She "tripped," falling directly into his arms. Her hands clutched at the front of his shirt, her body pressing against his for a moment before she slowly regained her bnce.


    "Lionel, please don''t be harsh with Hannah when you get back," she pleaded softly. "She''s been through so much... a woman who experiences something like that is bound to be hurting. It must be so hard for her to ept."


    Sandra''s voice was a gentle murmur. "The fact that she''s still trying to live a normal life is a testament to her strength. I didn''t tell you this to make you do something to her."


    "I know. Get some rest," Lionel replied coolly before turning and leaving.


    Sandra immediately ran to the window. She watched as his car sped away, tires screeching as he raced back home. Only then did she let out a cold, triumphant snort.


    "Hannah, oh Hannah," she whispered to the empty room, "your happy days are numbered. Let''s see you get out of this one."


    She knew Lionel had only signed the divorce papers to appease her; only Hannah had taken it seriously. And while she couldn''t understand why Lionel had seemed so reluctant to divorce before, these two incidentsbined would surely make him despise his wife.


    The divorce was as good as done.


    Halfway home, Lionel''s foot eased off the elerator. He slowed the car and pulled over to the side of the road.


    His first instinct had been to rush home and confront Hannah, but the constant stream of disasterstely had taught him a lesson. Every incident had pointed to Hannah, yet each time, she had turned out to be the innocent one.


    Could this time be the same?


    He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.


    It had been a while since Sandra''s incident. Zack had confessed, and all the culprits had pointed their fingers at him. Now, suddenly, one person appears to overturn all the previous testimony? The more he thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed.


    He made a call. "I want you to question Zack and his crew again. Find out exactly how many men they hired to go after Sandra."


    After hanging up, he stared out at


    theke beside the road. The


    moonlight shattered across


    surface, turning the water into a field


    of glittering diamonds


    There was a time when he and Hannah would walk along this very shore, hand in


    hand, talking about their future. But now...


    He got out of the car and walked


    toward the water''s edge, sitting on a


    stone bench as he gazed at the shimmering surface. He took out a Cigarette and litt, taking a


    a fatoume


    deep drag. Grayish smoke veiled his face, blurring his vision before


    dissipating into the night


    He took drag after drag, but the turmoil in his heart refused to quiet.


    "Hey! Are you blind? Can''t you see the sign? No smoking here!"


    An old man with a red armband, a park administrator, marched over, pointing at a


    nearby sign. "That''s a fifty-dor fine. Cash or card?"


    Lionel nced at the sign and, without arguing, pulled out his phone and transferred a hundred dors.


    "I''m having another one," he said, pulling a fresh cigarette from the pack.


    Before he could light it, the administrator snatched it from his fingers. "You think money makes


    you special?fe broke the


    rules like you, it would be chaos! Get out of here, you useless piece of trash!"


    Lionel watched as his cigarette was tossed into a bin, the frustration inside him mounting.


    Just as he was about to retort, he heard a voice from a distance.


    "Sir!"


    Cora saw the old man yelling at Lionel and immediately rushed over, cing


    herself between them like a protective shield.


    "You old fool! Who do you think you are, talking to my sir like that?"


    "And who are you?" the old man shot back. "I''ll say what I want to him! Smug rich people, thinking a little money makes them king of the world!"