Chapter 352

The chaos unfolding downstairs remained unknown to Dmitri, but his instincts screamed that this was his only chance to escape. If he hesitated now, he'd be trapped forever.

After a tense moment of deliberation, Dmitri pushed himself up and stumbled toward the window. His breath caught at the sea of flashing lights and armed officers below.

Why were there so many? But hesitation wasn't an option. He tightened his belt, scanning for a gap in the police perimeter.

Just as he prepared to jump, a voice like frozen steel sliced through the air. "Take one step, and I'll shatter both your knees."

Dmitri's legs buckled, sending him crashing against the windowsill. He knew that threat wasn't empty—this woman had already proven she'd follow through.

The contradiction gnawed at him. She'd knocked him unconscious, yet hadn't harmed him further or let him flee. What twisted game was she playing? "What do you want from me?" His voice cracked with barely restrained panic.

"Stop asking questions and keep your eyes on me!" Evelyn commanded, her gaze sharp enough to flay skin.

Dmitri swallowed hard. "Yes, ma'am." As his initial terror subsided, confusion took root. Why this bizarre order to stare at her?

The answer would soon become horrifyingly clear.

When the gunfire outside finally ceased, SWAT teams breached the property. Ivan made a desperate break for freedom, only to be instantly neutralized by a sniper's bullet.

Officers swarmed the ground floor, discovering Viktor Petrov clutching his bleeding arm beside a barely conscious accomplice. They secured both men before storming upstairs.

"Hostage located!" an officer radioed upon spotting Adrienne.

Alexander burst in behind them, then froze. "That's not her!"

While police combed the premises, Dmitri's anxiety spiked. Escape was impossible now—trapped between armed officers and this terrifying woman. Had fate ever dealt him a worse hand?

"Freeze!" Rifles snapped up in unison. "Hands where we can see them! Release the hostage!"

Dmitri complied instantly, relief washing over him. Prison would be paradise compared to whatever this witch had planned.

But how could he release a hostage...when he was the hostage?

"Ms. Carter?" An officer approached cautiously.

Evelyn lifted her tear-streaked face. "Y-Yes, that's me..."

Dmitri's jaw dropped. Those weren't tears—they were perfectly timed droplets she'd conjured from nowhere! The audacity!

"Don't be afraid, Ms. Carter. You're safe now. We're—"

A familiar figure shouldered through the crowd. "Evelyn!"

Her performance faltered for a heartbeat. "Alexander? What—" The genuine shock in her eyes confirmed this wasn't part of her scheme.

He crushed her against his chest before she could finish. "I've got you. You're safe now."

Both Dmitri and Evelyn stared, dumbstruck by this unexpected development.

Alexander shrugged off his coat, draping it around her shoulders with trembling hands. "Forgive me for not coming sooner. What you endured..." His voice broke as he traced a thumb under her fake tears, his own anguish raw and unfeigned.

The sight of her "distress" seemed to physically pain him. Dmitri couldn't contain his outburst. "Suffered? Her?" His incredulous laugh bordered on hysterical.