After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 300

The ballroom downstairs was still buzzing with laughter and music, the air thick with excitement. Shirley kept glancing at the time, her smile only growing wider as the minutes ticked by.

By now, Catherine had to be ruined. Shirley hadn’t noticed where Lawrence had disappeared to, but she was sure Catherine hadn’t managed to escape the trap.

Nestor had made his way back to the main hall not long ago. Alice, who didn’t really understand why, had done exactly as Shirley asked and kept Nestor out of the way in a private lounge for a while.

Waldo looked like he was miles away, clearly not too thrilled about his own engagement party. He’d searched for Catherine everywhere but hadn’t seen her all night, which only made him grumpier. He figured she was probably off somewhere with Lawrence, whispering sweet nothings.

Just then, a waiter rushed over to Shirley and leaned in close. “Shirley, the man in room 809 has been badly hurt. They just took him to the hospital.”

Shirley sat up, her voice sharp. “What about the girl who was with him?”

“We only saw the man,” the waiter replied quietly. “No sign of the girl. But someone said a young man carried her away and took her up to the presidential suite on the top floor.”

Shirley’s face went pale. “How’s the man?”

“Covered in blood. Broken bones everywhere. He’s probably going to be disabled.”

It was like her brain exploded. Who could have done this? Was it Lawrence?

She tried to pull herself together and scanned the ballroom. Sure enough, Lawrence was nowhere to be seen.

“Pull the security footage. I need to know who took that girl,” she ordered. The staff here were already in her pocket, ready to follow her every instruction.

The waiter hurried off. Not ten minutes later, he was back at her side, phone in hand. He played a video, and Shirley felt her stomach drop. There was Lawrence, carrying Catherine into the elevator.

So Catherine had been rescued after all.

Outside the window, city lights flickered and danced against the night sky.

Upstairs, in the master bedroom of the presidential suite, everything had finally settled.

Catherine slept quietly in Lawrence’s arms. There were still traces of tears on her cheeks, her face flushed, but her whole body had relaxed. She was breathing slow and deep, looking completely worn out, but at peace.

Lawrence gently wiped away the last of her tears, then pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. He couldn’t even bring himself to think about what might have happened if he’d arrived a minute later.

Whoever set this up, whoever tried to hurt his wife, he wasn’t going to let it slide.

He tried to slip his arm out from under Catherine, but she clung to him instantly, holding tight like a child who refused to let go. Lawrence bent down and kissed her again. “Alright,” he whispered, “I’m not going anywhere.”