A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 248

He was aching for her.

But Elissa felt nothing. Outsiders always thought she was soft-tempered, but only those who truly knew her understood—once she made up her mind, nothing could change it.

Three years. Not once in all that time had he cared for her like this.

Now, she didn’t need it anymore.

By the time she stepped out of the hospital, dawn had already tinged the sky with pale gray.

While they waited for the driver to bring the car around, Frank shrugged off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. “Let me take you home to Vistapeak Gardens.”

This hospital was so far out, it wasn’t even within Vistapeak City limits. Secluded, isolated.

And at this hour, there was no chance Elissa could get a cab.

After a long, exhausting night, she was too tired to put up a fight. “Alright. Thank you.”

Sensing her distance, guilt twisted inside Frank. “We’re married. This is what I should be doing.”

But the truth was, he’d never done any of it before.

His mind flashed with memories—how many times had he left her behind for Marcia? How many times had he turned his back, letting her face things alone? The thought made his chest ache with shame and regret.

He couldn’t even begin to explain.

How could he say, I only treated you that way because I mistook someone else for you?

It sounded absurd. Even Frank wanted to call himself a fool.

Once they were in the car, Elissa was tense at first, wary and silent. But the drive was long, and her nerves had been strung tight all night. She leaned her head against the window, and before long, her eyelids began to droop.

She drifted into sleep.

Frank noticed the moment she dozed off. Her right hand still gripped the door handle, as if she could bolt at any moment. She pressed herself against the door, desperate to keep as much distance between them as possible.

But it hadn’t always been like this.

“And the lead you asked me to follow—I found it. She really did leave Vistapeak City a couple days ago. Met with some gangsters.”

“But when word got out that the target was your wife, no one wanted the job. Only Scarred Man and his bunch, who didn’t know the details, fell for Marcia’s story.”

Frank’s eyes narrowed. “No one else would take it?”

Bernard nodded. “Seems someone warned the gangs off.”

But in all of Vistapeak City, there were only a handful of people with that kind of influence.

It was pure luck Scarred Man’s crew were just small-time thugs—otherwise, they might not have gotten to Elissa in time.

Frank thought for a moment, and realization dawned. “Prepare a generous gift. Send it to Rivercross Residence.”

Elissa was Rowan’s sister, and of course Rowan would look out for her.

But Frank was her husband. He needed to make his stance clear.