Run Before the Papers Are Signed (Nicole Quinn) by Danni Rogers novel Chapter 4

Angela’s design won first prize two days later.

Cruz went all out and threw a fancy party to celebrate.

He stayed close to her the whole night under the shiny lights, stepping in when people offered drinks and even fixing her dress for her. He acted sweet and thoughtful.

People whispered all around, saying how Cruz treated his childhood friend well, but he couldn’t care less about his wife. They said if Nicole hadn’t kept trying to save the relationship, their marriage would’ve ended long ago.

Nicole stood alone, swirling her drink and ignoring the whispers.

Midway through the event, she stepped out to the lake for some air.

The cool wind helped clear out the smell of alcohol.

“You finally hit your limit, huh?”

Angela’s voice rang out behind Nicole, dripping with smugness.

She strutted over in heels, smiling sarcastically. “If I were you, I would’ve walked away a long time ago.”

Nicole didn’t even turn around. “Get lost.”

Angela sneered. “Don’t act like you don’t care. You’ve chased Cruz for four years, been married three, and he still doesn’t care about you. It’s honestly sad. Want to bet? Even if I shoved you in the lake, he wouldn’t even blink”

As the words fell, Nicole felt a hard shove,

Splash!

Freezing water rushed over her face. She tried to scream, but water filled her mouth and nose.

Through her fading vision, she saw someone sprint toward her and dive in.

“Nicole!”

Cruz sounded more panicked than ever. He rushed through the water, holding her tightly around the waist.

Nicole looked into his eyes and got lost for a second. He looked so fearful that it almost didn’t feel real.

On the shore, Angela just stood there, frozen in disbelief. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Cruz, who usually treated Nicole like she didn’t matter, had dived into the lake crazily.

The way he held onto her was like he was afraid of losing something precious.

Angela couldn’t wrap her head around it.

She thought she must have seen it wrong.

Once they were back on land, Cruz dropped to the ground and started giving Nicole CPR. His fingers were visibly shaking. He didn’t relax until she coughed up water.

Then suddenly, his face changed. It was like he caught himself eling

too much.

Chapter 4

He stood up straight, shoved his emotions aside, and spoke coldly, “How do you even end up falling in at a party?”

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Nicole sat there, drenched. She gripped the fabric of her dress tightly, and her voice came out sharp. “I didn’t fall. Angela pushed me.

Angela’s eyes instantly turned red. She shook her head hard. “Nicole, I didn’t do that! How could you slander me?”

“Fine.” Nicole sneered. With shaky hands, she pulled out her phone. “If you’re not gonna admit it, let’s have the police deal with it. You tried to kill me–there’s a price for that.”

Just as she went to call, Cruz grabbed her wrist.

“That’s enough,” he whispered, gripping so hard it hurt. “Angela didn’t mean to. Don’t blow this up.”

Nicole abruptly looked up in disbelief. “She almost drowned me.”

“And yet, you’re still alive, aren’t you?” he said more firmly, squinting. “Stop creating drama.”

It was so absurd that it almost made her laugh.

She knew Cruz was just using Angela to get a reaction out of her.

But she didn’t expect he’d go so far as to ignore her life.

“I’m not being dramatic,” she said, voice steady, pressing her thumb toward the call button. “I’m calling the cops.”

“Enough!” Cruz snapped, yanking the phone away. “You’re not thinking straight. Go cool off.”

Then, he called over a bodyguard. “Put her in the confinement room. She can come out once she’s calmed down.”

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Nicole fought hard as the bodyguard pulled her toward the confinement room.

“Cruz! Have you lost your mind?!” she screamed, voice cracking. “She. tried to kill me! You know it!”

Her nails dug into the bodyguard’s arm, leaving bloody marks. Her heels slipped off in the scuffle.

But he was too strong. She was like a butterfly trapped in someone’s fingers. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t break free.

The door slammed shut behind her, and her eyes abruptly contracted.

The tiny room of less than three square meters had no windows. Darkness poured in like a flood and swallowed her whole.

“Let me out…” Her voice shook as it left her lips.

Something invisible was tightening around her neck–claustrophobia hitting hard.

Her mind flashed back to when she was ten. She was locked in a basement for three days by her stepmother.

That same despair–like the whole world had turned its back on her- hit her again after all these years.

Nicole sat huddled in the corner, her fingernails digging painfully into her palms.

She could hear a mouse scurrying somewhere in the dark. Clamping her lips shut, she didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.

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