Chapter 3

Khira's POV

My head felt heavy as my eyes opened slowly. My body felt limp like it hadn't been used in years.

I blinked multiple times as my last memory flooded my head. The betrayal, the fire, the train encounter. The smell of petrol. The heat. The look in Alex's eyes as he struck that match.

My vision fell into place and dread crept into my spine. I was in what looked like an underground bunker. The air smelled sterile, like antiseptic mixed with something earthier like sandalwood and cold steel.

Steel doors and compartmentalized goods lined the walls.

I tried to move but something was holding me down. I raised my head to see and a scream left my lips.

My hands and legs were in chains.

I had been in a fire but there were no burn marks.

My skin... it looked flawless. Pale and dehydrated but still Unblemished.

My scream must have alerted my captor because I heard footsteps approaching.

My heartbeat increased.

Could it be Alex?

It couldn't be. He wouldn't try to kill me just to save me and keep me captive. He wanted me dead. He wanted me erased so he could be with her and still hold on to my father.

A door in my eyeline opened and a man walked into the room. I couldn't make out his face at first. Shadows clung to him like a second skin.

He had on a black tank top on a pair of combat black pants. The fabric strained against his chest, outlining muscles that looked carved from granite. There was a tattoo on his arm of a serpent winding around a dagger. He took strides towards me and once he was close enough, the dim light hit his face.

I almost passed out from the shock.

It was...

The older man from the train.

The scar running down his eye looked even more menacing in this light, but there was a dangerous, rugged beauty to him that terrified me.

"Help!"

I started to scream.

"Please somebody help me!" Tears gathered around my eyes.

He was going to finish what he started on the train. He was a criminal. Definitely also a killer. And I was chained to his bed.

I was going to finally die.

Alex had failed so now he was going to finish it.

I was going to die a virgin!

"Help me!!"

His hand covered my mouth and I went silent immediately.

His palm was rough, calloused, and shockingly hot against my skin. The scent of him, tobacco, rain, and danger invaded my nose, overwhelming my senses.

He leaned down towards me, my chest heaved as my head and heart spiralled out of control. His dark eyes bored into mine, holding me captive more effectively than the chains.

"No one can hear you in here" his voice came out a low rumble that vibrated through my chest.

He let go of my mouth and straightened up.

"It's soundproof and we're in the middle of nowhere"

My heartbeat sped up again. Fear crept up my bones.

"Why am I here? What do you want with me? Did Alex put you up to this?"

His expression darkened instantly at the mention of my husband's name. A flicker of pure hatred passed through his eyes.

"Alex tried to kill you. I saved you"

"You saved me?" I tried to move but it was hard with the chains.

"Then why am I in chains?"

He looked down at me, his gaze sweeping over my body with an intensity that made my skin prickle. "You needed to be stable for the procedure"

"What procedure?"

He didn't answer immediately. He stepped aside and picked up something from one of the shelves. As he got closer, I saw that it was a mirror. He placed it opposite my face.

"Look" he commanded.

I blinked once then twice.

There were no burn marks on my face but…

My breath hitched.

"What the fuck did you do to my face?"

The person looking back at me was not me.

My face had changed. The nose was straighter. The cheekbones higher. My lips were fuller. I was beautiful, stunning even but I was a stranger.

How was this even possible?

“What did you do to me?” I cried out again, this time a tear followed my scream.

"Calm down" he said, taking the mirror away.

"The fuck you mean calm down? You changed my face!" I struggled, pulling at the metal cuffs until my wrists burned, but the chains held me down.

"Why would you do this to me?" A tear fell from my eyes. It felt like my whole identity had been stripped from me

"Your face was damaged, ruined with scars. I did you a favour" he said, his voice devoid of pity.

I replayed his words.

My face was damaged? Ruined with scars? Scars inflicted from the fire my husband started.

The man I loved tried to kill me…

It was hard to believe.

I yanked violently against the cuffs, desperate to bring my hands up to claw at this stranger's skin, to maybe find myself underneath but the cold steel held me down. I collapsed back against the mattress. I had lost everything. My husband. My life. And now, even my identity.

"Who are you?" I whispered, my voice breaking.

"Why did you save me?”

He stepped closer, looming over the bed. He placed a hand on the mattress, right next to my head, leaning in until his face was inches from mine.

"I'm not a stranger, sweetheart" he murmured.

"And Alex isn't just your shitty husband"

He reached out, his rough thumb brushed away the tear on my new cheek.

"Whatever Alex claims to own" He let out a dark, humorless chuckle.

"He stole it. From me"

I froze. "What?"

"I took him in when he was five years old. I fed him. I clothed him. I taught him how to walk, how to fight, and how to rule" His eyes narrowed, turning into abysses of cold fury.

My mouth fell open.

"You..." I stammered. "You're..."

"I'm Adrian Blackwell," he whispered, his lips curling into a cruel smirk.

"Your husband’s father"

He trailed his finger down my jawline, sending a shiver through my entire body that had nothing to do with fear.

"Which makes us family, doesn't it?"

He leaned closer, his hot breath fanning against my ear.

"So, tell me, daughter-in-law... are you ready to make him pay?"