“I am now,” I said, my voice shaking with relief. “Thank you, Thomas.”

“She’s going to tell Ryan,” Thomas said. “They are going to realize they have no leverage left.”

“Which means they will get desperate,” Laura said, shifting the car into park. “We need to get your things from the house before they lock you out or destroy them.”

The thought of returning to the marital home made my chest tighten.

It was the house where I had nearly bled to death while Ryan slept in the guest room.

“I can’t go back there alone,” I said.

“You won’t have to,” Thomas said. “We’ll call the police. Ask for a civil standby escort.”

I nodded, pulling out my phone.

My hands were still trembling as I dialed the non-emergency line for the Denver Police Department.

I explained the situation to the dispatcher, my voice crackling with exhaustion.

They agreed to dispatch two officers to meet us at the estate in thirty minutes.

Laura helped me into the front passenger seat of the SUV.

Every movement sent a sharp, tearing pain through my lower abdomen, but I clamped my jaw shut.