?strongChapter 22:/strong

“Release her now!” Jake’s shout echoed as Kallie crumpled to the floor.

Jake hurried over, catching Kallie before she hit the ground and cradling her in his arms.

“Save her!” Jake barked at Steven.

Without hesitation, Steven wheeled a stretcher over, carefully lifting Kallie onto it. “Her pulse and breathing are rapid. She’s just passed out from stress, nothing life-threatening,” he announced after the assessment.

The surrounding crowd seemed to freeze, no one stepping forward to intervene, not even the police who had been detaining Kallie moments before. All eyes were fixed on Kallie.

On the edge of the crowd, Sarah watched, her jaw clenched, as Jake unexpectedly swept Kallie into his arms, thwarting Kallie’s imminent arrest. Anger sparked in her eyes. She muttered under her breath, “This bitch is quite the actress! What timing to faint, and now she dodges the police station.”

Sarah’s voice, though soft, carried to the nearby onlookers. Linsey, already seething, lost her temper and struck Sarah across the cheek. “What did you just say? Say that again, I dare you!”

“You… You hit me!” Sarah eximed.

Despite being bullied, Sarah had never retaliated in front of Jake. She covered her face, stepping back in shock, tears welling in her eyes.

Jake, however, was entirely focused on Kallie, oblivious to the altercation.

“And why shouldn’t I hit you?” Linsey retorted fiercely. “Considering what you’ve done to Kallie, a hundred ps wouldn’t suffice!”

Linsey raised her hand, poised to strike again.

Jake remained silent, and no one else dared intervene.

As Linsey moved to strike again, Sarah spun around and dashed away in terror.

“Enough!” Jake’s voice cracked with annoyance. “Why all the fuss?”

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“Jake, she…” Sarah began, but her plea was quickly silenced.

Steven interrupted sharply. “Can’t you see we’re upied here? Be quiet!”

Sarah pressed her lips together, her gaze turning to Jake with a silent plea, yet he gave no sign of noticing her distress.

Meanwhile, Kallie slowly came to.

“How are you feeling? Show me where it hurts, or if something’s not right,” Steven said gently, being the first face Kallie saw as she opened her eyes.

“Kallie, are you alright?” Linsey hurried to her side.

Kallie looked up at Jake, her eyes wide with bewilderment and fear.

“You passed out,” Steven rified.

As her senses returned, Kallie recalled the events that led up to the moment. She shook her head slowly. Honestly, she felt awful all over, but no particr pain stood out, so she opted to act as if everything was alright.

“Do I still need to go to the police station?” Kallie asked with concern, signing her question to Steven with shaky hands. “I can exin everything to the police. I didn’t do what they’re using me of.”

Steven’s face became a mask ofplexity as he nced at Jake. His silence was deafening, yet his eyes conveyed volumes.

“Would you prefer to deal with the police instead of exining things to me?” Jake articted the thoughts Steven hadn’t voiced, his expression darkening.

Kallie’s eyes darted downward, her fingers nervously twitching at the bedsheet.

“Why won’t you exin it to me? Look at me!” Jake’s voice grew sharp with anger.

“You’re frightening her! Are you nning to harm her again?” Linsey interjected protectively, positioning herself in front of Kallie.

Kallie raised her gaze once more. d in a hospital gown, her fragile frame made the purple bruises on her delicate neck, left by her earlier assant, stand out starkly.

“Just exin it to me,” Jake said, moderating his tone, an effort to curb his frustration evident. “I’m listening.”

“I haven’t taken any money from him. Check my bank ount,” Kallie typed, her fingers deftly managing her phone with her left hand. She activated the text-to-speech function, and a robotic voice ryed her message.

“I’ve got the receipt for the transfer!” the restrained man interjected loudly, desperation in his voice. “It’s in my pocket! She can’t deny it!”

Quickly, someone fetched the receipt from his pocket. The details matched the time of the extortion messages, and the ount listed was Kallie’s.

“How can you exin this?” Jake challenged,ying the receipt before Kallie, his tone deep yet controlled.

This time, Kallie disyed neither panic nor fear. She typed once more on her phone. “My ount shows no such deposit, and I haven’t made any calls or texts to him. You can verify that with my bank and phone records.”

“Alright, let’s get in touch with the bank and the telpany right now to confirm this,” Jake directed.

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