Used, Broken, Reborn, Novel

Chapter 6 The dinner that night carried an unspoken tension. Everyone carefully avoided discussing work or Arabella's injured legs. It wasn't until one of the older officers, drunk and nostalgic, sighed and said. "You know, I still miss the days when Anthony and Arabella worked together. That was the golden age of our unit." "Yeah," another added. "You two were like a dream team dealing with that serial kidnapping case in South End. Absolute perfection!" The memories poured out after that, the veterans reminiscing fondly. Their voices were full of respect for the Arabella of the past.

Her fingers tightened slightly around her glass. A dull ache spread through her chest, and she quickly lowered her gaze to hide it. Judith's voice chimed in right on cue. "Come on, Armando, that's ancient history. Bella really was amazing back then. She and Captain Whitehead were a legendary duo. "But times have changed. Criminals today are becoming increasingly sophisticated by the minute. If we still relied on old-school methods, we'd never keep up." She went on brightly, "Take that cross-border fraud case last month for example.

Without the new criminal profiling system, there's no way we would've caught the suspect that fast." Turning toward Anthony, her eyes glimmered with admiration. 10:57 Chapter 6 "And it's all thanks to Captain Whitehead's quick thinking and support for new tech." Anthony looked up, his tone cool and professional. "Technology-driven policing is the future. You've adapted well." Judith's checks flushed bright red at the compliment. "I've got a long way to go. There's this profiling expert who goes by 'Prophet.' He's a real legend. I heard he might collaborate with our system.

If I ever get to learn from him, I could die happy!" Her voice brimmed with excitement, completely unaware that the "Prophet" she so admired was sitting right across from her-the quiet, forgotten veteran, Arabella herself. She sat quietly in the corner, listening to the lively discussion about new cases like an outsider among people she once called family. The terminology, the case types, and even the familiar voices of her old teammates all felt foreign now. She lowered her head and looked at her hands resting on her lap. Her fingertips were cold.

Judith's confident tone, Anthony's occasional approving responses- their effortless rhythm pierced through her like a thousand tiny needles. Once, she had been an essential part of that same world. Now, she didn't even have the right to speak. The veteran's words had stirred too many memories. The South End kidnapping case had been her and Anthony's defining moment. She and Anthony stood back to back, reading each other with 23.16% 10.57 Chapte 1 nothing more than a glance, and together they pulled seven hostages out of the hands of the kidnappers.

The way he used to look at her, filled with absolute trust and quiet admiration, was the same way he looked at Judith now. Arabella lifted her glass, hiding the redness in her eyes behind a sip of water. She couldn't let herself think about it; every memory felt like being cut open all over again. She quietly turned her wheelchair and slipped away without a sound. When she returned to the apartment she and Anthony had shared for five years, her emotions tangled.

The place was filled with traces of their past happiness-his clumsy late-night attempts to cook for her, her habit of curling up on the couch reviewing case files while waiting for him to come home. Every corner still seemed to hold the warmth of what once was. Arabella began packing her things in silence, moving slowly, as if saying goodbye to every fragment of their life together. She hadn't expected Anthony to show up. He stood in the doorway for a long moment before saying, "You can keep living here.

The divorce was just a temporary measure, made under pressure." Her hands froze mid-motion. The casual words-"temporary measure"-so easily erased everything they had shared, everything she had suffered. 1057 Chapter 6 288 Vouchers Without turning around, she answered calmly, "No need. This place doesn't belong to me anymore." Before he could reply, another voice came from behind him. "Anton, why didn't you tell me you were coming back?" Judith walked in, her gaze falling on Arabella's luggage.

"Bella, do you need help packing?" As she spoke, her hand brushed against a photo frame on the table. The sharp crack of breaking glass cut through the air. It was the photo taken right after Anthony proposed. In the photo, he was holding her tightly, both of them laughing, glowing with happiness. Judith gasped and crouched down quickly. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to!" Flustered, she grabbed at the shards, and a sliver of glass sliced her finger, drawing blood. "Don't move!" Anthony's face darkened. He rushed forward, taking her hand with urgent concern. "How could you be so careless?

Does it hurt?" He practically half-carried her toward the bathroom. "Let's clean this up first." Not once did he glance at the shattered photo on the floor or at 1057 Chapter 6 288 vouchere Arabella, frozen in place. Her hands trembled as she slid from the wheelchair and brushed the glass fragments off the picture. The smiles in the photo were as bright as ever, but now, they felt like they mocked her. His tenderness toward Judith, his complete disregard for the memory that once defined their love. It was a cruel contrast.

In that moment, Arabella finally understood that some things, once broken, could never be put back together. She took a deep breath, placed the photo at the bottom of her suitcase, and wheeled herself out the door without looking back.