Linc's body was thrown out of the car and onto the sidewalk as the car speedily drove off. He groaned in pain on the floor. A concerned stranger rushed to Linc's side to help him up, but Linc aggressively pushed the man away.
This made other passersby ignore Linc and cross to the other side of the road.
Despite the pain, he managed to stand up on his feet, his whole body hurting. As he looked around, trying to decipher his exact location, his eyes spotted a police station, and a smirk etched onto his face.
"They think they can get away with treating me like this," Linc said maliciously as he limped to the police station.
Richard had given him a really bad beating, and he couldn't even walk properly. Every breath Linc took hurt him in his chest because of the impact of Richard's punches.
"Darn you, Richard!" Linc cursed.
As he entered the station, he collapsed onto the floor, putting on a show.
"Help me, please. Help me. I was kidnapped by the Oh so famous Adrienne Davison and her thug of a boyfriend," Linc cried out.
An officer helped him up on his feet.
"Lincoln Williams, right?" the officer said.
"How did you know my name?" Linc was taken aback.
"You are currently wanted, and some of our officers left just a few hours ago to arrest you.
We have an arrest warrant, and thankfully, you just walked right into us, saving us the stress of trying to find you," the officer grinned.
"What?" Linc's eyes widened.
"Mr. Lincoln Williams, you are under arrest for the charges of sexual assault, non-consensual pornography, and unauthorized distribution of intimate images. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law," the officer said, bringing out a handcuff from his back pocket.
Linc tried to resist, but the officer kicked his left knee, causing him to fall to the floor.
As the officer cuffed Linc's hands behind his back, Linc continued to curse, shouting,
"Fuck you! Fuck all of you! Fuck you, Adrienne! Fuck you, Richard!"
The officer slapped him hard, silencing him for a moment. It was then that Linc began to understand everything. Richard had orchestrated the situation, making his boys drop Linc near the police station so that he would walk in to report his own kidnapping.
"Where's the evidence? Who filed a report against me? I am innocent!" Linc demanded.
"Yeah... that's what all criminals say. 'I am innocent'," the officer mocked.
"I said where is the evidence?!" Linc roared.
"Why should I show you the evidence? Who do you think you are?" the officer taunted.
"You can show him the evidence. It is irrefutable and there's nothing he can do about it," a different voice said.
It was the Chief Superintendent, and the other officers immediately saluted.
"Show him the video," the Chief commanded.
The officer did as instructed, and Linc's mouth dropped in shock.
"How is this possible? I swallowed the necklace," he thought to himself.
Then, it dawned on him.
Annabelle wasn't as naive as he had thought. She had discovered the memory card inserted in the necklace and made a copy.
"Arrrggh!" Linc screamed in frustration.
"I was kidnapped last night by Adrienne and her thug boyfriend. He is an illegal arms dealer. They have to be arrested. Check the CCTV footage," Linc pleaded, desperate to find something incriminating about Adrienne and Richard.
"I had dinner with Ms. Adrienne Davison and Mr. Richard Davis last night. What are you talking about?" the chief said.
"In the afternoon, not last night. They kidnapped me around midday and tortured me all through the night. And no, you didn't have dinner with them last night. They spent the entire night torturing me," Linc insisted.
"They were at Ms. Adrienne's hotel from yesterday morning till evening, and that was where we had dinner. You are just looking for a way to bring down a completely innocent woman.
Boy, aren't you like twenty-four? Look how you've ruined your life. You'll get a minimum of twenty years imprisonment," the Chief sneered.
"Mind your business, old man," Linc spat.
"Lock him up," the chief ordered, "I'll show you who's boss here."
Linc continued to scream as he was dragged to jail, and the Chief grinned devilishly.
Once Linc was locked up, the chief returned to his office to make a call.
"Hello... Yes, he's been locked up. Our deal still stands, right? Thank you... I promise, you'll be taken care of in prison. Have a great day, sir," the chief said, bowing his head as he ended the call.
***
The following days and weeks were the best for Adrienne. With Linc in prison and his trial approaching, she no longer lived in fear of his next move. She owed most of it to Annabelle. If not for that card, she'd still be running around looking for evidence.
"Hey... what are you doing?" Richard joined Adrienne, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Just reflecting," Adrienne said.
"You ready?" Richard asked.
"Yeah, let's go."
Adrienne and Richard went shopping for baby things for their unborn child. It was the first time she was going shopping for their baby's stuff. As expected, she wore her disguise since it was in public.
She felt a surge of joy as she picked out cute outfits, toys, and books for their little one. She couldn't wait to hold him or her in her arms and see Richard's face light up with love.
Richard was happy too, but he also felt a pang of guilt. He had something to tell Adrienne, something that could change everything. He hoped that they could still be a happy family, despite this unexpected twist.
He smiled at her as they walked out of the store, carrying bags full of baby things. He hoped that his smile didn't look too forced and that she didn't notice the worry in his heart.
Then he followed Adrienne to the hospital for their scheduled appointment with Doctor Andy. There in the examination room, they saw Doctor Andy, wearing a white coat and a stethoscope. He smiled when he saw them.
"Adrienne! I was so happy when I got a message from you. It's been ages since I last saw you. You stopped coming in for monthly check-ups," Doctor Andy said, extending a hand to Adrienne and they shook hands.
"I have been busy and a lot has happened in the last months. It's good to see you, Doc. How have you been?" Adrienne said.
"I've been well. Busy too, but well. Who's the fine man?" Andy said, referring to Richard.
"Meet Richard, my fiancé," Adrienne said, locking hands with Richard.
"Oooh. You got yourself a great catch," Andy teased Adrienne and she blushed a little.
"I'm Andy," he extended his hand to Richard.
"Richard," Richard shook Andy's hand.
"Let's take a look, shall we?" Andy said, directing Adrienne to lie on the bed and lifted her shirt. He applied some gel on her belly and moved a device over it. He turned on a monitor and adjusted some knobs. He looked at the screen and nodded.
"Everything looks normal. The baby is growing at a healthy rate," Andy said, his excitement evident.
They heard a sound, a rhythmic sound, a familiar sound. It was their baby's heartbeat. Adrienne gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.
It was the first time hearing their baby's heartbeat. It was the most beautiful sound they had ever heard. It filled the room with life and hope. It filled their hearts with love and peace.
Richard's heart swelled with joy and he planted a soft kiss on Adrienne's forehead. They held each other's hand and listened to their baby's heartbeat.
"Amelia..." Richard muttered.
"It's Ethan. Ethan Davis," Adrienne said.
"Are you guys arguing about the gender of your baby? We will be able to tell the gender soon," Doctor Andy said.
"I think I want to know the gender on the day he is born," Adrienne said, looking at Richard.
"I agree with her. I'll wait till the day she is born," Richard smiled proudly, momentarily forgetting about the worry in his heart.