A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 295

Maybe it was because she hadn’t blinked in ages, but Elissa’s eyes were burning with dryness. She glanced back toward the bathroom and managed a faint, silent smile.

Sometimes, she really couldn’t figure Rowan out.

No, that wasn’t right—she’d never been able to understand him.

The days when she desperately needed those high heels were long gone.

Now, she spent most of her time at the clinic or in the lab. Opportunities to wear heels were few and far between.

Beside her, Max nudged at her legs, almost as if he could sense her mood. Suddenly, he leapt up to wrap his paws around her.

Elissa’s eyes stung with sudden warmth. She knelt down, hugging him tight, rubbing his head and gently bumping her nose against his. “Good boy, Max,” she whispered.

Her phone rang suddenly, cutting through the moment. Elissa picked up. “Hey, Tanya.”

“Sweetheart, when are you coming home?” Tanya Foster’s voice was warm and teasing. “I have to head out in twenty minutes, tops.”

“I’ll be right back,” Elissa promised.

She hung up, tossed a quick word to Rowan—“I need to go, Tanya’s waiting for me”—and hurried off before he could reply.

At her own front door, she noticed a brown paper bag dangling from the handle. Frowning, she grabbed it and let herself inside.

Tanya spotted the package immediately. “What’s that?”

“No idea,” Elissa replied, already halfway to the bathroom to wash up. She shoved the bag into Tanya’s hands. “Open it for me, will you? I need to freshen up.”

She’d barely squeezed toothpaste onto her brush when Tanya burst into the bathroom, eyes wide with disbelief. “Elissa, this is a property deed. The place is in your name.”

Elissa froze, toothbrush halfway to her mouth.

“Did Rowan give you this?” Tanya asked, not really surprised.

Elissa shook her head, hesitated, then said, “It must’ve been Frank.”

There was no one else it could be.

On the way to the clinic, they hit a stretch of traffic so bad it felt like the street had been sedated—absolutely paralyzed.

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