My head feels like it’s being split open when I finally wake up.
A groan leaves my throat before I even fully open my eyes.
Jesus Christ, everything spins.
For a terrifying second I don’t even know where I am.
The air slls damp and old. Like dust and mildew. My cheek aches from laying awkwardly against sothing hard and cold.
Concrete.
I blink rapidly trying to clear my vision, then panic slams into all at once and I jerk upright with a gasp.
The movent imdiately makes dizziness crash over again so violently I nearly throw up.
"What the fuck..."
My voice cos out rough and weak as I force myself to look around. A
The room is dimly lit by a single hanging bulb overhead. The walls are old concrete with stains running down parts of them. There’s no furniture except two old chairs, so boxes shoved into a corner, and a dirty mattress lying against the far wall. My heart starts pounding faster.
There’s No windows, so I have no clue where I am.
Then suddenly I notice soone else in the room and I freeze instantly.
A girl sits a few feet away from ....shes about my age maybe.
Dark curly hair with wide startled eyes.
The mont she realizes I’m awake, she straightens imdiately.
"Oh my God," she blurts softly. "You’re awake."
Fear spikes hard through and I instinctively try moving backward only to realize my wrists are tied tightly behind the chair.
Panic explodes in my chest instantly.
"What the fuck?!" I yank hard against the ropes imdiately. "Who are you?!"
The girl looks almost alard by my panic.
"No no no don’t freak out,please" she says quickly while lifting both hands slightly. "I’m not gonna hurt you."
"That’s exactly what kidnappers say!"
"I’m not one of them."
My breathing cos fast now while I stare at her desperately trying to understand what’s happening.
mories crash back suddenly
The car. Tessa, pulling a handkerchief over my nose.
My stomach twists violently.
"Tessa," I whisper in disbelief.
The girl watches carefully.
"You know the people that brought you here?"
I look at her sharply.
"You don’t?"
She shakes her head slowly.
"I woke up here too."
That makes pause and stare at her properly now.
She isn’t tied up. Which honestly should comfort but sohow makes this even weirder.
Then another horrifying thought slams into and my hand imdiately flies toward my stomach as best as I can with my wrists restrained.
Oh God.
My baby.
Panic claws violently through again and the girl notices instantly.
"Hey hey," she says softly. "You’re okay."
"I’m pregnant."
The words leave before I can stop them, I don’t know why I tell her that.
Her entire expression changes imdiately.
"Oh."
Fear rises higher in my throat.
"Oh my God."
"You don’t look hurt," she says quickly. "I think you and the baby are okay."
I yank harder at the ropes again.
"I need to get out of here."
"I know."
"No you don’t understand," I snap, voice shaking now. "My husband is going to lose his fucking mind."
Honestly? That thought should comfort .
Because Zane absolutely will tear the earth apart looking for but right now all I feel is fear, because whoever took knew exactly what they were doing and they got through security.
Through Thomas.
Which ans this was planned carefully, very carefully.
I look back at the girl again.
"What’s your na?"
"Aria"
"I’m Elaine."
She nods slightly.
"I know."
That imdiately makes my stomach drop.
"What?"
She quickly shakes her head.
"No no I an... they said your na earlier."
My pulse keeps pounding violently anyway, noothing about this feels right.
Nothing.
I take a shaky breath before looking down at the ropes cutting into my wrists.
"Can you help loosen this?"
I gesture awkwardly toward them.. Aria hesitates imdiately.
"You can’t?" I ask slowly.
She bites her lip.
Then quietly says:
"I don’t think I’m allowed to untie you."
"What do you an not allowed to?"
Before she can answer.....a loud tallic door sowhere outside the room creaks open.
And both of us go completely still.
A few seconds later, the door rattles loudly.
My entire body tenses when the door slowly creaks open.
And Thomas walks in.
For a second...My brain genuinely refuses to process what I’m seeing.
"Thomas?"
Relief crashes into so fast it almost hurts.
"Oh my God," I breathe. "Thomas are you...."
But he cuts off imdiately.
"Oh I see you’re awake."
The calmness in his voice makes sothing inside go cold. He shuts the door behind him slowly before looking between and the girl beside .
"And I see you’ve made acquaintance with your in-law."
I blink at him.
"What?"
He says it so casually, liek this entire situation is normal.
My heart starts beating harder.
"What do you an my in-law?"
Thomas sighs softly almost like he’s disappointed in .
"Never took you as a dumb girl, Elaine."
A small smile pulls at his lips.
"Connect the dots already."
I turn toward the girl beside and she looks down imdiately.
No. No fucking way.
My chest tightens violently.
"What the actual fuck?" I whisper.
I stare at her harder now....the eyes.
"Oh my God."
My head spins again.
"She’s dead," I breathe shakily. "She’s supposed to be dead."
The girl beside flinches visibly, pain flashing across her face instantly.
And suddenly I see it....the resemblance between her and Zane is enough to make my stomach drop straight to hell.
I turn toward Thomas slowly.
"No..."
He smiles.
"No, she wasn’t dead." he says calmly. "I made everyone believe she was dead."
My breath catches.
"Part of my sweet, sweet revenge."
The room feels like it tilts beneath , I stare at him completely stunned.
Nothing makes sense. Nothing.
"You’re insane," I whisper.
Thomas actually laughs softly at that.
"No." He shakes his head slowly. "No, Elaine. I was loyal."
His expression darkens imdiately afterward.
"For years."
A chill crawls down my spine.
"I gave that family everything."
User Comments
0 comments from readers