The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 433

Her breathless sobs tore through the room, her entire body quaking violently like a leaf in a hurricane.

Christian stiffened for a fraction of a second before wrapping his strong arms securely around her, his large hand gently stroking her back.

"You're safe," he rumbled, his voice low and utterly steady. "I got to you before they could do a damn thing. They pumped you full of sedatives, but absolutely nothing happened to you."

Piper's hysterical sobbing hitched. She pulled her face from his shoulder, her eyes completely bloodshot and her cheeks soaked. "You swear?"

"I swear." Christian locked eyes with her, unwavering. "Have I ever lied to you?"

Piper stared up at him for a long, agonizing moment before slowly resting her head back against his shoulder. Her wails quieted down, dissolving into exhausted, rhythmic hiccups.

Christian kept rubbing her back in soothing circles, exactly the way he used to comfort her when she scraped her knees as a kid. Back then, she had believed him when he said everything was fine. Tonight, she chose to believe him again.

Minutes passed until the tears finally ran dry. She pulled away and wiped her blotchy face with the back of her hand.

"Christian," she rasped, a lingering tremor in her voice. "Those two guys..."

"I called the cops," Christian cut in smoothly. "The authorities are handling it."

Piper nodded numbly. She didn't want the gruesome details. If Christian said the cops had it, that was all the closure she needed.

A heavy silence settled over the room before she spoke up again. "There was someone else."

Christian's gaze darkened instantly. "Who?"

"Serena Sterling," Piper whispered. "That friend I told you about... the one who invited me out. She ordered the juice. She was the one who handed it to me."

Christian's brow furrowed into a lethal scowl. He had assumed it was just the two street thugs. He hadn't expected a female accomplice. That was a fatal oversight.

"She was with you?" he pressed.