Bryan's POVI sat down by the corner of the cell, discomfort swirling around me. The bed was too short, too small and too hard. The cell smelled of rotten poops and smelling bodies. This was a cell, not a prison. I swigged and tossed my head back. What is Danielle doing? Where could she be, what would she be thinking about?Someone opened my cell and took me to the investigation room. A dark room that had tinted fibreglass by the wall. A cop sat in front of me. “You are a suspect,” he started. “We know you and we know what you are capable of doing. You just have been very careless with this one and that is why we can catch you now.”He opened a book. “Mr Smith, for years we have been trying to hunt you down, find all your mess and hope for digital evidence but you are so good, that you leave no traces at all. How did you kill Susan?”I smiled. “If you know me so well, why do you think I killed Susan? I mean you said it yourself, I leave no traces then how were you able to trace Susan
Danielle’s POV I have gone hunting for days looking for every piece of evidence I can get to justify Bryan's innocence but I have found none. I went to the proposed scene where they found the dead body" It didn't look like Bryan's style. A few reporters have come knocking on my door, asking if I am okay. It's quite silly for them to ask me that when I knew the main reason they were coming for me. they needed information for feeds. They needed things to put out as headlines.I got the information I needed about Susan's family address. I visited once or twice, waiting to know if they were getting a burial done anytime soon.It's been a week and I haven't been allowed to see him. Yesterday, a reporter came into my house like every other reporter but she was different. I closed the door on her but she stopped it with her foot. "I am not going anywhere. I am also interested in this case, let me help you."She did seem to be interested in it and that was how I allowed her in and she told
Danielle’s POV Bryan has now become a face I see everywhere I go. Newspapers… billboards… radio… he is everywhere and I have been tagged with it. Today is the trial and I have dressed up with the determination of coming back home with my husband today.The kids sat back at home with Clara, they said they were going to watch from home. I wore my makeup and dressed smartly like a lawyer.When I got to the court, everyone was there. Bryan sat beside the lawyer and Susan’s family on the other side. I sat in front, where other people sat. When my eyes locked with Bryan’s, he gave me a reassuring smile, one that gave me a lot of hope.The judge came in and we started the trial as it should be. The persecutor and our defendant started with their proposal and how Bryan was not guilty. The prosecutor went in to tell the judge why Bryan might be guilty. Most of his words emanated from him being a very wicked person from his experience with people. The argument went on and on and a witness was
The judge started. “Even though your husband is going through all of this, you stood by his side till the very end and insisted on marrying him before the sentence. I have seen how you went to the police HQ every time to look for him. I admire the bond you both share. So, for this reason, according to section 98, I shall reduce the sentence to one year in the purity prison which would take place tomorrow after his wedding with his wife.” He adjourned the court. I ran to Bryan and hugged him as tight as I could. “Oh, Danielle. I told you to let me be. I told you-—”I shut him up with the warmest kiss I could give. Although he had been sentenced, everyone around was clapping and smiling for our reunion. They freed him and let him go with me. The press attacked us outside but Bryan’s men helped us make way. I have less than twenty-four hours to spend with him. I hung to his arm, I would never let go. It’s been a month and tomorrow, he will be gone for a year. When we got home, the kids
Danielle’s POV “Danielle?”I opened my eyes slowly and met Bryan’s gaze. I jumped off my bed and hugged him. A tear dropped on my shoulder as his strong arms guided my waist. “Bryan,” I cried and tried to hug him better. “I have missed you so much—”“Danielle… it’s me,” Gabriel’s voice vibrated from his chest. I jolted off him and cleared my throat. I blinked out of my daydream with a sigh, knowing it would come back to me at night. “I’m sorry, I d—”“It’s fine. How are you?” He asked and made me sit. I rubbed my palm on my forehead, trying to melt down the headache I felt the instant I knew it was Gabriel. “I’m fine,” I said and stood up. He has been helping me a lot but everything he does reminds me of Bryan. I miss him alot, I guess why I daydream of him frequently this days.“It’s a cold day. I’ll fire the chimney.” Gabe said given me a faint smile. He looks cute today or my eyes has been seeing more of Bryan.I smiled and covered myself with a shawl. “You know, can find something
“Why are you doing this to me, Gabe?” I asked with a stutter. “You know what I am going through and you decided to torment me with it? I love you, Gabe, you are someone I could never have if I were to look for another. You are very important to me but you need to stop thinking you are not. Before anything started, it was you. You were always with me.” My voice sounded more like I was yelling.I stood up and paced the room. “You are all I’ve got currently. I cannot trade that.”He suddenly hugged me from behind and rested his chin on my shoulder. “I love you too, Danielle. That is all I needed to hear from you.” I turned around and he tucked my hair behind my ear and looked down at me. He raised my chin with his index finger and came closer. I tried to move back, focusing on his lips. I stumbled on something and was about to fall but he caught my waist and drew me up into a kiss without warning.I closed my eyes, trying to figure out if it was hap
Danielle’s POV I opened my eyes and found myself entangled with full emptiness. I felt no emotion in the dark. Wherever I was…was a pretty big space, I could feel it. I stood up from the floor, drained of curiosity and darkness. I stretched my arms but I couldn’t find them, it was way too dark to see myself. “Hello?” I called out and my voice echoed through a particular direction. I assume there should be a way out there. I have no idea where I was nor was I interested in screaming for help. “Hello?” I called out again. The same thing happened and I managed to walk in one straight direction with my arms stretched in front of me in case I came in contact with any object. “This is all your fault,” a thick male voice called out. I didn’t gasp, I wasn’t frightened and that amazed me. “What is my fault?” I asked back.A sudden light shone from above, blinding me for some minutes. I protected my eyes with my arm. “You think you are safe but you are not. You did this all by yourself,” th
Danielle’s POV I have gone to eighteen different paper companies to look for which would accept and publish my side of the story but they all turned me down and said they couldn’t help the wife of a criminal. Of course, I can’t let that stop me from trying other means. I wrote a lengthy article on my Instagram page and posted it. Settling in my office, I went through my Instagram page. I’m a rampage, all I read were hateful comments and speeches about how I and Bryan killed Susan. No…this isn’t going to work. The latest news now is about how Bryan would have to face the court again tomorrow. Fucking Jury, I did everything I could. “Linda, can you… can you help me work on the case? I need everything I can find but I can’t do this alone. I need you, I need everyone. Fuck!” I said to Linda in a hurry. I slammed my hand on the table and paced the room with my hand on my forehead. I needed to cool down, I needed to be calm in this time of bad luck.“You need to calm down, alright?”“I!”
Bryan’s POV The sound of a gunshot made me rush outside, Danielle was outside. I found Danielle’s lifeless body, swimming in her blood. I knelt and screamed so loud, I didn’t hear myself. The air, once familiar, became thick with an unbearable weight, and the pulse of grief pulsed through my veins with every beat of my heart. Emotions collided like storm-tossed waves — disbelief, anguish, and a profound sense of loss that threatened to consume me. I shook her body but she gave no response. “Danielle!” “Finally, goodbye Bryan. I’ll see you later.” I looked up and found Susan leaving. I thought she was dead. I lifted her and took her into the car, I could lose everything but not Danielle. I took her to the hospital where she was attended to immediately. They did all they could but I knew… I knew she was gone. She is the first treasure I had and now… I lost her. How careless of me.Every sound and strength drained in me. We had goals…we had things we wanted to do and…having her leave m
Danielle's POV I opened my eyes and finally, it was a new day with no worries and sorrow, although I would have to go and meet Pa Bruno and let him know all that happened. We all got in the car and went down to meet Pa Bruno. He welcomed us with a warm heart, he has always been that way. “What a lovely surprise,” he said when he opened the door. The kids rushed inside with their father.When I fit inside, I found Isabelle helping Mrs Helena with her hair. “Oh,” I said when I saw her.“Oh…”“I… what are you doing here?” I asked. “She volunteered to come and help us once in a while to pay for all the bad things she has done to you. She has been coming for a couple of months now,” Mrs Helena explained.I sat down beside her. “I um… I didn’t know you would be coming around. I should get going, I’ll see you all later.” She hurried and packed her bag. “Hey,” I laughed. “Where do you think you are going to? You can stay, you don’t need to leave.”“I want to stay but I need to leave, I’ll
Danielle's POV “Tell me it’s a lie,” I said to him but he didn’t answer me. I trusted him with my whole heart, he was like my best friend. What would the kids think? What of his family? Why!“Are you truly what they have called you out to be?” The judge asked him. “I am what they said I am. I give up. Yes, I killed Susan and yes, I framed Bryan for it. I wanted him to rot in hell and never come back. He took it all from me, everything.” Have looked at me, tears clouding his eyes. “I love you Danielle, you know I do. The kids… they used to be my kids. I was there where you were pregnant, when you gave birth and I also watched them grow up. Seeing Bryan take it all from me broke my heart and no matter how much I try to be there for you, you never see me. And that bitch, Susan. She deserved it. She was always after you so I didn’t want that. I figured there is no reason for me to lie when I am busted.”He turned to the judge. “You have heard it all.” Someone went to the judge and whispe
Danielle's POV ran out to the door and found the woman walking up the stairs. “Are you—”“Lead the way, quick!” The woman said and I led her to the court. It was the moment the judge was sentencing Bryan but he held it when he saw me come in with a lady. Everyone looked back and I took her to the panel. I winked at the defendant and he knew what to do. He stood up immediately. “My Lord, one and only witness, please,” he begged. All my oceans of despair were now replaced by a world of hope. The judge accepted it like he had been waiting for me to show up with someone.But sighed and went back to sit. The kids stretched their necks and waved from the far end of the row. I smiled and focused on the woman. She stepped in and took the oath. “My name is Margret and I will be telling you what exactly happened that night. This man,” she pointed to Bryan, “came in with a lady into my old house. He had asked me to lend it to him for a moment but I thought he was going to have sex or something
Danielle's POV I roamed about with the phone plugged into my ears. “Pick up, goddamit.” I have been trying this woman’s number for seven hours. It’s night time and there has been no response. I am starting to think it was all a lie. Maybe the woman doesn’t exist but Jack keeps putting me on.Eventually, I went to sleep with my phone in my ears.The next day, I woke up and found Jack making the call. I have not heard from Linda or Gabriel. I have tried all I can and it’s just a few hours to the trail. We have no evidence, nothing to prove him innocent. “I have an idea. The witness made mention of returning the instrument to the house. I would go and check the house out. There would be footage. Keep trying the woman, we will meet in the court.” He left with the Benz car. I feel like I am restraining him from doing a lot of things in his life and all he does now is go and look for evidence to prove his boos innocent. I sighed, I just have to keep trying. I kept calling the woman… duri
Danielle's POV “What did he say?” Jack asked in haste. “He has evidence. An old woman who takes care of the old house. He says he knows where she is but he wouldn’t tell me unless I come over to his house. He also said I should come alone.”“It’s a trap. He might not have any evidence. We need to find our means and besides, he might want to kill you. He’s unpredictable so I would not allow you to go alone.”I raised my brows. “I’m not taking any chances. I would go and I would go alone. I would be perfectly fine.” I took a small knife from the table. “Just in case he tries shit, I will stab him wherever I can. I would be fine, trust me. What if this is my best shot? What if this is the only thing that can help me get Bryan out of there? I am not letting it go just like that. I’ll be back. “Jack stood in front of me. “Then let me put a tracker on you.” He attached it to my phone. “You can go now.”I followed the map and went to the location Mark sent me. The road that led to the plac
Danielle's POV I didn’t get to see Bryan that day, not even the slightest chance. Jack, Linda, Gabriel and I have been looking for ways to get better evidence but it was to no avail. I made posters and shared it around for people to see if they could help. With the current way things are, the judge just bought me time to find a way to outrun what the prosecutor had in hand. Whatever they were planning, it’s not going to be good.I sighed and paced around my room. It felt as though a fog of shadows was blinding me from seeing what I should see, doing what I should do but I do know that somewhere out there, there is an answer to the problem I have at hand.I sighed. “What do you think we can do now? I mean, we have done everything we can,” I said to Jack who was also thinking of a way to get his boss out of his mess. The alarm rang and the phone rang as well. I ran to take the call. “Hello?”“Honey, it’s not nice to hear your sweet voice again.” I have waited for a long time to finally
Danielle's POV It was another opportunity for me to see Bryan again. I have been denied the right to visit him and this is just two weeks. I sat at the front as planned. Linda and Gabriel also sat beside me. When Bryan came in, his eyes dazzled around to look for something that was equally looking for him. I stood up and he saw me. Pain and sorrow waited in front of my chest to pierce my heart with its spares of hope. His lips curved upward as he sat down and took his eyes off me. All I wanted to do at that point was walk into the board, take my husband, and leave. A warm hand cooled my temper. I looked at Linda and she smiled. It helped me to get myself together. Then the trial started. The mass media were around, the jury, the prosecutor… defendant… everyone was gathered together once again. The prosecutor started. “My lord, may I?” He asked the judge and he gave him a go-ahead. “Some two weeks ago, the suspect, Mr Bryan Smith was charged with violence and was sentenced to a yea
Danielle’s POV I have gone to eighteen different paper companies to look for which would accept and publish my side of the story but they all turned me down and said they couldn’t help the wife of a criminal. Of course, I can’t let that stop me from trying other means. I wrote a lengthy article on my Instagram page and posted it. Settling in my office, I went through my Instagram page. I’m a rampage, all I read were hateful comments and speeches about how I and Bryan killed Susan. No…this isn’t going to work. The latest news now is about how Bryan would have to face the court again tomorrow. Fucking Jury, I did everything I could. “Linda, can you… can you help me work on the case? I need everything I can find but I can’t do this alone. I need you, I need everyone. Fuck!” I said to Linda in a hurry. I slammed my hand on the table and paced the room with my hand on my forehead. I needed to cool down, I needed to be calm in this time of bad luck.“You need to calm down, alright?”“I!”