Dexter met her gaze directly. “Have I done anything to you?”
She was taken aback by his question. It seems like he hasn’t done anything to me. There hasn’t even been any physical contact.
“It seems you’ve forgotten that Mason Garden is listed under your name in the divorce agreement,” Dexter leaned in, whispering in her ear.
Josie remembered their last meeting before their divorce was at Mason Garden. She had found the divorce agreement he had signed, along with a few additional clauses he had added besides the typical content.
He had been quite generous. However, Josie didn’t appreciate his generosity and never returned to the house. She never touched the money or the property he had given her.
Even if the media caught them, Dexter could still come up with an excuse to absolve himself of responsibility. Josie finally realized his scheme and glared fiercely at the man. “What on earth are you trying to do?”
“Stay here.”
Dexter moved past her and sat on the couch, retrieving a first aid kit from under the table. Josie looked over her shoulder at him, suddenly asking, “Is the wedding still on the fifteenth?”
The man’s movement didn’t cease and appeared smooth and natural under the dim lighting, making his expression even more inscrutable.
Josie took a deep breath and repeated her question once more. He finally raised his head, holding a bottle of iodine in one hand. “Apply this for me,” he demanded.
Josie furrowed her brows, only then noticing that the bandage wrapped around his palm was seeping with blood. It looks serious. Did he not get the wound properly dressed at the police station?
Seeing that she didn’t move, Dexter questioned, “Shouldn’t you take responsibility for the injury you sustained while trying to save you?”
This is moral manipulation!
Josie fumed with anger as she stepped forward and impatiently unwrapped the bandage. As expected, the wound had torn again, and blood was pooling in his palm.
She paused and instinctively dabbed more gently with the cotton swab.
“Arnold has fled. Do you think Mark will let you off easily?”
Dexter remained silent, leaning against the couch, his eyes half-open, staring at her soft black hair. Her side profile looked slightly puffed. A picture that depicted vibrancy and stubbornness.
Josie turned around, meeting his gaze. It felt as if something had gripped her heart.
“Why are you staring at me?” Dexter asked.
“Were you with Arnold all night yesterday?”
“Kind of. We didn’t separate for even a moment since he kidnapped me.”
“Has there been any suspicious person around during that time?”
The question was odd. Josie pursed her lips in thought before responding, “No.”
“What about suspicious phone calls?”
That question hit the nail on the head. Josie’s brows furrowed tightly as she recalled a memory. Heather… No, Rachel called last night. That was the only call yesterday.
She lowered her head. “Why are you asking this?”
“Was there a call or not?” Dexter asked in a deep voice.
“There was, but I don’t know who the caller was.” Josie lied without changing her expression. “He avoided me when he took the call.”
Dexter stared at her silently. After a while, he lifted her chin with his other hand, forcing her to look at him. “Look at me and repeat what you just said.”
His eyes were unfathomably deep to the extent that Josie could see her own reflection in them. Feeling guilty, she pushed his hand away. “I told you I don’t know. Are you deaf or something?”
For some reason, Josie didn’t want to reveal Heather’s identity to Dexter so soon because she didn’t know what choices he would make once he learned that information and didn’t dare to confront that uncertainty.
After tending to his wound, Josie stood up and asked, “May I leave now, Mr. Russell?”
“You’ll stay here and not be allowed anywhere before the fifteenth.”
His single decisive statement left Josie frozen in place. Then, with a hint of disbelief, she whispered, “Dexter, don’t tell me you’re scared that I’ll disrupt your wedding.”
