CHAPTER 0073THE GAME BEGINSEVAN,I heard her leave the house.I had been waiting for this moment. Sitting at the dining table, fingers tapping the polished wood in slow, rhythmic motions, I maintained the illusion of stillness. If anyone had been watching, they would have thought I was lost in thought, perhaps brooding over something entirely unrelated to her. But every breath I took, every fiber of my being, was tuned to her movements.I had known she would try again. It wasn’t a question of if—only when. Elena was many things: stubborn, reckless, restless. But above all, she was predictable when cornered. She hated being caged. She might have convinced herself she needed the walls I had built around her, might have played along for a while, but deep down, she would always test the limits.I had been waiting for the unraveling to begin.It had started in subtle ways, the way all things did with Elena. The way her pacing grew tighter, more erratic. The way her fingers twitched when
Chapter 0074A LINGERING WARNINGELENA,I pushed the door open, stepping into the dimly lit hallway, my thoughts tangled in the web of lies I had once believed. The house was silent—too silent. The kind of quiet that doesn’t feel natural, like something was missing or waiting, holding its breath in the darkness.Shadows stretched long across the wooden floors, twisting unnaturally under the faint glow of the moon filtering through the windows. The air held a strange stillness, thick and suffocating, as though the walls themselves knew something I didn’t.For the longest time, I had pitied Evan. I had seen him as weak—a man drowning himself in alcohol, retreating into the haze of liquor to forget whatever haunted him. Broken beyond repair. A hollow version of himself.But that had all been a carefully constructed illusion.Evan was never helpless. He was never lost.He had been in control all along.A shiver ran down my spine, curling around my ribs like an unseen hand squeezing until
CHAPTER 0075 IN THE DARKNESS. ELENA, The whisper coiled around me like a breath against my skin. "You should have stayed asleep." My stomach clenched, and every muscle in my body locked into place, frozen by something more powerful than fear—dread. Deep, bone-deep dread. The kind that sinks into your marrow and holds you captive. I had tried to turn on the light, but it wasn’t working. I flicked the switch again. Nothing. My fingers trembled as I reached for the lamp instead, its glow weak but steady. It wasn’t much, but it was something. I gripped the lamp tightly, holding it close like a lifeline, my fingers aching from how hard I clutched the ceramic base. The air had changed. Heavy. Humming with something unseen, something wrong. I swallowed hard, forcing a breath into my lungs, but the simple act of breathing felt unnatural. Like I was inhaling something thick and tainted. Maybe I was imagining things. Maybe exhaustion had finally taken its toll, twisting reality into nig
CHAPTER 0076LOST AGAIN.EVANThe rhythmic tap of my fingers against the polished wood of my desk was the only sound in the room. A slow, deliberate beat, like a clock ticking down to some inevitable moment. The air was thick with the scent of expensive leather and aged whiskey, but my mind was elsewhere, sifting through a web of problems that needed solving.Elena was a problem.Evelyn was an even bigger one.And I needed to find a way to silence them both—permanently.The screen of my phone lit up beside me, the faint glow cutting through the dimness. A vibration followed, a subtle hum against the heavy stillness. Business. A distraction. I glanced at the message—a confirmation of a deal that had taken months to close. Millions in negotiation, countless hours spent maneuvering, and now it was mine. A victory, yet it left me hollow. There was no satisfaction, no surge of triumph. Only the gnawing sense that something more pressing loomed in the background, something unfinished.Then
CHAPTER 0077KIDNAPPEDELENA,Darkness. that was Alli saw when I woke up, Thick, suffocating, absolute.Pain radiated from the back of my skull, a deep, pulsing ache that sent nausea rolling through my stomach. It wasn’t just pain—it was a heavy, consuming fog, pressing in from all sides, making it impossible to think clearly. My body felt like dead weight against the cold, unyielding floor, my limbs sluggish and weak, as though I had been unconscious for hours—maybe longer.I tried to move, but every shift sent sharp jolts of agony through me. My fingers twitched against the rough, icy surface beneath me, and a shiver tore through my body. I wasn’t just cold—I was freezing, my thin clothing offering no protection against the chill that seeped into my bones. The air around me was stale, thick with a metallic tang that sent a warning bell ringing in the back of my mind.Blood.The realization sent a fresh wave of panic surging through my veins, tightening around my chest like a vice.
CHAPTER 0078GETTING HER BACK AGAINEVANThe city never truly slept. It breathed, pulsing beneath the surface—hidden in the shadows of back alleys, behind tinted windows, between whispered deals exchanged under flickering neon lights. The underworld never stopped moving.Right now, neither could I.Rage burned through me like wildfire, scorching, relentless. Every inhale stoked the flames, every exhale carried the heat deeper into my bones. My hands ached from clenching my fists too tightly, my jaw locked with barely restrained fury.Elena was gone.And someone was going to bleed for it.I forced my fingers to loosen, letting the weight of the gun in my lap center me. Cold metal. Familiar. An extension of myself, something I could control. But it wasn’t enough—not when fury clawed inside me, desperate to be unleashed.My mind raced through every possibility. Every name, every face that might have dared to take her from me.The list was short. I had made sure of that over the years.Wh
Chapter 0079 A GHOST ELENA, I laid down in the room, my mind filled with who the man was and what he wanted from me. For the first time, I wanted Evan to be here. If he was, he would be able to get me out of here. I was Evan's captive, but I wasn’t locked up with darkness crawling up over me. The darkness had been there, but now— The darkness was worse this time. It wasn’t just an absence of light—it was a presence. Heavy. Watching. I could feel it pressing in, curling around me like an unseen force, suffocating yet intangible. My breath came in shallow gasps, each inhale filling my lungs with the taste of dust and fear. The cold slithered over my skin like skeletal fingers, wrapping around me in a suffocating grip. I drew my knees to my chest, tucking myself into the smallest space possible, as if that could protect me from whatever lurked beyond the void. I didn’t know how long I had been here. Time had ceased to exist in this place. The silence stretched endlessly, coiling
CHAPTER 80UNDER ATTACK.ADRIAN,"Boss, maybe we should confirm before heading to the docks—" I said to Evan skeptical about going into the docks without full information."Just drive," Evan barked, cutting me off.His voice was sharp, tight with urgency, leaving no room for argument. The air in the car was thick, charged, and heavy with something just shy of violence. My fingers curled into fists as I stared out the windshield, my heart hammering like a war drum, each beat a reminder of how much time we were wasting.I didn’t argue after that.The tires screeched as he swerved through the late-night traffic, weaving between cars like a predator hunting in the dark. Streetlights flashed past in bursts of white and gold, the reflection shimmering on the wet pavement as we tore forward, leaving nothing but the roar of the engine behind us.I pulled out my phone, fingers moving fast as I dialed.One ring.Two.Three.And then it went up to voicemail.Damn it.I muttered a curse under my
Chapter 96 FAMILY COURTELENAI never thought I’d set foot in a courtroom again—not after everything I’d been through. But there I was, seated beside Ryan in a cold, echoing chamber that reeked of perfume, arrogance, and rehearsed lies. The polished wood, the artificial light, the judge’s impassive gaze—it all felt like a twisted theater where the truth was only allowed to speak if it wore the right suit.Sasha sat across from me, her strawberry-blonde hair curled to perfection, lips painted in the shade of deception. And Jason—God, Jason—looked smug in his tailored suit, his arm draped behind Sasha as if they were some power couple instead of the pair of vipers they truly were.They weren’t here for justice. They were here to humiliate me.To ruin me.To steal something that never even existed.The judge called the session to order, and I swallowed the dry lump in my throat. My palms were sweaty, but Ryan reached over and held my hand beneath the table, grounding me. His thumb brush
Chapter 95THE MASK FALLSELENAThe house looked different in the daylight. Smaller. Less imposing. But it still held ghosts.My heels clicked against the marble as I stepped into my childhood home. It had been years since I’d last stood inside these walls, and yet the scent of roses and old secrets hadn’t changed. The antique grandfather clock ticked steadily in the hallway, echoing like a countdown.Ryan lingered in the foyer, silent but close. I hadn’t asked him to come. He came anyway. And I needed that—needed him near in case I shattered.“My lady,” the butler said as he approached, eyes wide in surprise. “You’re… you’re here to see Mrs. Sinclair?”“She’s not a Sinclair,” I said, coldly. “She never was.”He swallowed hard and led us to the sunroom.There she was.Lounging in a cream sweater, pale as porcelain, her hair swept back into a tight chignon, sipping Earl Grey like it was any other Wednesday. My stepmother—Caroline.“Elena,” she said warmly, standing as if she’d been wai
Chapter 94UNCLE'S OFFERELENAThe press conference was televised live. Every major network covered it—New York Post, Sinclair Daily, even Morning Sunrise. It wasn’t just a statement. It was a performance.Jonathan Sinclair stood at the podium, flanked by two security guards and a wall of glistening flags behind him. The backdrop of the Sinclair Tower added to the spectacle. His silver hair was impeccably combed back, his bespoke charcoal suit flawless, and his voice—steady, calculated—commanded the room.“To the public, to our shareholders, and most importantly, to my beloved niece, Elena…” His voice dipped lower. “I offer not just an apology, but a promise.”I watched from the living room couch, fists clenched so tightly my knuckles turned white. Ryan stood behind me, pacing like a caged wolf.“I have made grave mistakes,” Jonathan continued. “The death hoax, the manipulation—it ends now. I was a desperate man trying to protect this empire, but in doing so, I forgot what truly matte
Chapter 93THE SILENCE BETWEEN USELENA,The hospital wing was too quiet. Not peaceful—never that—but sterile in a way that felt false. The kind of silence that clung to your skin, made your heartbeat echo like a warning, made every step feel too loud. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, humming a nervous tune, casting sharp shadows on the linoleum floor as I moved slowly down the corridor, my boots clicking like accusations.Everyone had told me not to come.“She’s dangerous, Elena.”“You don’t know if she’s still under Jonathan’s control.”“Let Adrian handle it.”But they didn’t understand.I had to see her.Not for revenge. Not for answers.For closure.Evelyn had once been my closest friend. My confidante. My shadow. The one who brushed my hair back after surgeries, who whispered comfort into the void when I forgot who I was. When I’d lost everything—my sight, my freedom, my sense of self—Evelyn had stayed.Until she didn’t.Until she betrayed me.She had lied to me. Lied so beaut
Chapter 92SAFE ISN’T SAFEELENA, The silence in the safehouse was deceptive. Too perfect. Too still.Even the wind, which howled outside like some long-forgotten spirit, couldn’t penetrate the oppressive quiet that pressed against the walls. I sat upright in bed, every sense on edge. The floor beneath me vibrated with the faintest creaks, the kind old houses made as they settled into themselves—but this wasn’t just an old house. This was supposed to be a fortress. Hidden. Secure. Untouchable.Yet my pulse said otherwise.I pressed a hand against my stomach. The baby—just a whisper of life—rested within me, and already, my instincts were sharper. Louder. Every inch of me screamed that something was wrong. I couldn’t explain it, but I felt watched. Hunted. Like prey in a cage disguised as safety.I slipped on a hoodie, not bothering with shoes, and crept out of the room. The hallway yawned before me, long and dimly lit by a single emergency bulb hanging above. Shadows danced along the
Chapter 91Womb & WarELENA,The weight of the test in my hand was like the weight of the world. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. The moment the two pink lines appeared, my vision blurred. I stared at the small strip, numb to the tremor in my fingers, unable to process what it meant.Pregnant.A child.My first instinct was to panic. A baby meant vulnerability—something I couldn’t afford. It meant ties to this world, to Ryan, to the monstrous family that still lurked in the shadows. It meant another complication I didn’t need. But then, amidst the panic, something else stirred—something deeper, something softer. A flutter of hope, or was it dread disguised as it?I pressed the back of my hand to my lips, feeling the burn of unshed tears in my eyes. How could this happen now? How could I possibly bring a child into this chaos, this war?I sank back onto the edge of the bathroom sink, my breath coming in shallow bursts. The darkness outside the window seemed to press in closer, the c
Chapter 90Blood Oaths & BusinessRYAN'SThe boardroom smelled like power—aged mahogany, expensive cologne, and the unspoken stench of betrayal. Ryan stood at the head of the long glass table, every eye on him, most of them cold and calculating. His hands gripped the back of the chair in front of him, knuckles pale against the leather. The Sinclair name was stitched into every corner of this room, from the monogrammed coasters to the gold-embossed folders. But so was the rot his uncle left behind.“I know Jonathan is still pulling strings,” Ryan said, voice calm, controlled. “And I’m done pretending otherwise.”Silence. A single cough from the far end. Then Mr. Caldwell, the CFO, adjusted his tie and narrowed his eyes. “That’s a serious accusation, Mr. Sinclair.”“It’s not an accusation. It’s a statement of fact.”He slid a thin folder across the table. Inside were photos—grainy but clear enough—of Jonathan Sinclair walking into a private residence just weeks ago. Beneath that, survei
Chapter 89The Ghost in Her EyesELENA,The silence after the video ended was louder than any scream. It settled over the room like dust in a tomb—heavy, stale, suffocating. Not even the steady hum of the old cabin's heater could cut through it. All I could hear was the phantom echo of Jonathan's voice: "My perfect heir." The words played on loop, like a dirge inside my skull.Ryan didn’t let go of my hand. His grip was firm, tethering me to the present, but my mind was already unraveling, pulling threads I didn’t know were loose. That girl—the one with eyes like mine and Jonathan’s sharp, predatory posture—she couldn’t be mine. That wasn’t possible. I would have remembered. I would have felt something. Wouldn’t I?But I didn’t. I didn’t remember a pregnancy. I didn’t remember holding a baby. I didn’t remember her.I wasn’t even sure I remembered me.“She looks like him,” I whispered, my voice hollow. “But… there’s something in her eyes. Something I know.”Ryan didn’t respond immediat
Chapter 88Fractures & FlashbacksELENA,The safehouse was too quiet.Nestled deep in the Catskill Mountains, this secluded cabin had been chosen for its obscurity, but all I felt was the suffocating silence that wrapped around me like a shroud. I stood by the frosted window, staring out at the moonlit outline of pine trees. Somewhere, far in the woods, an owl hooted, but I didn’t flinch. I was beyond flinching now.Behind me, the crackling fire in the hearth offered warmth, but it was a false comfort, unable to reach the cold, stillness that had settled deep in my bones. My hands rested on my stomach—flat, still secret. I hadn’t told Ryan yet. I wasn’t even sure if I could.Ryan.He was pacing in the living room, sharp, calculated steps echoing in the stillness. He hadn’t slept in two days, not since we fled the burning hideout. His appearance was a far cry from the immaculate man I had once known. His shirt was half-buttoned, sleeves rolled up in haste, and his hair was a wild mess