LOGINJeff’s POVThe closer I got to Will’s neighborhood, the more I began to question my sanity. What the hell was I even doing going here at this time of the night?What on earth was I going to do when I finally arrived at his neighborhood? Drive up to his compound, knock on the gate, and ask him to let me in at this time of the night, as if we were best friends? That was preposterous.Even if I could actually knock on his door, what would I give as my reason for doing so, especially at this time of the night? That I wanted to check his basement to see if he was hiding Ashley in there?I shook my head tiredly. This whole endeavor of mine tonight wasn’t just ridiculous. It was worse than ridiculous.If anyone found out that I had driven all the way here in the middle of the night and just lurked around Will’s neighborhood and house like a damn stalker, I would look completely unhinged.And maybe I had actually come unhinged from lack of sleep. After all, throughout these past days since As
Ashley’s POV “Well, they would want to trail you for several reasons I can think of off the top of my head. For starters, you were fucking both friends, one of whom was your supposed girlfriend, and then they caught you, after which you proceeded to house one of them. You opened your mouth to inform the police that you think both women were abducted from your residence.”“And so wh …”The man cut him off. “You keep taking unnecessary risks, like taking pictures of that woman and sending them to her boss, when the original plan was to off both women, stage their deaths, and forget about it. How long do you think the lie you told everyone about them being addicts is going to hold, especially if you keep sneaking around this place in the middle of the night like a damn thief? All that’s needed is for some nosy paparazzi or the police to follow you here, and the rest will be history.”My heart started beating fast with hope as I listened to the conversation. Will remained silent to all
Ashley’s POVIt couldn’t have been more than a few days since I got locked up in the dungeon, but somehow I had lost track of time and didn’t know exactly how many days it had been.I had stopped crying. Crying didn’t do me any good. It only showed them how weak I was and made them go after me all the more like the bloodthirsty demons they were.Ever since Janet breathed her last, I had become empty, for lack of a better word. It was hours after she died before someone came to remove her body.I didn’t bother to look up when heavy footsteps echoed outside the cell, and the door creaked open, because I already knew why they were here.I was still sitting in the same position that I had been sitting for hours, holding on to Janet’s hand.The guard who opened the door came over to check on Janet, no doubt already knowing that she was dead.“Move,” he ordered me in a bored and annoyed voice, as if he was annoyed that Janet had had the nerve to die and give him the unwanted job of having t
Jeff’s POVI scoffed under my breath, my grip tightening around the remote. I was a hundred per cent sure that this bastard was laying it on thick, yet none of the people who were interviewing him could see through him.The whole sad bit he was trying to portray felt rehearsed to me. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had stood in front of the mirror and practiced the exact way to look devastated.“There’s just something off about this guy,” I muttered.Eliza glanced at the screen, then back at me. “Off? How do you mean?”“Can't you see how fake he looks? He’s clearly overdoing the sadness and guilt. It doesn’t feel real to me.”Eliza directed her gaze back to the television and studied Will for a moment, but after a few seconds, she shook her head, unsurely.“I don’t know, Jeff. He seems genuine enough to me.”“Really? You don't think he's pretending and laying it on thick?” I asked her, frowning.“No, I don't. If something like that really did happen in his house, it would make
Jeff’s POVI went to my family home with Eliza, Jack, and Aurora. I had been here only once or twice ever since my dad died, because each time I came here, I was reminded of nothing but sickness and death … those of both my parents.This time around, though, it was different. Being here with my sister and the kids took my mind off things, at least to an extent.Luckily enough, Aurora took to Jack, and when she woke up, they began playing together like old friends, although the sadness was still evident in her expression.My gaze drifted away from the television, landing on the far side of the room, where they were currently playing. They were sprawled out on the floor, surrounded by the building blocks and other toys and games.Aurora’s earlier distress seemed to have disappeared, at least for now, for which I was most grateful.A small smile tugged at her lips as she carefully stacked one block on top of the other, while Jack animatedly tried to outdo her with an even taller structur
Jeff’s POVWill answered my question. “Unfortunately, I don't have CCTV cameras, but of course, after this whole thing, I’m going to get them and put them all over the property. Anyway, after seeing all that … ruckus, I had to call the police to report the whole thing. In fact, I couldn’t sleep at home and had to sleep in a hotel. Interestingly enough, this morning, I was asked to come here and was questioned for hours about something I know absolutely nothing about.”“I wonder why,” I drawled sarcastically. Will either didn't get my sarcasm, or he didn't care."They consider me a person of interest in Ashley's disappearance. Had it been I didn’t have my travel documents and the alibis showing that I was indeed out of the country these past few days, I’m sure I would have been fucked, no thanks to you.” "All that you have told me doesn't change anything. You still have to explain to the police how and why you threatened Ashley all those years ago."He didn’t dignify the words with a
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
Ashley’s POVI was all alone at home when the sound of a knock came on my door. Since we never received any visitors, I assumed it was Aurora and Janet who had just gotten back from the park.But it wasn’t them. Jeff, who was actually the last person I expected to see, stood there with a sheepish l
Jeff’s POVNothing prepared me for the way Ashley began to shed tears after hearing my poor father’s story.I remembered this side of her very well. Ashley had always been a very empathetic person … always able to feel other people’s pain as deeply as though it were hers.I immediately felt bad abo
Tom’s POVFinding out about Elaine’s death seriously dealt with me in ways that all the captivity and torture I endured in that dreadful forest at the hands of Jack and his cohorts never did.The grief and pain worsened as the days passed, and I holed up with my infant son in a small apartment that







