Chapter 293

‘Could this man read minds?’ Emmeline blinked at him. However, she didn’t have time to dwell on that now.

Tears spilling freely down her cheeks. “I’m not worried about Richard. He deserves everything he gets for what he’s done to me. But...” Her voice cracked, and she shook her head violently. “I don’t want to be a criminal, Mr. Blackthorn. I don’t want to go to jail!”

She clutched his arm tightly as if he were the only thing tethering her to reality. “I don’t want to go to jail,” she repeated, breaking into a sob.

Zavian didn’t hesitate. He pulled her into his arms and wrapped her in a protective embrace. One arm circled her back, while his other hand cradled the back of her neck with his fingers tangling gently in her hair.

“I’m with you, baby,” he murmured against her temple reassuringly. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you. Not now. Not ever.”

He pressed his chin to the top of her head, holding her close. “What you did was self-defense,” he cont