Chapter 119
Chapter Title: A Desperate Plea for Help
Myra sat in the cold, dimly lit cell, feeling as though the weight of the world was pressing down on her chest. The silence was deafening, broken only by her own ragged breaths and the distant sounds of footsteps echoing down the corridor. Her thoughts spun wildly, each one more painful than the last.
This time, Tony wouldn’t be there for her. After everything that had happened, she knew that she was the one who had pushed him away. She had been the one to reject his advances, to distance herself from him. Now, she was alone, trapped in a situation she never could have anticipated.
As her thoughts spiraled, a deep sense of despair washed over her, making her feel as though her entire body had turned to stone. She couldn’t move, couldn’t react to the world around her. The cold metal of the handcuffs around her wrists felt like chains binding her to a life she no longer recognized.
A voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Miss Stark,” a young female officer said gently, though her tone carried an undercurrent of pity. “You should call Mr. Chase. He’ll arrange for a lawyer or bail you out. It’s your best option.”
The officer handed Myra a cell phone, and for a moment, she simply stared at it, her mind racing. Sean… the last person she wanted to call. He was the last person she could count on. After everything that had happened between them, she couldn’t even imagine him coming to her aid.
But who else could she turn to?
Myra closed her eyes, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. With a trembling hand, she dialed the number. The phone rang, each second stretching into what felt like an eternity.
Finally, it clicked.
“Hello, may I know who’s calling?”
The familiar voice on the other end almost shattered her composure. It was Mr. Engelhard. She hadn’t expected him to answer, but now, he was the only one who might help.
Before she could say anything, the tears came. “Mr. Engelhard,” Myra sobbed, her voice breaking. “I need help.”
Time seemed to slow after that, the minutes crawling by as she sat in her cold cell, alone and vulnerable. She had been placed in a temporary lock-up, surrounded by two other women—one arrested for manslaughter, the other for drug trafficking. They were silent, distant figures in the shadows, while Myra remained in the center of it all, her body curled in on itself, trying to escape the suffocating loneliness.
Suddenly, the door to the cell creaked open.
“Myra Stark, someone’s here to bail you out!”
Her heart skipped a beat. Was it… him? Tony?
She stood up slowly, her legs stiff and uncooperative, and walked toward the cell door, squinting against the harsh light that flooded the room. She could see a group of people approaching, but it wasn’t until they got closer that she saw him. Tony.
At first, her mind couldn’t fully process what she was seeing. Was he really here? Had he come to help her?
“Myra…” His voice was soft, but there was an unmistakable urgency behind it.
She felt a wave of shame rush over her. She wasn’t ready to face him like this—not in handcuffs, not in this humiliating position.
“I’m not Myra,” she said, trying to steady her voice. “You’ve got the wrong person.”
Her heart was pounding in her chest as she took a step back, instinctively wanting to retreat from him. But before she could move any further, Tony was already striding toward her. His presence was commanding, his steps filled with purpose. As he reached the door of the cell, he didn’t pause for a moment. His eyes were locked on hers, his expression dark with concern and frustration.
“Myra…” he repeated, his voice rough with emotion.
Without another word, he moved toward her, his arms reaching out to her. She froze, her breath catching in her throat as he gently lifted her into his arms. The cold, bitter chill of the cell seemed to disappear as she was enveloped in his warmth. She trembled, unable to stop herself, as she buried her face against his chest.
“I’m here,” he murmured, his voice low but comforting. “I’m here to take you home.”
She clung to him, the tears flowing freely now as her body shook with sobs. “Tony, I didn’t do it,” she cried. “It wasn’t me. I didn’t know anything about the project. I swear, it wasn’t me.”
Her words were frantic, her voice barely more than a whisper as she clung to him desperately. For the first time in a long while, she felt safe. But she couldn’t stop herself from crying. All the stress and pain she had been holding in for so long now poured out in a torrent of emotion.
“I trust you,” Tony said firmly, his voice filled with a raw intensity. His grip on her tightened, his eyes blazing with an emotion Myra couldn’t fully understand. “I trust you, Myra.”
The words barely registered in her mind as she continued to sob. She didn’t care about the accusations against her anymore. In that moment, she only wanted to escape the pain, the betrayal, and the crushing weight of everything that had happened.
Just then, Captain Fowler spoke up, his voice tentative. “Director Hart, we had nothing to do with this. Someone from Chase Group submitted the evidence. Miss Fisher also said we should detain Miss Stark.”
The mention of Chase Group made Myra’s stomach drop. Sean. Eve. Lyla. She had been so foolish to think that things would be different after the divorce. But now, she realized just how wrong she had been. The people she had trusted the most were the ones who had turned their backs on her.
“I want to go home,” Myra whispered, her voice barely audible.
Tony’s eyes darkened, his jaw tightening as he nodded. “I’ll take you home.”
As he moved toward the door, Myra felt a chill settle over her, one that had nothing to do with the temperature of the room. Home? Where was home anymore? After the loss of her parents, after everything that had happened, she didn’t know if she had a place to go. But right now, all she wanted was to escape.
Tony paused for a moment, looking at her wrist. His expression darkened when he saw the red marks left by the handcuffs. Without a word, he reached for the key and unlocked them, his movements swift and precise.
“I’ll take you home,” he said again, his voice soft but filled with determination.
And with that, he carried her out of the cell, the world outside waiting to swallow them whole.