Elijah’s POVI sat in the courtroom, the air heavy with the murmur of spectators and the tension of the day’s proceedings. Chris was beside me, fidgeting nervously. He leaned in close, trying to whisper and yet be heard above the ambient noise.“Julia promised she’d tell the truth today,” he said, a faint note of hope in his tone.I nodded, though I couldn’t muster any optimism. My trust in Julia was long gone, eroded by countless betrayals. I expected nothing from her. The bitterness had set in so deep that even the prospect of justice couldn’t stir much excitement within me.She had betrayed me so damn hard. I was so stupid for believing her, and for almost marrying her. Twice. I couldn’t help but hate myself for this, for being fooled by her. And it made me despise her even more. As the court clerk began calling for order, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I discreetly pulled it out, glancing at the screen. The message was from Trevis: Sophia went to the office looking for you. She t
Julia’s POVI must tell the truth. This is my chance to start fresh, to get a lower sentence. I have no other choice. These were the thoughts swirling in my head as I took the witness stand. Henry has failed me, I thought, my chest feeling heavy. I glanced around the courtroom, trying to make sense of everything. The lawyer's voice cut through the din, demanding my attention.“Julia,” he asked sharply, “did you plan the kidnapping of Reese Sinclair? And did you hurt Reese’s mother, Sophia Bennett, at the beach?”His words felt distant, as if they were coming from underwater. My eyes were locked on Chris and Elijah, their expressions a mix of alarm and urgency. I couldn’t shake the sense that something was terribly wrong. My mind raced, my heart pounding in my chest.A sudden, jarring thought pierced through my confusion: What if Henry had done something? The hope that Henry was back and maybe orchestrating something to get me out of this situation surged within me. My emotions chur
Henry’s POVThe sunlight filtered through the gaps in the wooden slats of the hideout, reflecting uneven beams across the dusty floor. The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and old timber, and the sounds of the forest outside seemed oddly muted in the confined space. Sophia was bound to a sturdy wooden chair in the middle of the room, her face streaked with tears and her eyes filled with fear. Her attempts to scream were muffled by the tape over her mouth, her struggles only serving to deepen the lines of exhaustion carved into her features.I grinned, happy to see her suffering. This is all for you, Julia, I thought with satisfaction. I grabbed a worn-out chair and dragged it across the floor, the scraping noise echoing sharply. As I sat down and lit a cigarette, the ember glowed brightly in the daylight. I took a long drag, savoring the feeling of control."You think you and Elijah are so smart, huh?" I said, my voice dripping with disdain. "Well, I'm smarter. I managed t
Julia’s POVThe judge announced a recess, and I slumped back into my seat, feeling the heavy burden of the trial hanging over me.But soon, it’ll be over, I reminded myself as I returned to my seat beside my lawyer. The attorney who had been assigned to me by the government nodded to me. “We can head to the room at the back for a while, Miss Stanford.”Just as I began to rise, eager to escape the courtroom for a moment, a shadow fell over me. I turned to see a man leaning in, his face partially obscured by a wide-brimmed hat. His breath was warm against my ear as he whispered, “Henry's back. Be ready to escape today.”This was the same man who had been signaling to me earlier. My heart leaped. I knew it! Henry would never leave me!A grin spread across my face, my anxiety momentarily forgotten. I looked around desperately, scanning the sea of faces in the courtroom for any sign of Henry, perhaps disguised among the crowd. But he was nowhere to be found.Suddenly, a deafening explosio
Kayla’s POVI paced back and forth on the sandy beach, my feet digging into the grains with each anxious step. The sun was beginning to set now. I tried to call Sophia again, clutching the phone tightly in my hand as I failed another time. It just kept going straight to voicemail. “Come on, Sophia, pick up,” I muttered under my breath desperately.Lila was in the middle of her shoot, laughing and posing for the cameras, but I couldn’t focus. The breeze carried her laughter to me, a massive contrast to the riot in my mind. I took a deep breath and dialed Elijah’s number again. This time, to my relief, he picked up.“Elijah?” I said in a quivering voice.“Kayla,” he replied, his voice just as distressed. “There's been a fire at the courthouse.”“What?!!”“It was most likely a distraction to help Julia escape,” Elijah explained.I felt my heart drop. “Julia? Oh, my gosh! Henry must have planned this, along with Sophia’s kidnapping! He must be back, Elijah!”“Don’t worry. Some men I hire
Daniel’s POVAs soon as I put the phone down after talking to Kayla, fury surged through me like a tidal wave. I slammed the receiver onto the desk, the sound echoing in the quiet of my office. “Damn it,” I muttered, pacing back and forth, my hands clenched into tight fists. "I shouldn’t have let her get close to him again. I should have known better.”I ran a hand through my hair, tugging at it in frustration. Sophia was out of luck, just because she had allowed herself to fall for Elijah again. If she had chosen to be with me, then she wouldn’t have been targeted anymore. Now she’s in trouble again because of Elijah! I thought with anxiety and frustration. “Elijah is no good for her,” I hissed under my breath, kicking the wastebasket across the room. Papers flew everywhere, but I didn't care. All I could think about was Sophia. My chest tightened at the thought of her in pain, and I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. I should have been more alert about these things, maybe even
Daniel’s POVMy mind raced, trying to think of my next move. “Henry, listen to me. This doesn’t have to end badly for either of us. Let Sophia go, and we can work something out.”“I don’t negotiate with liars,” Henry spat. “Bring me Julia, or say goodbye to Sophia.”I could see Harris giving me a thumbs-up, signaling that he had a trace on the call. Relief and dread mingled in my chest. I needed to keep Henry talking a bit longer.“Alright, Henry,” I said, forcing a calm I didn’t feel. “Give me a little time. Julia is being held by some powerful people, and I’ll need to negotiate her release. Can you give me twenty-four hours?”Henry was silent for a moment, then he growled, “Twenty-four hours, Daniel. Not a minute more. Or you’ll regret it.”The line went dead, and I handed the phone back to Harris. He nodded, his face grave. “We’ve got a location. It’s some abandoned house in a remote forested area.”I scrambled to find out who had Julia. Harris and I visited some of his contacts, s
Elijah’s POVMy mind was a chaotic storm of worry and fear. Sophia was out there somewhere, kidnapped, and no one knew where she was. The investigators had found the abandoned house where she had been held, but by the time they arrived, it was empty. No signs of Henry or Vito, or any of their men. The police were now on high alert too, also searching for Julia after her escape from the courtroom.Desperation consumed me. I can’t just sit around and do nothing!I ended up heading to the office where Trevis was waiting for me, eager to get some news about Sophia. “Elijah,” he said, his voice tense. “I've been talking to some of the staff, but no one saw Sophia after she left the building. Someone saw her getting into a cab, and it had been proven that this was the same one reported stolen by a cab driver. Oh, god! I should have just gone with her to the Hall of Justice. I can’t believe I just talked to her, and then she was kidnapped afterwards! She came here looking for you, so I tol