The Wife They Tried to Replace Is Now Untouchable novel Chapter 490

Chapter 490

The blare of a car horn cut throu

the air. Jessica instinctively turned her head.

“Jessi!” Brian’s voice roared from behind, his head dangerously hanging out of his speeding car window.

“Damn it!” Madeline snarled, pressing the knife harder against Jessica’s neck. “Lose him now, or I’ll slit your throat!”

“Madeline, let her go!” Brian’s heart nearly stopped at the sight of the knife glinting at Jessica’s neck. When he had rushed to the café, the guards had only suspected Madeline’s involvement, but seeing it firsthand shattered him.

Self–loathing choked him. He thought, ‘This is my fault. I should’ve protected Jessi better,’

The car engine roared as Brian ignored police sirens, inching closer to force Jessica’s car to stop.

Jessica noticed his pursuit, and tears blurred her vision.

Madeline’s eyes gleamed with frenzy as Brian’s car gained ground. “Drive faster!” She pressed the blade harder.

“Stay calm.” Jessica white–knuckled the wheel. “Let me go, and I’ll forget this. For the baby’s sake.”

The riverbank loomed ahead. Recent storms had left the waters raging. Jessica’s nerves frayed further at the sight.

“Shut up and drive!” Madeline was beyond reason. With no real pregnancy to protect her, she would be doomed once Brian caught her.

Jessica refused to play along. As the bridge approached, she eased off the accelerator.

“What are you doing? Speed up!” Madeline shrieked, grabbing for the wheel. “Move. Damn! I’ll do it myself.”

“No!” Jessica’s stomach lurched. The guardrails were broken, and the road was slick with leftover mud. She had to move carefully. Otherwise…

The tires screeched as the car skidded on the muddy road. It sent a jolt of sheer terror through Jessica.

“Stop this madness! We can talk.” Jessica fought for control, but Madeline wrestled violently, ignoring the skidding car.

Cold sweat drenched Jessica. A cramp twisted through her abdomen. She gasped, “Stop!”

The car slammed into the broken guardrails.

“Jessica!” Madeline’s eyes bulged.

In the struggle, the car veered, plunging toward the river.

As the car hurtled downward, Madeline’s grip on the knife slackened.

Seizing the chance, Jessica elbowed Madeline back and tore at her seatbelt, clawing for the door.

In a matter of seconds, icy water gushed in. A final, searing pain ripped through Jessica. “My baby…”

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Chapter 490

Brian slammed the brakes, tearing off his seatbelt before the car fully stopped. He sprinted to the riverbank, then froze. A crimson stain bloomed across the water where the car had plunged.

“Jessi!” Without hesitation, he dove into the raging currents, fighting toward the spot where Jessica had disappeared. He begged silently, ‘Please be alive. Please, Jessi. Please be okay.‘

By the time Jackson and the guards arrived, Brian had surfaced empty–handed a dozen times. His limbs were numb from the cold, yet he kept diving back in.

“Find Jessi!” Brian roared when he spotted them.

Jackson barked orders to the guards while blocking Brian’s path. “Mr. Atkinson, stop. You’ll drown!”

“Get out of my way!” Brian shoved past Jackson and jumped again, but exhaustion and coldness had taken their toll. His strokes were sluggish, his lungs burning as he choked on river water. Yet he pushed forward, driven by one thought, ‘I have

to find Jessi.‘

Jackson had no choice but to inform the Grant family immediately. Shrugging off his coat, he plunged in after Brian.

Meanwhile, at the office, Dereck nearly collapsed upon hearing Jessica was missing. The moment he regained his footing, he mobilized every company guard to join the rescue.

Dereck arrived just as Jackson dragged a half–conscious Brian onto the shore. Fueled by past grievances, Dereck strode forward and slapped Brian hard. “You again? You’re a goddamn curse! Will you only be satisfied when my daughter is

dead?”

Already weakened from repeated dives, the slap nearly sent Brian crumpling to the ground.

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