Three

Chapter Three

Beverly

Three unbearable days went by and all I saw was darkness. No food. No water. Barely fresh air to even breathe.

I was sure everyone had forgotten about me and I was going to die in this hellhole when light blinked from a distance.

I raised my head slowly as the sound of approaching footsteps filtered into my ears. I reached for the wall, using it as support to pull my weight up. I was barely standing when three figures appeared in front of the cell.

The cell door opened and he stepped in.

“Beverly, are you okay?” Killian rushed to me like he was totally unaware of this entire situation. A situation he put me in. He tried to touch me but I flinched away. Hurt flashed in those blue eyes and I almost laughed at the irony.

The anger I had nurtured in the dark for three days rose up so strong it nearly choked me. He had the nerve to look hurt.

“Evan just woke up and has been asking for you,” he started.

I see…

He searched my face for some sort of reaction but there was nothing to see. The soft, hopeful girl who used to live in this body had starved to death in this cell. What remained was colder.

“He told us everything. He got into a fight with an older kid because they were making fun of you and…” he shut his eyes like it was hurting him to even speak. “Elena… she was just emotional and confused. She didn’t mean to accuse you or anything…”

I stared at him in disbelief. Can he even hear himself speak? She got emotional and accused me of abuse, even claimed the school informed her personally, and he… he threw me in here without a second thought and now he expected me to just let it go?

“Can I leave now?” I asked weakly. My throat ached from dehydration and my eyes were hurting. I couldn’t argue with a migraine. I just wanted to get out of this suffocating place. And once I was out, I would never come back.

He moved out of the way and I took slow careful steps towards the entrance. He grabbed my arm suddenly.

“Evan is waiting upstairs for you. Meet him after you shower, okay?” He said. I didn’t respond and simply pried my arm away from him.

On getting back to the main house, I was informed that all my properties were moved to the storage room. I said nothing and simply moved to the storage to get my stuff. I showered in one of the guestrooms and eventually fell asleep.

I woke up hours later feeling a whole lot better but still hungry. I glanced at the clock and gasped when I saw it was already afternoon. Lunchtime to be exact. I dragged my feet out of the room. My stomach grumbled loudly as I headed for the stairs.

I paused by Evan’s room out of habit. The boy was fond of missing out on meals because “he didn’t have appetite.” I had to drag him by the ear every time. I reached for the doorknob, about to open the door when I heard voices from inside.

“Are you really going to buy me the latest video games?” Evan’s excited voice made me freeze.

“Of course, my darling. You deserve nothing but the best and mommy is here to give you all of that,” Elena’s proud voice followed.

“Is it really okay? Mommy doesn’t even allow me to play video games on my phone. She says it’s bad for the eyes,” Evan innocently told her.

“That is why she is just a nanny, not your mommy. A mother would never deny her child what he loves. I will buy you as many video games as you want. You don’t have to study too much if you don’t want to. Daddy will make enough money to sustain us for a lifetime, okay?” She bragged.

I scoffed at the ridiculousness of her claim. The woman who abandoned a four-month-old was suddenly the expert on motherhood.

“So you are my real mommy?”

“Of course, my darling. From now on, you don’t have to listen to her at all. She is a servant. She works for your daddy so if you want something, just order her to do it. If she declines, I will punish her.”

“You are so cool!” Evan squealed and I felt a dull ache in my heart. “Now I can show you off to all my friends. No one will laugh at me anymore!”

The pure joy radiating from those words tore me apart from inside. It was very clear where I stood in this family. I slowly retracted my hand.

At least Evan was happy. I wasn’t cruel enough to deny him the love of his biological mother. Once I was gone, she would worry less about me and focus more on her family. They would finally be happy together.

I turned around and headed back to my room to gather my things. I needed to put myself first this time around. The soft, sacrificing version of me had died in that dungeon. What was left refused to keep bleeding for people who would never value it.

Just as I finished packing the last item, my room door opened. I groaned inwardly. I was really hoping to leave quietly without any more drama.

Elena walked in, glancing briefly at the packed boxes.

“Going somewhere?” She asked and I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms with a bored expression.

“It’s none of your business, is it?”

She chuckled lightly at the response and handed me a document. “Here.”

I was reluctant to accept it at first. “What stunt are you going to pull this time?” I didn’t bother to hide my distrust.

“It’s something you demanded,” she shrugged. It was clear she wasn’t going to say any more than that. I took the envelope from her and pulled out the document. My eyes caught the heading almost immediately.

Divorce Agreement.

I lifted my gaze to her.

“Don’t look so bummed,” she chuckled. “I fully understand your situation with Killian. Since I am back now, it’s only right he keeps to his end of the bargain.”

I flipped the pages and caught his signature. My breath hitched. So this wasn’t just another trick. He actually signed the papers. I tried to be happy, relieved, that I was finally leaving this toxic marriage.

Yet all I felt was emptiness… and underneath it, a cold, calculating calm. The money would be useful. Freedom would be useful. And distance from these people would be the best gift of all.

“There’s more,” Elena quickly added like she was afraid I would change my mind. I checked the envelope and sure enough, there was a cheque. I took it out halfheartedly, expecting cheap hush money from Elena herself.

My eyes grew wide as I scanned through. My jaw dropped.

“A hundred and fifty million?” I blurted, staring at her wide-eyed.

“I know the agreement was a hundred million but…” she looked me up and down with pure condescension. “Considering your situation, I thought I might throw in a little bonus.”

If she was hoping to rile me up with that then she had another thing coming. I had long made peace with my reality so there was no way I was going to throw away such a hefty amount for a man who crushed my heart to pieces.

“Thank you so much, Luna,” I bowed with a bright smile. She staggered back in shock. I guess she was expecting me to put up a little resistance. “I will never forget this kindness,” I added, the cherry on top.

She didn’t know whether to smile or glare at me.

“Just get lost! He’s in a pack meeting so you better use this opportunity wisely and leave for good!” She huffed and walked out of the room.

I didn’t waste another second. I tucked the cheque into my bralette in case she tried to get smart with me and rolled my boxes downstairs. Fortunately, she was telling the truth and Killian was indeed not home. I could hear Evan’s laughter from upstairs and figured she was probably trying to distract him.

There was no point saying goodbye. I signed the divorce papers and dropped them on the table before leaving.

The minute I stepped outside, the cab driver signaled at me. He helped me pack my stuff and I got in. Five years of my life disappeared behind those gates and for the first time, I didn’t look back.

I let out a deep breath.

Time for new beginnings.

Halfway through the ride, I realized something was wrong. I looked out the window to make sure I was seeing correctly and my eyes weren’t just deceiving me. My stomach churned in panic.

“This… this is not the way to the airport!” I said with a horrified expression. The driver threw me a smile that sent chills down my spine.

“Of course it’s not,” he chuckled. “You were paid enough to afford a ticket to hell, weren’t you?”

A chill crawled up my spine, settling deep in my bones.

Elena.

I knew it was too good to be true. She wasn’t satisfied with just making me leave. She wanted me gone—permanently.

Blood rushed to my brain. There was no point begging for my life now. I just had to survive. We were on the highway with cars speeding past us. I couldn’t call for help either.

So I did something incredibly stupid.

My fingers shot for the handle and yanked the door open before he could react.

“What do you think you are doing?” He yelled in panic. “Shut the door, you crazy…”

I jumped.

The world flipped. Air rushed past me, tearing a scream from my throat as my body slammed hard against the asphalt. Pain exploded through me.

Headlights.

Too close.

A deafening horn…

And then impact.

Everything went black.

But even as the darkness took me, one thought remained clear and sharp:

I

was not finished. Not with Elena. Not with Killian. Not with any of them.