The Cherished Wife

After a while, the door finally opened. Suzy peeked out, giving Cody a once-over before fully opening the door. She looked up at him with a timid expression and croaked, "Cody." Her voice was hoarse, and she appeared utterly exhausted. Cody shot Suzy a quick nod, a shadow of a smirk flickering in his eyes. "Don't worry. The coast is clear, and my car's parked out back. We'll slip away, and no one will be the wiser."

Suzy's tension melted away. "Thanks, Cody!"

"Don't mention it," Cody said, shrugging off his jacket and handing it to Annie. "Wrap up in this, Ms. Atherton. Let's leave now. I've thrown them off our trail for now, but who knows when they'll catch on?" "Okay, Suzy. Put on my bro's jacket, and we'll leave!"

The trio made their escape through the hotel's back door. Suzy was still on edge in the car, her eyes glued to the rear window, half-expecting to see someone following them.

of guilt and squeezed her shoulder. "Hey, Suzy, do you want

I can't go back, Annie. Can I stay with you? My parents will definitely flip out on me!" Suzy's voice was thick with dread, the mere

let's head to my place." Cody's villa was his seldom-used sanctuary on the outskirts of town, a place

look and nodded. "Okay." She turned to Suzy with a gentle voice. "Suzy, you can't just run from this. There's got to be a way to fix things. My brother

sibling pair's kindness warming her. "Annie, if you ever need anything, just tell me.

deal with other stuff. The car ride