The Wife Who Jumped on New Year's Eve

Chapter 25

Sean Yates descended the stairs, his gaze darting urgently around the room in search of Joanna Taylor—but she was nowhere to be found.

Frowning, he turned to Bianca White, who stood nearby, his tone edged with accusation.

"Where's Joanna? Where did she go?"

A flicker of unease crossed Bianca's face before she feigned hurt, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

"She was so unreasonable! The moment she saw me, she flew into a rage, yelled at me, and stormed off. I have no idea where she went."

But Sean wasn't fooled by her act.

He knew Joanna. The state of the parlor told him everything—she had been wronged.

His gaze turned icy.

"Miss White, Joanna is the woman I love. I know she isn't the type to lash out without reason. What did you do to her?"

Bianca stiffened, her face flushing with anger, though she forced a composed smile.

"What could I possibly have done? She's the one who lost her temper for no reason! Why do you only believe her and not me?"

Done with her games, Sean turned to leave. His mother rushed forward to stop him.

"Sean, where are you going? Bianca is your fiancée! Don't act recklessly over some irrelevant woman!"

He halted, meeting his mother's gaze with unwavering resolve.

"Mom, Joanna isn't irrelevant to me. She's the woman I love—the one I'm going to marry."

Without another word, he pushed past her and strode out.

Meanwhile, Joanna was plunged into darkness.

Crystal Lynn had kidnapped her, locking her in a damp, abandoned warehouse. After losing everything, Crystal had used her last funds to bribe the guards and escape—all for the sole purpose of dragging Joanna down with her.

"Didn't expect this, did you, Joanna Taylor?" Crystal sneered, her eyes wild with madness. "Because of you, I've lost everything! You have it all—why? Why should you?"

Joanna stared at the woman before her, now a hollow shell of her former self. The once-elegant, cultured woman had devolved into a raving lunatic.

But Crystal was wrong about one thing.

She wasn't the only one who had nothing left.

When Joanna remained silent, Crystal's fury flared. She kicked Joanna viciously, her expression twisted with malice.

"I lost everything because of you and Ryan Bennett! Tell me—if he had to choose between his own life and yours, who do you think he'd pick?"

Joanna scrambled backward until her spine hit the cold, unyielding wall. There was no escape.

Her heart whispered a desperate prayer—Sean, find me. But with his own parents standing in the way, would he even come?

The answer was a terrifying unknown.

Crystal dragged her to the edge of a cliff, where only a fraying rope kept her from plummeting into the abyss.

Laughing maniacally, Crystal sneered,

"You're something else, Joanna Taylor. Two men willing to die for you. Knowing you're in my hands, they're practically tearing their hair out. Hah! Since we're all going to die anyway, why not enjoy the show?"

The biting sea wind lashed at Joanna's face.

She wanted Sean to come—yet dreaded the thought of him walking into danger.

And Ryan…

She didn't even know how to face him anymore.