I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 445

Seraphina lounged against the brick wall, a twisted, eerie smile curling her lips. In the dim light of the alley, her gaze was thoroughly unhinged.

She tilted her head and suddenly lunged closer, her voice dropping to a gravelly whisper. "Do you know who bailed me out? You'd never guess. Even I couldn't believe it. He isn't dead. He's been alive this whole time, completely fine."

Nora's brow furrowed. What was Seraphina rambling about? Alive? Completely fine? Could she mean...

"Frederick."

Before Nora could even speak, Seraphina spat out the name. "Finnegan's older brother—the one who supposedly died in that plane crash. He's alive, and he's the one who got me out. You thought I was finished, didn't you? You thought I'd rot in a cell for the rest of my life, completely ruined. You were wrong, Nora. Someone out there hates him even more than I do, and he pulled some strings to get me out."

Seraphina locked her unblinking eyes onto Nora's face, desperate to find a flicker of terror. She was sorely disappointed.

Nora's expression remained perfectly stoic. She stared back coldly, finding the whole display utterly pathetic.

"Are you done?"

Nora calmly bent down to retrieve her dropped files. "I don't know how Frederick survived, and frankly, I don't care. If you want to play his pawn, that's your business. But let me give you some advice. Finnegan shielded you for a while before discarding you. How long do you really think Frederick will protect you? Once he gets what he wants, do you honestly believe he'll keep you around? You'd better think this through."

Nora turned as Xander sprinted toward them. He grabbed her arm, pulling her protectively behind his back. His chest heaved with exertion, his suit jacket flapping open and his tie hanging loose from the dead sprint.

Seraphina instinctively stumbled backward, only to realize she was cornered.

She hastily plastered on a sickly sweet smile, raising her hands in mock surrender. "Take it easy, Mr. Harrison," she drawled, dripping with sarcasm. "I was just passing through. Thought I'd catch up with an old friend."

Xander leveled a murderous glare at her. "I know exactly who's pulling your strings, Seraphina. You go back and tell him this: Whatever he's investigating, I'm digging into it too. Whoever he's hunting, I'm already looking for them. But if he ever dares to lay a single finger on Nora, I will rain down hell on him—and it won't be just business."