make a run for it, but when the heavy glass tank before her, groaned. Everyone in the reception seemed to pause, looking at the tank and waiting for the moment it'd—
CRACK!
Rush of saltwater, sand, and terrified clownfish exploded into the lobby. The flood surged across the polished marble, sending patients screaming and causing the police officers to jump onto the reception chairs to save their boots.
When the water finally settled, the lobby was silent, except the pathetic flopping of orange fish on the tiles.
Brianna sat in the center of the mess, spitting out the salt water that got into her mouth, her hair plastered to her face.
...
Ding.
Even though the elevator doors opened, Brianna stayed rooted to the spot, water dripping from her hair onto the polished floor.
"This way, Mrs. Colburn," the officer said.
He didn't even mention the fact that she was missing a sleeve and smelled like a pier. He simply gestured toward the narrow, private hallway of the VVIP floor.
Brianna had been bracing for handcuffs and a cold cell—at least in a cell, she would have been away from him. But this was worse.
The officers she had thought were there to arrest her were actually there to clear the path. They weren't her captors; more like her delivery service.
Brianna stood before the door separating her from him. It couldn't get any worse than today, right?
Right?
She sighed deeply, reaching into her bag and bringing out the damp divorce papers. They were wrinkled and stained with saltwater.
Trying to gather the shattered remains of her confidence, Brianna's hands hovered over the door handle, but the police officer pushed the door open after sensing her hesitance.
"About time... You're more than a two hours late," Thomas's voice drawled. He looked at her, paused, and slowly looked her up and down.
He didn't even ask. He just moved aside.
Brianna kept her eyes glued to the ruins of her heels. She took one step. Two steps. Three. On the fourth step, she was before his bed.
Her knees hit the floor with a wet thud. The weight of the day, all of it crashed down at once.
Inhaling deeply, she raised the soggy papers with both hands, her head bowed.
A large, pale hand reached into her field of vision and plucked the papers from her grasp. Brianna held her breath. This was it. If he doesn't accept this, then it was proven he wanted her life and nothing more.
She heard him clearing his throat, the sound that made bile rise in her throat. She squeezed the hem of her wet skirt, the AC making her shiver.
When Lucian exhaled deeply, Brianna felt the urge to meet his gaze, instead she closed her eyes, biting her bottom lip.
'Just sign it. Take the money and let me go.'
"I don't understand this," Lucian cocked a perfect brow. "Why would I want to divorce my beautiful wife?"