LOGINASHLEY'S POV I had always hated hospitals, and this time was no exception. The last time I was in one was when Janet was hospitalized and came down here for treatment after the car accident she had with Aurora. Now it was Jeff who was hospitalized. There was nothing I could do to help him other than sit here, wait, and pray that he recovered fully.The sound of the hospital room door opening jolted me out of my reverie. I looked up to see a nurse stepping into the room. She gave me a small smile and went on to check something on the monitor beside Jeff’s bed.“He’s stable. You should try to get some rest too, Ashley, because he’ll need someone to take care of him by the time he’s discharged.” She told me in a soft, sympathetic tone. By now, everyone in the country knew our story. It was all that the media talked about. Jeff had been branded a knight in shining armor, and it was no less than he deserved. Till this moment, I still found it surreal to believe that he actually cared
ASHLEY'S POV"Jeff, what are we going to do?” I asked tremulously.“I... I honestly don't know, Ashley. I'm still thinking. There are too many people around, so we can't get out of here without being noticed. If we hold this idiot hostage and try to use him to get out of here, it would be too risky. One of us could easily get hit. If we remain here, someone will definitely come by looking for him soon enough."He was right. Will didn't say anything. In fact, he was crying silently and looked very subdued, which was a good look on him, as far as I was concerned. The door was still closed, although of course, it didn’t lock from the inside, so we were literally sitting ducks. In the end, Jeff asked me to stand behind him and Will, whom he was still holding tightly and pointing the gun at.It took all of five terrifying, suffocating minutes for someone to come looking for Will. I heard the sound at the door and stiffened, as did Jeff. Then the door creaked open, and one of the guards
ASHLEY'S POV“No!” I screamed as Jeff shoved me behind him.The force of the push, as well as the fact that I was unprepared for it, sent me stumbling backwards onto the floor, my butt scraping painfully against the cold concrete floor.Before I could even recover or process what was happening, he was already almost in front of Will.Jeff’s shoulders … those strong, proud shoulders that I knew so well, were now slumped in defeat.How could he give up so easily, after everything he had done to get here? From Will's expression, it was clear that he could also tell that Jeff had accepted defeat."So you finally understand your situation, then? That's a smart choice, I must say. There's no need to fight it. You're very much outnumbered. No one who comes in here leaves alive, except I want them to, and you already know that I would never let you leave here alive. I refuse to give you an easy death like the others, because I intend to have some long-awaited fun with you. The least you can d
Ashley’s POV Jeff's words should have given me hope, but the expression on his face made it impossible to be hopeful. He looked … worried. I hoped to God that I was misinterpreting that look, but I had the sinking feeling that I wasn't.“So the police are coming?” I asked him in a neutral tone.“Um, well, they should be,” he replied unsurely, and my heart sank.The words hung heavily between us. They weren’t exactly encouraging, and a small, uneasy silence followed after he said them. Jeff busied himself with rubbing my hands comfortingly, his jaw tight, then he explained further."Going by the time that has passed, I would have thought the police would be here already. But then this place is so remote that I lost signal on my phone quite a while before we got here. So they're probably trying to use my last known location to comb the area and locate where we are. I just hope they will be quick enough.""Quick enough?" I asked. I didn't like the sound of that at all.Jeff's forehead c
Ashley’s POVGreat! Now, I was hallucinating. That had to be it, because what other explanation was there for the fact that I could see Jeff, of all people, standing in the doorway of my cell?For a second, I almost rushed to him to try to grab him, even though I knew he was nothing but a figment of my imagination.But then, I stopped myself just in time. No, this wasn't real ... it just couldn't be real. There was no point in getting excited over nothing. For one thing, I was already too weak to waste any more energy than was necessary.Besides, I had learned the bitter way that pretending to be asleep made these people leave me alone, at least sometimes, and right now, I wanted to be left the hell alone.So I closed my eyes and pretended that I was asleep. I could hear Will's voice, as he taunted the imaginary Jeff, talking about a reunion or something.And then, a few seconds later, someone was holding my hands. I stiffened and nearly jumped about a foot high, my heart pounding hea
Jeff’s POVI didn't think it was possible to feel any worse than I was already feeling, and neither did I think Will could reveal any more unbelievable thing he had done. But I was wrong.Apparently, he hadn't only made Ashley disappear by threatening her. He had held her right here in this dungeon and tortured her to within an inch of her life, simply because he wanted to get back at me, as well as please Claire.Being Will, he made sure to tell me everything he did to Ashley in graphic detail and, of course, he made sure I listened to every single word he said.By the time he was done talking, I was the most dejected I had ever been in my entire life. All I could think about was Ashley, broken and battered, and barely alive, which was exactly the way he described her. That image would remain with me for as long as I lived.Oh, God! Poor Ashley. She had been an unfortunate victim of something she had no idea about.The memory of the night she had a nightmare while we were on a busine
Ashley’s POVThe evening breeze was cool, and I loved the sound it made as it rustled the leaves on the trees in the garden. Janet and I were sitting in the garden, watching Aurora run, while we talked about random things.Janet looked much healthier than she used to, and I was so happy to see it.
Ashley’s POV“She's also your sister.” My father told me wearily.Sometimes, I suspected that this man regretted cheating on his first wife with my Mom, as well as having me. He clearly loved those self-righteous assholes, Dan and Daniella, more than he loved me.I glared at him in irritation. “No,
Tom’s POVThe rest of the drive passed by in a blur that was filled with stunned silence. No other headlights of cars carrying gun-wielding criminals who wanted to eliminate us chased after us for the rest of the drive.Lena was slumped against the car door on her side, against which I had propped
Ashley's POV“Hmmm … I’m all ears,” Will said easily.For some reason, I found it more difficult than I realized it would be to tell him about it.Nobody except Jeff, Claire, Janet, and I knew that I once dated Jeff … not even people at the office, and honestly, I wanted it to remain that wayHowev







