บททั้งหมดของ Bound by deception : บทที่ 31 - บทที่ 40

My heart slammed against my ribs as I stared at the message.Run.One word. No sender name. No explanation.But I didn’t need one.I knew exactly who it was from.Elias.A cold shiver ran down my spine as I shoved the phone into my pocket, my mind racing.He was out there. On the move. Running.Which meant Ethan was right—Elias knew what was coming.I needed time. A plan. A way to keep both Elias and myself alive without Ethan seeing straight through me.But time was the one thing I didn’t have.Because Ethan was watching me. Always watching.His voice cut through the thick air like a blade. “Who was that?”I forced a neutral expression even as my pulse roared in my ears. “Wrong number.”Ethan didn’t blink. Didn’t move. The silence stretched just long enough to make my skin prickle.Then—“Give me your phone.”My stomach lurched.I hesitated.Too long.In a flash, Ethan reached for it.I twisted away, but he was faster—he was always faster. His fingers closed around my wrist in an uny

Elias’s footsteps echoed against the concrete pier, slow and deliberate. Each step sent a fresh wave of panic crashing through me, my pulse hammering so loud I could barely hear anything else. The cold air stung my face, but the tension in the atmosphere was far sharper—electric, suffocating.Then, he came into full view.Elias moved with that same lethal grace I remembered—tall, composed, and unreadable, but I could see the tightness in his jaw, the way his shoulders squared as his sharp gaze flickered between me, Ethan, and the armed men surrounding us. He was assessing, calculating. Reading the danger in an instant.I had seconds to act.“Elias.” I forced my voice to remain steady, even as the terror clawed at my chest. “You shouldn’t have come.”He didn’t answer me. His dark eyes locked onto Ethan, ignoring everything else. “You really can’t stay out of my business, can you?”Ethan let out a quiet chuckle, tilting his head slightly, his hands slipping into his pockets like we were

The blindfold came off.Light slashed into my eyes, burning through the darkness I’d been trapped in. I flinched, squeezing them shut against the sudden sting, my head jerking to the side. My pulse slammed against my ribs, erratic, panicked. A dull ache throbbed at the base of my skull where I must have hit something (someone) during the struggle.Cold air licked at my skin, sending a shiver down my spine. The room smelled of damp concrete, metallic like rust. My wrists ached, bound tightly behind the chair, the rope digging into the flesh. My ankles were secured to the legs, keeping me completely immobilized. The rough fibers scraped against my skin with every tiny movement.I tested the restraints once, twice, pulling, twisting, but they held firm. My breathing quickened.I wasn’t in Ethan’s penthouse anymore.This was something else.Something worse.A door creaked open.Footsteps. Slow, deliberate. Each one measured, unhurried, as if the person walking toward me had all the time i

Pain coiled through my ribs like barbed wire, each breath a sharp reminder of what had happened last night. My body throbbed, the bruises a testament to my defiance. But I had survived worse. I leaned against the cold, concrete wall, my muscles trembling from exhaustion. The two guards who had been all too eager to land their blows now stood at a distance, watching me with unreadable expressions. One of them, the one who had sneered at me earlier, shifted on his feet before speaking. “You should’ve just talked.” His voice was rough, but there was something else beneath it. A warning. I lifted my chin despite the dull ache in my jaw. “And let you win?” My voice came out hoarse, but the defiance was still there. “That would’ve been too easy.” His mouth tightened. He had no answer for that. The second man scoffed. “Suit yourself.” He turned and walked out, the heavy metal door creaking before it slammed shut. The remaining guard hesitated for a second longer before following.

I didn’t wait until morning. The moment the penthouse fell silent, I slipped out of bed, my fingers tightening around the key. The weight of it pressed against my palm like a warning, cold and unyielding. My heartbeat pounded against my ribs, a steady rhythm of defiance and fear. Ethan thought he had me trapped. But tonight, I was going to find out exactly what he was hiding. The soft glow of the city lights spilled through the windows, casting long shadows along the polished floors. Outside, New York never slept—horns blared, distant sirens wailed—but in here, the silence was suffocating. Too quiet. Too easy. I crept toward the door at the end of the hall The one I’d seen Ethan disappear behind too many times. Unlike the others, it had no obvious security. No cameras blinking from the walls. No guards stationed nearby. It felt like a trick. But I couldn’t stop now. I glanced over my shoulder once, just to be sure, then shoved the key into the lock. Click. The