Chapter 5 - Framed in Handcuffs"Esteban Navarro, you are under arrest for the kidnapping and attempted murder of your bride!" the captain shouted.
"What?! She's right here!" I yelled, shielding Julieta.
"Don't listen to him! He drugged me!" Julieta screamed—but not at the police. She was screaming at me.
I stared at her in absolute shock. She winked at me, imperceptibly, then dramatically collapsed into a police officer's arms, weeping. "He forced me down here! He was going to kill me!"
"Julieta, what are you doing?" I hissed.
"Get him out of here!" the captain barked. Rough hands slammed me against the concrete. Handcuffs clicked coldly around my wrists. Paula caught my eye, looking just as confused, but Julieta subtly mouthed two words to me as I was dragged away: Trust me.
I was thrown into the back of a squad car, sirens wailing as we sped away from the hotel. I sat in the darkness of the precinct holding cell for an hour, my mind spiraling. Why did Julieta frame me? Did she betray me too?
The heavy iron door creaked open. A man in a sharp suit walked in, carrying a briefcase.
"I'm your court-appointed lawyer," he said smoothly. He opened his briefcase and pulled out a document. I recognized it immediately. It was the "family protection" contract.
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"Sign this," the lawyer whispered, his voice laced with venom. "Transfer the company to EfraÃn. If you do, your bride's 'kidnapping' charges disappear. If you don't, Julieta and your two boys are going to have a very tragic, fatal accident on the highway tonight."
He handed me a pen. It was a trap. But I had no choice.
