The Devil Arrives

Chapter 6: The Devil Arrives

Elara's POV

All I can feel is pain right from within.

A sharp throbbing pounded inside my skull while something stung across my neck the moment I tried to breathe. The smell of antiseptic filled my nose before I even opened my eyes.

I was already at the hospital

My eyes fluttered open slowly.

The bright white ceiling blurred above me before finally coming into focus.

Jordan.

I was trying to process what was going on.

"Jordan!"

I jerked upright, ignoring the explosion of pain in my head.

Strong hands immediately pushed me back onto the bed.

"Dr. Voss, please calm down," a nurse pleaded. "You've suffered a concussion."

"My son!" I cried, trying to pull away. "Where is my son?"

The nurse's face softened with pity.

"We're still looking for him."

Those words shattered the little hope I had been clinging to.

you are still looking?

That meant they hadn't found him.

Fresh tears rolled down my cheeks.

I remembered everything.

The black van.

The knife against my throat.

Jordan's terrified screams.

His tiny hands reaching for me as those monsters dragged him away.

"Mommy!"

The sound echoed inside my head like torture.

A sob escaped my lips.

"I promised I'd protect you," I whispered brokenly.

Suddenly, the hospital door opened.

Two police officers walked inside.

One was a middle-aged woman with kind eyes.

The other was a younger man carrying a notebook.

"Dr. Elara Voss?" the woman asked gently.

I nodded.

"I'm Detective Harris. This is Detective Collins."

She pulled a chair beside my bed.

"We know this is difficult, but we need to ask you a few questions."

I wiped my tears away.

"Have you identified the kidnappers?"

She hesitated.

"Not yet."

My heart sank even lower.

"What exactly happened?"

I forced myself to remember every detail.

"The van was black."

"They wore dark clothes."

"One had a gun."

"The other held a knife."

"They called him..."

My voice caught.

"They called him Jordan Blackthorne."

The detectives exchanged a quick glance.

"Blackthorne?" Collins asked.

"Is that your son's legal surname?"

My stomach tightened.

"No."

"Then why would they call him that?"

I stayed silent.

I couldn't answer.

I couldn't tell them Jordan was Damien Blackthorne's son.

The fewer people who knew, the safer he would be.

Detective Harris leaned forward.

"Dr. Voss, if you're hiding something, it could affect the investigation."

"I'm not hiding anything."

It wasn't entirely true.

But I had spent six years protecting Jordan.

I wasn't about to destroy that now.

Collins wrote something down.

"Does your son have a father?"

The question hit harder than expected.

"He isn't involved."

"Name?"

"No."

"Dr. Voss—"

"I said no."

The room became quiet.

Detective Harris sighed.

"We're doing everything we can."

"I don't care about everything," I snapped.

"I want my son."

"I know."

"No, you don't!"

My voice cracked.

"You have children?"

She nodded slowly.

"Then imagine watching someone drag your child away while you couldn't stop them."

Silence.

"I would die before letting anyone take my son."

"So would I."

The words came out as barely a whisper.

"I failed him."

Another wave of tears blurred my vision.

The detectives quietly stood.

"We'll update you the moment we know anything."

After they left, I curled into myself.

Every second Jordan spent with those people was another second I wasn't protecting him.

My phone buzzed on the bedside table.

It was Elena.

I answered immediately.

"Elara!"

She sounded like she had been crying.

"I'm so sorry."

"I should've picked him up."

"This isn't your fault."

"It is."

She sniffled.

"I should've gone with you."

I closed my eyes.

"No."

"They would've taken both of us."

There was a long silence.

Then Elena whispered,

"We'll get him back."

I wanted to believe her.

I really did.

But fear was swallowing every hopeful thought.

A knock sounded at the door.

I expected another nurse.

Or perhaps the detectives again.

Instead...

The room suddenly became colder.

Every breath caught in my lungs.

A tall figure stood in the doorway wearing a perfectly tailored black suit.

Broad shoulders.

Dark hair.

Gray eyes that could freeze fire.

Damien Blackthorne.

It been six years since I had last seen him.

He looked older.

But somehow even more handsome.

Power radiated from him exactly as I remembered.

Only this time...

There was something else in his eyes. He was restless.

Neither of us spoke

The silence stretched endlessly.

His gaze moved slowly over me.

The bandage around my neck.

The bruises on my arms.

The IV in my hand.

His jaw tightened.

I found my voice first.

"You."

It came out as a whisper.

He walked farther into the room.

"I came as soon as I heard."

Something inside me exploded.

"You heard?"

I laughed bitterly.

"You heard?"

I climbed off the bed despite the dizziness.

The nurse called after me from the hallway, but I ignored her.

Damien stopped only a few feet away.

His expression remained unreadable.

"You ran away with my son."

he said coldly

Years of pain came rushing back all at once.

The contract.

The cold wedding night.

The humiliation. Everything

Without thinking about it

My hand flew across his face.

The sound echoed through the room.

His head turned slightly from the impact.

A red mark immediately appeared on his cheek.

He didn't move.

Didn't react. He didn't even blink

I hit him again.

My fists pounded against his chest.

"You ruined my life!"

Another hit.

"You took everything from me!"

Then another.

"You stole six years from us!"

My voice broke completely.

"And now you've taken my son!"

The last words came out as a scream.

I collapsed against him, exhausted.

He still didn't stop me.

Didn't grab my wrists. He did nothing

He simply stood there.

I finally stepped back, breathing hard.

"I know it was you."

His brows drew together.

"You found us."

"You wanted your heir."

"You've always wanted him."

His voice was calm.

"If I wanted to take Jordan..."

He took one slow step closer.

"...you would never have seen the kidnappers."

I stared at him.

"I don't believe you."

"You don't have to."

His gray eyes held mine.

"But I didn't take our son."

Did you just said our son?

I questioned.

"I don't care what lies you tell."

"I'm telling you the truth."

"You're incapable of telling the truth."

His face tightened slightly.

For a second...

I thought I saw guilt.

"I deserve your hatred," he said quietly.

"But I will not let anyone harm Jordan."

I laughed through my tears.

"Since when?"

"Since the day he was born."

My breathing stopped.

"What?"

"I searched for both of you for six years."

"Liar."

"I tore this city apart looking for you."

"Liar!"

"I never stopped."

"Enough!"

I covered my ears.

"I don't want to hear another word."

Everything inside me wanted to believe him.

That was the dangerous part.

I remembered believing him once before.

No, I won't

The door suddenly burst open.

Victor Kane rushed inside.

For the first time since I had known him...

He looked shaken.

His usually perfect suit was dusty.

His tie hung loose.

"Sir."

Damien turned immediately.

"What is it?"

Victor hesitated before speaking.

"We found the kidnapping van."

Hope surged through me.

"Jordan?"

Victor looked at me.

Then back at Damien.

His expression darkened.

"It was abandoned near Pier Thirty-Nine."

My heart pounded violently.

"And Jordan?"

Silence filled the room.

The answer was written all over Victor's face before he spoke.

"He wasn't inside."

The room seemed to spin around me.

Oh no!

I screemed above my voice