Chapter 56 Married Again
Chapter 56 Married Again
Detective Harris's POV
Paris stood nearby while I stayed very close to the woman, worried that she might try to run again.
“Now,” I said softly with a low sigh, still standing in front of her with my arms folded and my voice calm.
“Who are you?” I asked, but she didn’t answer.
She just kept crying harder.
I continued anyway. “Why are you so scared?” Still no answer, instead she bursted into a louder sobs.
I leaned slightly forward. “You came to my station. Dropped a note. Said your mother-in-law killed your husband. So I’m asking again. Who are you?” Her shoulders shook violently as she covered her face with her hands.
I didn't speak again. I waited patiently for her to speak.
I didn’t rush her. I knew pressure sometimes made people talk. But sometimes it made them break completely.
After waiting for a while, I asked again, “Are you really pregnant?”
This was when she nodded slowly between sobs.
I continued, “Whose child is it?” She didn’t answer again.
She just cried louder.
I didn’t stop. “Is it Charlie Carter’s child?” It was as if the question had suddenly triggered something in her and it only made her cry even harder.
She shook her head but still didn’t speak.
I sighed quietly. “Listen to me. I need answers to help you. Not to hurt you. You've to trust me, can you do that for me?”
Again, she wasn't listening, she just kept crying, shoulders shaking violently.
“Who was your husband?” I asked slowly. “Was it really Charlie Carter?” The woman suddenly let out a loud painful cry.
“Yes!” she screamed between sobs. “Yes it was him!”
My eyes narrowed slightly. “And you are… his wife?” I asked with a broken voice, and she nodded violently.
I continued quickly, “Then why are you scared of your mother-in-law? Why do you think she killed your husband?”
She didn't answer this one. She just shook harder, crying louder like she couldn’t control herself anymore.
“But were you ever married to Charlie or how come I'm just getting to know you if you were ever his wife?” I asked carefully.
She suddenly covered her face completely and cried louder. “Because she hated me!” she cried.
“Who hated you?” I asked immediately.
She looked up at me, “Charlie's mother.” She suddenly barked, then she continued again, “She said I was not good enough for her son!”
I leaned closer, “But you were never married to Charlie, were you?”
She looked up again, this time slower than before.
“I was! We got married six weeks after I confirmed I was pregnant. His wife, Shenell, couldn’t give him a child, so he started seeing me again,’ she explained.”
“Again?” I asked sharply.
She sighed, trying to control the way her shoulders were shaking slightly, even though she wasn’t crying yet.
“Charlie knew me first,” she continued. “Charlie and I have loved each other since we were in high school. We were in a relationship until he suddenly got married to Shenell out of the blue.
He told me he would make it up to me, but that only made me despise him more.”
She swallowed hard before continuing.
“After being married to Shenell for about three years and she still wasn’t giving him a child, he returned to me. Gradually, I fell for him again. He would come around every weekend to spend time with me. Then soon, he started visiting every day like he couldn’t stand not seeing me.”
Her voice broke slightly, but she continued.
“Then I got pregnant. He suggested we get married immediately. I’ve always wanted Charlie… so I didn’t even think it through. I just agreed. We got married secretly. I somehow became his hidden wife… while the real mistress was Shenell.”
She let out a bitter laugh that quickly turned into a sob.
“Then one day, his mother suddenly came to my house. She said she found recent marriage papers in her son’s house and traced the new woman to me.”
Her fingers tightened on her dress as her broken voice struggled to keep its volume.
“Charlie’s mom threatened me. She told me to divorce Charlie or I would lose everything that was dear to me. It was during that exact moment that I rushed to the bathroom to throw up. That was when she figured out I was pregnant.’”
Tears started falling again.
“She asked if I was pregnant. I couldn’t hide it. I thought telling her the truth would make her accept me. I thought maybe she would welcome me because Shenell couldn’t give her a grandchild…”
She shook her head slowly.
“But that didn’t happen. Instead, she told me to get rid of the bastard inside my stomach or she would make sure neither me nor the child survived.”
Her voice trembled violently now.
“She warned me I had just one week to get rid of the child or I would regret ever knowing her son.”
She covered her mouth as she cried.
“And just a few days later… I heard about Charlie’s death.”
She broke down completely.
“I was terrified. I didn’t know what to do or who to run to. I was scared she would come for me next. I usually see you on TV as the officer in charge of the Carter case, so I traced you to your station just to tell you this.”
She sniffed and wiped her tears.
“But then I suddenly didn’t feel safe anymore. I heard Mrs. Carter is a very influential woman. They say she has connections in the police department and works with whichever officer she wants. I got scared you might be working with her too.”
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
“So I left the station immediately after dropping the note.”
I sighed quietly, I was completely stunned.
This is totally a new level of what I never expected.
Wow, so Charlie has the nerve to get married to two wives? Two fucking wives! Really?
I tilted my head slightly and caught Paris’s eyes, he was just as shocked.
I was speechless for a second…I didn't even know where to start from.
“Are you sure about everything you just told us now?” I asked, uncertainty in my tone.
She nodded slowly. “I have evidence,” she whispered.
And boom. It felt like someone had just hit my action button. I stepped forward instantly. ‘You have evidence?!’ I snapped, unable to hide the excitement in my voice.
She shook her head quickly, “YES!” She blurted out sharply.