Chapter 4The Warden Said I Died Already

The heavy silence of the room was shattered by rapid footsteps. One of Nathaniel’s junior associates sprinted through the doorway, his face pale, clutching a thick manila envelope.

"Mr. Pierce!" he gasped, out of breath. "A courier just dropped this off at the firm. It’s... it’s an official document from the state coroner."

He held it out like it was radioactive. "It’s Madeline Wright’s death certificate."

Nathaniel and Hudson both went completely rigid.

Isabella bit her lip so hard it almost bled. A flash of genuine panic crossed her face, but she quickly masked it, burying her face into Nathaniel’s shoulder and bursting into loud, theatrical sobs.

"She went this far?" Isabella wailed. "She actually forged a government document just so she wouldn't have to save my life?"

Nathaniel swallowed hard. I could see the muscles in his jaw ticking, a physical manifestation of the cognitive dissonance tearing through his brain. He snatched the envelope, pulled out the heavy, embossed paper, and without even reading the ink, tore it into shreds.

He threw the confetti of my death over Luke’s cooling body.

"She is out of her mind," Nathaniel rasped, though his hands were trembling slightly. "Forging federal documents. She has no limits. Bella, I promise you, wherever she is, I’ll find her."

My heart was ash. There was nothing left to break.

Isabella slumped against him, playing the tragic heroine perfectly. "Let it go, Nate. Please. I know my body. I don't have much time left." She looked up at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. "My only wish... before I go... is to walk down the aisle. To finally have our wedding."

She sniffled. "And maybe... if it’s publicized... Madeline will see it. Maybe she’ll get angry enough to show up to stop it, and you can finally catch her."

Hudson grabbed Isabella’s hand, crying hysterically. "No! I don't want you to die! Dad, please do the wedding! I want Aunt Bella to be my mom!"

Nathaniel’s eyes were bloodshot. He squeezed Isabella’s hand, his voice dropping into a solemn vow.

"You are not going to die. I’ll give you the grandest wedding this city has ever seen. I'll fulfill your wish." He paused, looking away, staring at the blank wall. "But Madeline is still my legal wife. When I find her, and she gives you the marrow... I'm going to make this right with her. I owe her."

The sheer audacity of it made me want to laugh until I screamed.

He had locked me in a cage. He had authorized the surgical torture that killed me. He had just watched my brother die. And now he was talking about making things right?

Isabella’s eyes narrowed, a toxic jealousy seeping into her gaze. She tugged at his sleeve gently.

"Nate, I didn't want to tell you this, but... my friend saw Madeline at the Galleria yesterday. She was with another man. They looked... really happy."

The air in the room vanished. Nathaniel’s face morphed from grief into a possessive, territorial rage.

"Is that so?" he whispered, his voice vibrating with venom. He turned to the junior associate. "We’re not waiting. Book the venue. Tonight. Get the planners. We are having this wedding right now."

That evening, the internet was ablaze. Nathaniel Pierce, Dallas’s most ruthless attorney, had dropped millions to throw a spontaneous, fairy-tale wedding for Isabella Montgomery at a historic downtown estate.

The city’s elite gathered under crystal chandeliers, sipping champagne, politely ignoring the fact that Nathaniel was technically still married to the woman sitting in a prison cell.

Isabella was radiant in custom silk, holding Hudson’s hand as she walked down the aisle toward Nathaniel. She had won. She had taken my parents, my child, my husband, my freedom, and my life.

But as Nathaniel took the microphone to exchange vows, the heavy oak doors of the ballroom burst open.

Red and blue lights flashed wildly against the stained-glass windows.

A squad of Dallas police officers marched down the aisle, their heavy boots loud against the marble floor. The music abruptly cut out.

The lead detective stepped up to the altar, completely unfazed by the billionaires gasping in horror around him. He looked dead at Nathaniel.

"Mr. Pierce. We have an uncollected urn at the county morgue under the name Madeline Wright. It has exceeded the state’s holding limit. If you don't sign for her ashes tonight, she goes into a mass grave."

Nathaniel and Hudson froze, the blood draining from their faces. Before Nathaniel could speak, the detective signaled to his officers.

Handcuffs flashed under the chandeliers. They locked around Nathaniel’s wrists, and then Isabella’s.

"Furthermore," the detective announced, his voice echoing in the dead silent ballroom. "Luke Wright passed away at 3:14 PM today. We have the hospital security footage. Both of you are suspects in a homicide. You're coming with us."