Her Husband's Secret Affair novel Chapter 40

The shrill ring of his phone cut through the tension in the air, and Alex’s heart skipped a beat.

He didn’t hesitate. It was the same strange number from earlier. He grabbed the phone from the passenger seat and answered it immediately.

“Alex,” a voice came through, cold and calculated. “You’re running out of time.”

His pulse quickened. “Where’s Sophie? What have you done with her?” Alex demanded, his voice tight with fear.

A cold laugh echoed from the other end of the line. “You’re not in control here. You’re too late, Alex. If you want to see Sophie alive, you’d better listen very carefully.”

Alex’s grip tightened on the phone as he exchanged a glance with the police officers surrounding him.

They had been trying to track the number, but this was it—the moment he’d been waiting for. His eyes burned with frustration, but he kept his voice steady. “I’m listening. Tell me where she is.”

“Don’t involve the police. If you do, I’ll make sure Sophie’s dead before you even get close. Understand?”

Alex’s breath hitched in his throat, his stomach dropping.

Dead?

The words echoed in his mind like a thunderclap. He could barely breathe for a moment, caught in the vise grip of panic. He shook his head, trying to shake off the fear that threatened to consume him.

“No. You can’t do this. I’ll do whatever it takes,” he growled, his voice rising with the desperation he was barely able to control.

Another laugh, darker now, answered him. “You’re almost late. Do as I say, or she dies. Go to the address I’m sending you. Don’t bring the police. Don’t even think about it.”

Before Alex could respond, the call was abruptly disconnected.

“Damn it!” Alex slammed the phone down, his fists clenched at his sides. His mind raced as he fought to regain control, to think clearly.

Sophie’s life was at stake, and the only thing that mattered now was getting to her.

Without a second thought, Alex stormed out of the police station, ignoring the officers’ protests as he bolted for his car.

The urgency in his chest burned as he raced to his vehicle, slamming the door behind him and punching the ignition into life. His fingers trembled on the steering wheel as he typed the address into his phone, the location popping up instantly.

The road ahead blurred as he sped toward the destination, his thoughts racing even faster.

Every minute, every second counted. He couldn’t lose her now. He wouldn’t.

As Alex neared the location, his breath hitched in his throat.

The tires screeched against the asphalt as the car shot forward, the engine roaring in protest at the speed.

The streets blurred past him in a haze of lights and shadows. He barely registered the turns he took, only knowing that he had to get to Sophie, to get her somewhere safe. His mind couldn’t focus on anything else but her.

“Hang on, Sophie,” he whispered, his voice full of raw emotion. “I’m getting you out of this. You’re not going to die. You can’t.”

His grip on the wheel tightened as the car raced down the deserted street.

Every second felt like an eternity. His mind kept replaying the image of Sophie lying motionless on the pavement. Her pale face. Her still body.

“Please don’t leave me,” he muttered under his breath, his knuckles turning white from how hard he gripped the steering wheel.

The cold, desolate silence of the car was broken only by the sound of his speeding heartbeat, the screech of the tires, and the sound of Sophie’s shallow breaths in the backseat.

Minutes dragged on like hours, but finally, Alex pulled up to the emergency entrance of a hospital.

He didn’t hesitate for a second. He threw the car into park, yanked open the door, and sprinted inside with Sophie cradled in his arms.

“Help! I need help!” Alex shouted, his voice raw as he burst through the doors.

Nurses and doctors rushed forward, their expressions alarmed as they immediately took Sophie from him and wheeled her into the trauma bay.