Chapter 51 The Devil's Bargain
Lara's pov
Three days has passed.Three quiet days.
No threatening calls. No photos. No messages.
It should have made me feel better. But it didn't.
The silence felt wrong. Like the calm before a storm.
Damien went back to work. Said he needed to check on some things at the office.
I stayed home with Ethan. We did normal things. We made cookies, watched movies and played games.
But I kept looking at my phone and waiting for something bad to happen.
On the fourth day, Margaret called me.
"I have news."she said.
"Good or bad?"
"Both actually .Which do you want first?"
I sat down on the couch. "Bad news first. Always."
"The sisters' lawyer is trying to get the charges dropped. Says the evidence was obtained illegally."
My stomach twisted. "Can they do that?"
"They can try. But it won't work. The warrant was clean. Everything was by the book."
"Okay. What's now the good news?"
"The trial date is set. It will be around three months from now."
Three months. That felt like forever.
"And there's more good news," Margaret continued. "Lucas's assets are being unfrozen again."
"What? Why?"
"For you. The court ruled that since you're still legally married, you have rights to the money. All of the money."
I didn't know what to say.
"Lara? Are you there?"
"Yeah. I just... I don't want his money."
"It's not his money. It's your father's money that Lucas stole. You're just getting it back."
She was right. But it still felt dirty somehow.
"How much are we talking about?"
"About sixty million dollars."
I almost dropped the phone.
That evening, I told Damien about the money.
He didn't seem surprised.
"Your father's company was worth a lot. Lucas sold everything and kept the cash."
"Sixty million dollars, Damien. That's insane."
“You are the owner of it. It always should have been.”
"I don't even know what to do with that much money."
He smiled. "You'll figure it out. Maybe invest in your own company or build something new."
I liked that idea. Building something that was mine. Not my father's. Not Lucas's. Just Mine.
The next morning, I woke up to my phone ringing.
Unknown number.
"Hello?"
Silence.
Then heavy breathing.
"Who is this?"
A woman's voice. Weak. Shaky.
"You think you won... but you didn't..."
It was Veronica.
"How did you get this number? You're not supposed to contact me."
"I don't care... about their stupid rules..."
"I'm recording this. You're violating your bail conditions."
She laughed. A harsh, bitter sound.
"Go ahead. Record it. Even tell the police. I don't care anymore."
"What do you want?"
"I want you... to know... that this isn't over."
My hand tightened on the phone. "Lucas is in the hospital. You and Natasha are going to prison. It is over."
"No. My brother is waking up soon. And when he does... he's coming for you."
The line went dead.
I sat there. God.
I called the detective immediately and explained everything about Veronica's call to him.
"Did you record it?"
"No. I should have but I didn't think fast enough."
"That's okay. We can check your phone records and prove that she called."
"She said Lucas is waking up soon. Is that true?"
"I'll call the hospital and find out."
He called me back thirty minutes later.
"Lucas Ward is being brought out of his medically induced coma today."
My blood went cold. "Today?"
"Yes. The doctors think he's stable enough."
"When will he wake up?"
"Could be hours. Could be days. There's no way to know."
"And when he does wake up?"
"He'll be arrested immediately. We have officers at the hospital waiting."
That should have made me feel better. But honestly, it didn't.
I told Damien about it.He called Marcus right away.
"Double the security. Lucas might wake up any day now."
Marcus arrived an hour later with two more guards.
"One at the front. One at the back. Two more in unmarked cars on the street."
"Is that enough?" I asked.
"It'll have to be."
That afternoon, Ethan came home from school upset.
"What's wrong, baby?"
"The kids at school are talking about us."
"What are they saying?"
"That my dad is in jail. That he's a bad man."
My heart broke. "Lucas isn't your dad, remember? Damien is your dad."
"I know. But they don't know that. They just keep saying mean things."
I pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry, baby. People talk when they don't understand."
"Can I stay home, I don't want to go to school tomorrow?"
I looked at Damien. He nodded.
"Okay. Just for tomorrow, okay."
But I knew this wouldn't stop. The whispers. The stares. The judgment.
This was our life now.
Two days later, the hospital called.Damien answered.
I watched his face go pale.
"When?" he asked.
Pause.
"And he's talking?"
Pause.
"Okay. Thank you for letting us know."
He hung up.
"Lucas is awake."
I couldn't breathe. "When?"
"This morning. Around 5 am."
"Is he... is he okay?"
"Physically, yes. The bullet didn't hit anything vital. He'll make a full recovery."
"What did he say?"
"First thing he asked for was you."
My stomach turned. "What?"
"He asked the nurse where you were. Said he needed to see you."
"I'm not going."
"I know. The police already told him no visitors except his lawyer."
"Did they arrest him?"
"Yes. He's handcuffed to the bed. Under guard. He's not going anywhere."
But I didn't feel safe. Lucas was awake. I know he is talking and planning already.
And I knew him. He wouldn't give up.
That evening, Margaret called again.
"Lucas's lawyer contacted me."
"About what?"
"Lucas wants to see you. Says he has information about his sisters that could help your case."
"It's a trap."
"Probably. But what if it's not? What if he really does have information?"
"I don't care. I'm not going."
"I think you should consider it. With police present, of course. Maybe even behind glass like the sisters."
"No, Margaret. Absolutely not."
"Okay. I'll tell his lawyer you declined."
After she hung up, Damien looked at me.
"You sure about that?"
"About what?"
"Not seeing him. What if he does know something?"
"I don't care what he knows. I'm not going near him."
Damien nodded. "Good. I don't trust him either."
But that night, I couldn't stop thinking about it.
What if Lucas did have information? What if he could put his sisters away for good?
What if this was the key to ending everything?
I hated that I was even considering it.
Around midnight, I got out of bed.
Went downstairs and called Margaret.
"Did I wake you?"
"No. What's up?"
"Tell Lucas's lawyer I'll meet with him."
"Are you sure?"
"No. But I need to know what he wants. What he knows."
"I'll set it up for tomorrow. Behind glass. Police present. You don't have to be in the same room."
"Okay."
"Lara? Be careful. He's manipulative. Don't believe anything he says."
"I won't."
But as I hung up, I wondered if I was making a huge mistake.
The next morning, Damien tried to talk me out of it.
"You don't have to do this."
"I know."
"He's going to mess with your head. That's what he does."
"I can handle it."
"Can you?"
I looked at him. "I survived five years married to him. I can survive one conversation."
He didn't look convinced. But he didn't argue.
We got to the hospital at 2pm.
Margaret met us at the entrance with two police officers.
"He's on the fourth floor. ICU. We've set up a room next door where you can watch and talk through a phone."
"He can't see me?"
"No. One-way glass. You can see him but he can't see you."
That made me feel a little better.
We took the elevator up.
Walked down a long hallway.
My heart was beating so fast I thought I might pass out.
"You okay?" Damien asked.
"No. But let's do this anyway."
The detective led me into a small room.
Through the glass, I could see Lucas in the hospital bed.
He looked different. Thinner. Paler. There was a bandage on his chest where he'd been shot.
But his eyes were the same. Cold. Calculating.
He was handcuffed to the bed rail. A police officer stood by the door.
The detective handed me a phone.
"When you're ready, pick it up. He'll hear you through the speaker in his room."
I took the phone.
My hand was shaking.
Lucas was looking around the room. Waiting.
I picked up the phone.
"I'm here."
Lucas's head turned toward the glass. He couldn't see me but he knew I was there.
He smiled.
That same smile that used to make me feel special. Now it just made me sick.
"Hello, wife.”