Handcuffs Between Us Chapter 1

My former lover was the one who slipped the cold steel over my wrists.

He stood there in his crisp police uniform, a man of absolute integrity, complete with a young, beautiful girlfriend waiting for him in the wings. At the precinct, he kept things strictly professional, his expression entirely detached.

"Tell us what you did, and don't lie."

* * *

The officer who arrested me was Austin.

To everyone else at the station, he was Chief Austin.

He did not soften his grip in the slightest. The metal bit deep into my skin, and tears welled in my eyes from the sharp sting. "Gentle, please," I whispered.

He did not even spare me a glance, his voice completely flat. "Just standard protocol, ma'am. I'm sure you understand."

Not a single shred of our past remained in his eyes. A hollow ache settled in my chest.

In the interrogation room, the detective across from me flipped through a file. "You filed a formal complaint against Victor?"

I nodded.

"What exactly is your relationship with him?"

"He is my husband."

"Were you complicit in any of his illegal operations?"

The question hung in the air.

The harsh fluorescent lights flickered, reflecting off the dark lens of the recording camera. For a second, the room seemed to spin. My gaze drifted to Austin, who had remained silent in the corner of the room.

His expression was a blank wall. "Just tell us what you did, Fiona," he said calmly. "And don't lie."