Chapter 263
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 smells damp and old. Like dust and mildew. My cheek aches from laying awkwardly against something hard and cold.
Concrete.
I blink rapidly trying to clear my vision, then panic slams into me all at once and I jerk upright with a gasp.
The movement immediately makes dizziness crash over me again so violently I nearly throw up.
“What the fuck…”
My voice comes 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, some 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 someone else in the room and I freeze instantly.
A girl sits a few feet away from me….shes about my age maybe.
Dark curly hair with wide startled eyes.
The moment she realizes I’m awake, she straightens immediately.
“Oh my God,” she blurts softly. “You’re awake.”
Fear spikes hard through me 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 immediately. “Who are you?!”
The girl looks almost alarmed 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 comes fast now while I stare at her desperately trying to understand what’s happening.
Memories crash back suddenly
The car. Tessa, pulling a handkerchief over my nose.
My stomach twists violently.
“Tessa,” I whisper in disbelief.
The girl watches me 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 me pause and stare at her properly now.
She isn’t tied up. Which honestly should comfort me but somehow makes this even weirder.
Then another horrifying thought slams into me and my hand immediately flies toward my stomach as best as I can with my wrists restrained.
Oh God.
My baby.
Panic claws violently through me again and the girl notices instantly.
“Hey hey,” she says softly. “You’re okay.”
“I’m pregnant.”
The words leave me before I can stop them, I don’t know why I tell her that.
Her entire expression changes immediately.
“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 me.
Because Zane absolutely will tear the earth apart looking for me but right now all I feel is fear, because whoever took me knew exactly what they were doing and they got through security.
Through Thomas.
Which means this was planned carefully, very carefully.
I look back at the girl again.
“What’s your name?”
“Aria”
“I’m Elaine.”
She nods slightly.
“I know.”
That immediately makes my stomach drop.
“What?”
She quickly shakes her head.
“No no I mean… they said your name 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 me loosen this?”
I gesture awkwardly toward them.. Aria hesitates immediately.
“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 mean not allowed to?”
Before she can answer…..a loud metallic door somewhere 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 me so fast it almost hurts.
“Oh my God,” I breathe. “Thomas are you….”
But he cuts me off immediately.
“Oh I see you’re awake.”
The calmness in his voice makes something inside me go cold. He shuts the door behind him slowly before looking between me and the girl beside me.
“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 mean my in-law?”
Thomas sighs softly almost like he’s disappointed in me.
“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 me and she looks down immediately.
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 me 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 me, 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 immediately afterward.
“For years.”
A chill crawls down my spine.
“I gave that family everything.”