After I Stopped Loving Him novel Chapter 1201

Despite her frantic protests and grumbling, the officer's unyielding glare left her no choice. Trembling, she unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped onto the asphalt.

The second her feet hit the ground, chaos erupted.

Officers swarmed the vehicle, violently yanking open the passenger doors. The thugs instantly went on the offensive, throwing brutal punches to break through the ambush. The confined space made it a chaotic brawl, but the mercenaries were ruthless.

Three officers were knocked to the ground in a flurry of blows as the four men scrambled out of the car and sprinted wildly down the highway.

The rest of the squad immediately gave chase.

Natalie stood frozen, staring at the chaotic scene in absolute shock.

The realization hit her like a bucket of ice water—the cop hadn't asked her to step out because she was under arrest. He had done it to prevent the thugs from taking her hostage.

He had literally saved her life.

Snapping out of her daze, she immediately played the role of a traumatized civilian. She turned to the officer, her voice shaking. "Oh my god, thank you! Thank you so much! I had no idea they were criminals. I was so scared!"

The officer looked at her, his expression utterly unreadable. He didn't offer a word of comfort, simply instructing her to stand aside.

"Can I go now?" Natalie asked, taking a tentative step back. "I'm terrified. I don't want to be in the way. What if they double back and grab me?"

The thugs were currently running for their lives from a heavily armed police squad; the chances of them circling back were zero.

"Not a chance, Mrs. Lane," the officer said coldly. "You're coming with us to the Eastside Precinct."

Natalie's face drained of color. "What are you talking about? Are you accusing me of being with them?"

Why would she target the Carter family's daughter? That was exactly what they intended to find out.

Sirens wailed in the distance as backup cruisers arrived to corner the fleeing suspects.

The mercenaries were deadly and fighting like cornered animals. Catching them was proving to be a brutal task.

The terrain was working against the police. If the thugs managed to break past the clear stretch of road and dive into the dense mountain forests, tracking them would become a nightmare.

The police had intentionally set the blockade on a clear stretch of road to prevent exactly that.

Realizing the severity of the situation, the officers quickly called in units from neighboring sectors to seal off the perimeter.

Meanwhile, Natalie's protests fell on deaf ears as she was shoved into the back of a squad car, bound for the precinct.