Chapter 22: Bound Beyond Bars

After her chilling encounter with Captain Torres, Jaime returned to the confines of her shared jail cell, her mind a storm of dread and reluctant acceptance—a tempest churning against a shore she could no longer reach. Reggie was there, his towering frame leaning against the wall, orange uniform still on but loosened, a smirk playing on his lips—equal parts victorious and possessive, a hunter savoring his catch. She was pregnant with his child now, a fact that bound her to him in chains deeper than iron, an indelible mark of his claim.

“Come here, baby,” he said as she stepped inside, the heavy door clanging shut behind her—a tolling bell sealing her fate. His voice carried a casual authority, softened by a hint of anticipation, a predator beckoning its mate. They were set to leave together today—his release secured, and hers tethered to his through a twisted arrangement orchestrated by Reggie and Torres, a pact forged in shadows she’d never unweave.

Her heart thudded, a mix of fear and inevitability pulsing through her like a drumbeat of surrender. Jaime knew the life awaiting her beyond these walls was no less a prison—just one with wider boundaries, its bars invisible but no less unyielding. She approached him, movements slow, her body bearing the early weight of their unborn child—a subtle burden anchoring her to this new reality. As she stood before him, Reggie’s hand reached out, resting on the faint bump that had recently formed on her belly with a proprietary touch—a king claiming his dynasty.