hapter 2 Chapter 2 Ryan's father kicked him behind the knees , voice heavy with disappointment . " Apologize to Victoria . Right now . You don't spend all night at another woman's house then come home and snap at your wife . How did I raise such a thoughtless son ? " Ryan's mother wiped her eyes , gently taking my hands in hers . " Sweetheart , we failed to raise him properly . You shouldn't have to deal with this . " Her voice carried quiet authority . " But caring for the widow ... it is his duty . He can't just abandon that responsibility - people would crucify him if word got out . " " From now on , we'll keep Ryan in line and make sure he maintains appropriate boundaries . " The older woman looked at me with such earnest hope in her fifties - worn face . I was about to respond when Ryan's phone rang sharply . Still on his knees , he answered immediately . " Lily , what happened ? " Lily's voice came through the speaker , trembling with a mix of relief and lingering terror . Ryan , oh God ! They just caught him - the burglar . Turns out he killed a family of three last month . During questioning , they found ou he'd been specifically casing my apartment . " If you hadn't come over last night , I'd be dead right now . " Her voice broke into sobs . All three pairs of eyes turned toward me as Ryan murmured reassurances to Lily . he must have heard something off in his voice because she quickly added : Ryan , you explained everything to Victoria , right ? She's not mad at me ? " Last night was genuinely dangerous . As a widow with a baby due any day , I have no idea how to survive without your help . " If Victoria's still upset , I'll come apologize to her in person . " yan's eyes filled with weary frustration as he gently soothed her . Em did get upset , but now that she knows how dangerous last night really was , she'll understand . Don't worry about it . " ight . Any more complaints from me would officially make me the unreasonable bitch . snatched the phone from his hands . Actually Lily , save your apologies for Ryan's second wife . I'm divorcing him tomorrow . " hung up and headed for the door , leaving three shocked faces behind . Since we're getting divorced anyway , I should move out . Makes dividing assets cleaner . " Victoria ! " Ryan's voice can thrigh the air like ice behind me , font I didn't turn around . Teant keep giving you unlimited passes forever Without me there tonight , Lily could've been murdered . The facts are staring you in the face - are you really gonna keep acting out ? " His words hit me like a slap , making me feel dizzy for a moment . Maybe I really had turned into some unreasonable harpy . But I still walked out that door . After finding a rental place , I stepped outside only to notice several plainclothes officers stationed around my building . Ryan's work was dangerous - family members getting targeted was a regular occurrence . Living with him meant safety , but going solo meant double the risk . Even while claiming he wouldn't " endlessly placate me , " he'd still filed reports with his department to get me round - the - clock protection . He'd always said that if anything happened to me because of his job , it would completely destroy him . I looked away indifferently and took the divorce papers from my lawyer , who'd been waiting downstairs . I'd been texting Ryan all morning about meeting up to sign the divorce agreement , but he hadn't responded once . Finally losing patience , I called him directly . He hung up almost immediately . I stood there frowning when my protection detail suddenly got agitated . One officer approached with a grim expression . " Ms. Rodriguez , Detective Rodriguez is in the ICU . He needs family to sign consent forms . " His tone was accusatory . " Detective Rodriguez was in the middle of an emergency operation when your call came through . The ringtone gave away his position , causing him to take a bullet . He might lose his leg . "