The MC President's Forsaken Wife (Zara and Knox) novel Chapter 524

Chapter 258-1

Locke

Ten days later

The discharge papers feel like a life sentence printed on standard hospital bond.

+25 Point

I refuse Stitch’s offer for a ride. I refuse Mayhem, Cobra, and every other patched brother whe looks at me like I’m a puzzle to solve or a ghost they’re trying to summon back into the ligh

I can’t stomach the pity, and I can’t handle the suffocating weight of their watchful, expectant eyes

Instead, I hire an Uber.

Sitting in the back of the car, the silence is a brief relief, even as every pothole sends a dull,

throbbing ache through my healing ribs and the bruised base of my skull. I stare out the window as

the city rolls past, feeling both relief and trepidation about returning to it.

When the car pulls up to the high–rise, I step out into the crisp air and head straight for the private elevator, my hand moving automatically to the digital keypad. Out of pure, instinctual muscle memory, my fingers punch in the five–digit code I’ve used for years.

BZZZT.

The pad flashes red, a harsh error chime echoing off the metallic walls.

I frown, staring at the keypad as a sharp pulse of irritation throbs behind my eyes. I punch it in

again, harder this time.

BZZZT.

“Dammit,” I mutter, my chest tightening. I pull my phone from my coat pocket and dial Cobra. He

picks up on the second ring.

“Locke? You out of the hospital?”

“I’m in the elevator,” I say. “The code isn’t working. I don’t know why not.”

There’s a brief pause on the line, followed by a low, quiet sigh.

“Locke… you changed that code months ago, after Knox threatened Zara. You put a hard security override on the private lift to protect Zara.”

The name hits the air, making my pulse spike with a sudden, disorienting panic:

Knox. Threats. Zara.

០២

川

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< Chapter 258-1

The words bounce around inside my skull like loose shrapnel. I have no memory of a threat. I’m

single man’s space anymore. It doesn’t feel like my space.

On the marble kitchen island, right beside the sleek espresso machine, sits a jar of loose–leaf

herbal tea left right beside the kettle. The air itself carries a faint, warm sweetness, a subtle mix of

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