Divorced CEO's Forgotten Wife Strikes Back (Riley and Bryce) novel Chapter 196

**TITLE: Dreams Refuse Gravity**
**by Leo Arden Knox**
**Chapter 196: Find Out the Truth**

In the sterile visitation room of the detention center, Barry’s composure shattered as he spoke, and suddenly, tears streamed down his cheeks, spilling over in front of Riley.

Riley’s heart sank at the sight. She had come here prepared to listen, but she hadn’t anticipated the rawness of his emotions. The guard on duty, noticing the shift in atmosphere, stepped forward with a concerned expression, ready to intervene if necessary.

With a subtle gesture, Riley signaled for the guard to hold back. She leaned closer to Barry, her voice gentle yet firm, “Just say what’s on your mind. You don’t have to hold back.”

Barry managed a strained smile, but the bitterness lingered in his eyes. Just say it? The words felt heavy on his tongue. In the past, when he had attempted to voice his thoughts, no one had taken him seriously.

“Everyone thought I was just rambling,” he recalled, his voice cracking with frustration. “No matter how desperately I pleaded for them to seek the truth, they dismissed me. They just shooed me away like I was a nuisance!”

The weight of his father’s death hung in the air, a suffocating silence. The dead, he thought, were powerless to defend themselves. Yet, deep down, Barry held an unwavering belief—his father was innocent!

“People claimed it was my dad who ignited that fire. They said he left a cigarette burning, and it spiraled out of control. But he promised me he’d quit smoking! My dad was a man of his word; he wouldn’t do something like that,” Barry argued, his voice rising with emotion.

Riley’s brow furrowed as she recalled the official fire department reports she had studied. Their findings indicated that the blaze had indeed been sparked by a smoldering cigarette. The first victim, Co-pilot Jaxon Allen, had been implicated; the evidence suggested that he had carelessly allowed his cigarette to ignite the tragedy.

“Even if he promised to quit, it’s possible he slipped up and had just one last smoke,” Riley suggested, trying to maintain an objective stance.

“No way!” Barry shot back, his eyes flashing with conviction. “My dad would never break his promise. Besides, he had been diagnosed with a ground-glass nodule in his lungs. The doctors said it was inoperable, and he was terrified. He wanted to live long enough to see me grow up. He wouldn’t have risked that!”

As Barry spoke, his voice trembled with a mix of desperation and hope. “Please, Ms. Anderson. Please clear my dad’s name. He deserves justice, not to be remembered as a criminal for something he didn’t do!”

Riley looked into Barry’s tear-filled eyes and felt a pang of empathy. She couldn’t help but reflect on her own life, on the connections that tied her to this case. The fire might just be intertwined with Samuel’s mysterious disappearance, a puzzle that had haunted her for years.

Though there was no direct evidence linking the two, Samuel had vanished shortly after the fire. If Jaxon hadn’t been the one to ignite the flames, then who had? The question loomed large in her mind, and she felt a surge of determination to uncover the truth.

“Alright, Barry. I’ll look into it. But I can’t guarantee you’ll get the answer you’re hoping for,” Riley replied, her voice steady but cautious.

Five long years had passed since that fateful day, and she knew that evidence could have easily vanished in the chaos. With Jaxon gone, many details remained shrouded in uncertainty.

Barry’s tears continued to flow, each drop a testament to his gratitude. “Thank you… thank you…” he whispered, his voice barely audible. She was the first person to truly offer him a glimmer of hope. How could he not feel thankful?

As Riley exited the visitation room, she spotted Sebastian waiting for her in the hallway.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify