Jazz Me Up

Chapter 20: Case of the Missing Bride

1 month later...

Robert's POV:
Several months had passed since Madeline began the divorce process, all so she could be with that washed up musician. Quite frankly, just the mere thought of them being together made me sick.

Now their wedding was all anyone could talk about. All of Manhattan was buzzing with pre wedding excitement, as they had been for weeks now. No one even seemed to care that she was still technically my wife, as the divorce still had yet to be finalized.

But I knew I was running out of time. She was slowly slipping through my fingers, and if I didn't do something soon, I knew she'd be gone forever.

I hated the idea of her marrying someone else, someone I'd despised since the very beginning. Of course I knew the bastard was only after her good looks and money, but unfortunately no one else seemed to see it that way.

Everyone was so happy for her.. all the time congratulating her and making me out to be the bad guy. And maybe my intentions were a little less than noble.. perhaps I had tricked her into marriage, but I had my reasons, of course. Reasons that no one would ever understand.

But as the day of the wedding drew nearer, I knew I had to do whatever it took to keep her from marrying another man, especially when we were still legally married ourselves. She was mine.. and she would forever be only mine.

Madeline's POV:
As the day of the wedding drew nearer, I could hardly contain my excitement. Finally, after all these years of endless pain and suffering, I was finally free to marry the man I loved.

At last, everything was perfect. Or so I thought..

As I was walking home from work that night, the sky seemed much darker than usual, and the normally calm night air now had sort of an eerie chill to it.

I tried not to let it bother me, though, as I waited patiently for the train that would take me across the bay to the small downtown apartment Charles and I now shared along with our infant daughter, Rose.

But something still seemed off about tonight as I boarded the train and took my usual seat. It almost felt as though I was being watched from a distance.

Little did I know that the same piercing blue eyes I'd seen so many times before in my darkest nightmares were now watching me.. the same man I'd grown to fear with every fiber of my being was sitting right across from me. Little did I know that Robert Scotts was now lurking in the shadows, just waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

My blood ran cold the moment I heard him speak, his cold and spiteful words like venom on the tongue.

"Hello, Madeline.." he whispered. "Going somewhere?"

"Stay away from me, Robert," I muttered nervously.

"Oh, come now, Madeline.. you're not being very polite," he teased, a wicked smirk spreading across his darkened features.

There was no doubt in my mind.. I was terrified. I was absolutely terrified, but of course I couldn't possibly let him know that, he'd no doubt take it as a sign of weakness, and I wasn't at all weak.

"I mean it, Robert," I warned. "Just.. stay away."

"And what happens if I don't, huh? Is your little musician gonna come to your rescue again? Well, forgive me for being so bold my dear.. but, I don't happen to see him anywhere around here.. do you?"

"Robert.. please. Please just listen to me," I begged. "You don't wanna do this, Robert. Trust me. Please.. just let me go, let me get home to my family. Please."

"Your family?" he asked angrily. "What family, Madeline? Because, in case you've forgotten.. you're still technically my wife. You have no family. Not there, and certainly not with him."

"At least he actually loves me!" I shouted. "He loves me way more than you ever did, you jealous.. possessive bastard!"

"Ouch," he muttered. " You wound me, Madeline. Why must you unleash your venom on me?"

I blinked in utter disbelief. "Are you seriously asking me that right now? After everything you've done.. all the years of pure Hell you put me through, and yet you somehow still have the nerve to ask why I'm so angry?"

But before I had the chance to say anything else, he'd knocked me over the head with a crowbar, and the last thing I heard was his vindictive laughter, followed by the words..

"You really shouldn't have done that, Madeline. And now.. you'll be lucky if they ever find you alive."

And then everything went black...