Delete My Love for You novel Chapter 231

Darren stared at the photo message from an unknown number, his pupils narrowing to pinpricks.

On his screen, a woman was strapped to a wheelchair, her head covered by a black hood, hands bound tight to the armrests. Thick wires and blocks of explosives were wrapped around her body, and a blood-red countdown timer blinked ominously on her chest.

The wheelchair—and the figure in it—looked exactly like Charlotte.

Without hesitation, Darren ended his call with Bradley and dialed the unfamiliar number.

The second the line connected, he shoved down the murderous rage pounding in his chest and forced his voice to come out calm, even gentle. “Xena? There must be some kind of misunderstanding, isn’t there?”

A harsh, twisted laugh crackled from the other end. “Misunderstanding? You think I’m an idiot, Darren? You sent the entire airport swarming after me, and you call that a misunderstanding?”

“I just want to bring you home,” Darren coaxed, his tone softening as if he were pleading with a frightened child. “Xena, I’ve changed my mind. Charlotte’s cold, lifeless—she doesn’t know the first thing about passion. You’re so much more than she’ll ever be. Come back, and we’ll get married right away.”

Xena’s voice oozed doubt, sharp and wary. “Sure. But you have to come get me yourself. Alone. No one else.”

“If you bring anyone, or if I even suspect you’re not alone… I’ll let you watch Charlotte get blown to pieces all over again.”

The call dropped with a final, angry beep. Almost immediately, a text arrived with an address to an abandoned factory.

Darren didn’t hesitate. He grabbed his team and sped towards the location, but ten minutes later, he was the only one who stormed into the crumbling factory.

In the dim light, a single wheelchair sat in the center of the vast, empty space.

The person in the chair was slumped over, explosives strapped to their body, head covered in a black sack, looking unconscious.

“It’s all because of Charlotte! If she’d never shown up, I’d be Mrs. Harrington by now. You wouldn’t have thrown me away!”

“No! This has nothing to do with her!” Darren cut her off, desperate, taking a step forward. “I never changed, Xena. You’re the only one I’ve ever loved…”

“Charlotte is nothing but a tool to help the Harrington Group finish the TOPMS Hospital project. When it’s done, I won’t give her a second glance!”

Xena’s laugh was cold and hollow. “Not a word you say means anything to me anymore. Here’s what you’re going to do: pull every last one of your men out of the airport. And wire me two billion dollars. Or else…”

On the screen, she lifted the black remote for him to see. “All I have to do is press this button, and it’s over.”

“Don’t! I’ll do it!” Darren yanked out his phone, called his team right there on video, his voice sharp as a blade. “Everyone, pull out of the airport. Now!”