Chapter 14 - The Cellblock Reality
The county holding cell smelled of disinfectant, old metal, and unwashed despair. Harrison sat on the edge of a thin plastic mattress, staring at the gray concrete block walls. This time, there was no bail. Because the break-in violated the strict terms of his civil probation and restraining order, the judge had ordered him held without bond until trial.
His phone was gone. His freedom was gone. Even his defense attorney had dropped him the moment the burglary charges were filed, realizing there was no fee to collect and no defense for a client caught red-handed on a live security feed.
The heavy iron door of the cell block clanked open. A guard walked down the row, stopping in front of Harrison’s cell.
"Miller. You have a visitor," the guard grunted, unlocking the heavy door.
Harrison looked up, his heart leaping with a pathetic spark of hope. Could it be Khloe? Had she seen the news and come back to save him? Or maybe a former business associate offering a lifeline?
He was escorted down the sterile, fluorescent-lit hallway into the attorney-client visitation booth. He sat down on the bolted metal stool and picked up the heavy plastic telephone receiver. On the other side of the reinforced glass sat a woman with sharp sunglasses and a designer trench coat.
As she lowered her glasses, Harrison’s breath caught in his throat. It wasn't Khloe.
It was Khloe’s new venture capitalist boyfriend—the man she had run off with the night Harrison went broke. And sitting right beside him, looking smug and draped in a brand-new mink coat, was Khloe herself.
Harrison pressed his face against the glass, mouthing Khloe's name in utter disbelief, tapping frantically on the plastic barrier.
Khloe picked up her receiver with an expression of supreme boredom.
"What are you doing here?" Harrison rasped through the intercom speaker, his voice shaking with fury. "Khloe! Tell me you're getting me out of here! Tell me you have a lawyer!"
Khloe let out a cold, sharp laugh, crossing her legs. "Get you out of here? Harrison, are you delusional? I came here to deliver a personal message."
"A message?"
"My fiancé and I are getting married next month," Khloe said smoothly, gesturing to the wealthy man beside her, who didn't even bother to look at Harrison. "And we wanted to make sure you received a formal invitation to never, ever contact either of us again. Your assets are seized, your name is mud, and frankly, looking at you sitting in this jumpsuit reminds me of how close I came to making the biggest mistake of my life."
Harrison slammed his fist against the glass. "You used me! You only wanted my money!"
May you like
"And you only wanted arm candy to feed your fragile midlife crisis," Khloe snapped back, her eyes flashing with malice. "We used each other, Harrison. The only difference is, I actually landed on my feet, and you ended up in a cage where you belong."
She slammed the receiver down onto the cradle, stood up without a backward glance, and walked out of the visitation room, leaving Harrison screaming into an empty line.
