My Husband Forced My Hand Onto a Blazing Stove Because He Said the Steak Was “Ruined.” As I Crumpled to the Floor in Pain, My Mother-in-Law Stepped Over Me to Pour Herself Another Glass of Wine and Scoffed, “Maybe Now She’ll Learn Her Place.” My Father-in-Law Barely Looked Up From the Television. They Thought I Was Reaching for a Bandage Beneath the Kitchen Island. They Never Imagined I Was Triggering a Hidden Camera That Was Already Sending Everything to the Police. / Chapter 8 / 43

Chapter 8 - The Prison Call

Midnight came and went without a firestorm. Julian was a predator, but he was also a businessman; he knew that attacking a building with a police cruiser parked outside would be a tactical error.

The next morning, I sat at my desk staring at the encrypted firewall of Apex Holdings. I needed Dominic’s half of the cipher.

As if the universe was playing a sick joke, my personal cell phone buzzed. The caller ID displayed: DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS - INMATE CALL.

I froze. My heart gave a heavy, painful thud against my ribs. I hadn't spoken to Dominic since the day he was sentenced in court. Sophia had secured a ten-year protective order, meaning he was legally barred from contacting me.

"Sophia," I called out, my voice tight. "Dominic is calling me."

Sophia rushed over, her eyes narrowing. "Do not answer it. It's a violation of the protective order. I can have his sentence extended for this."

"Wait," I said, my hand hovering over the screen. "He knows it's a violation. He knows the calls are recorded. Why would he risk solitary confinement just to call me today of all days?"

"Because Julian got to him," Chloe realized, standing up from her desk. "Julian needs Dominic to keep his mouth shut about the cipher."

I pressed the green button and put the phone on speaker.

"This call is subject to monitoring and recording. Do you accept a collect call from... Dominic?" the automated voice chimed.

"I accept," I said.

"Anna," Dominic’s voice crackled through the line. He sounded older, exhausted, but the arrogant sneer was still audible in his tone. "I hear you’ve been poking around in things that don't belong to you. Again."

"You’re violating a court order, Dominic," I said coldly. "The warden will have you in solitary before dinner."

"I don't care," Dominic spat. "I called to give you a warning. Julian Croft isn't like my idiot father. He will destroy you. He visited me yesterday. He told me to remind you that some vaults are locked for a reason. You are never going to figure out the sequence. You were just a glorified calculator for me, Anna. You aren't smart enough to break Apex."

"Is that right?" I asked, keeping my breathing steady.

"You think you won because you sold the house and ran away?" Dominic taunted. "You're nothing. The key is in the past, Anna. And you're too weak to look back."

He hung up.