211. Over my dead body

Rosa's POV The moment I stepped into the ranch house, I became madder.The timid, soft-spoken girl who claimed she was pregnant and stranded no longer existed. That was only a role Taylor picked to deceive me.Taylor sat comfortably in the living room as though the place belonged to her. She looked up when I entered, and a bright smile spread across her face. She was still acting because she didn't know I had gotten my memories back.For a moment, I almost admired her dedication.I sat down across from her and folded my hands in my lap. Since she wanted to play a game, I could play one too.My gaze drifted to her stomach. "You never told me how far along you are."Taylor blinked. For a fraction of a second, I could see that she was thinking hard about what I said before the smile returned."What?""Your pregnancy," I said lightly. "How many months now?"Her hand immediately moved to her stomach. "About five months."I nodded slowly. "Really?""Of course."I tilted my head. "Are you s

212. Shut up, bitch

Rosa's POV Taylor used the gun to point at a chair across the room. "Sit."I quietly moved toward the chair and lowered myself into it.A laugh escaped her lips. "Who would have thought?" she said mockingly. "All this time, you could have been obedient. Maybe I should have carried a gun around from the beginning."She twirled the weapon lazily. "Turns out this is the only thing you respect."I ignored her. Inside, I was praying that Alex would arrive before everything spiraled completely out of control.Taylor returned her attention to her phone. Her fingers moved rapidly across the screen as though she was checking messages or tracking something. I had no idea what she was doing. What I did know was that I needed to keep her talking. I needed to buy time."How did Charles do it?" I asked.She barely looked up. "Do what?""The search results. How did he manipulate everything I saw?"Taylor finally raised her head and laughed. "You of all people should know the answer to that. You're

213. True colours

Rosa's POV "Your time is up, Taylor."Finally, I felt something close to satisfaction.Taylor's hand trembled around the gun,enough for me to notice. After everything she had done, after every lie, and every betrayal, she was scared.She should be.I folded my arms across my chest and smiled. "And now I'll tell you where I went when I left the ranch."Taylor stared at me. I could practically see the calculations racing through her mind."I went to the police station."The color drained from her face and she knew she was in trouble. "The police know everything," I continued. "And most importantly, Alex is probably the one arriving right now."For a brief second, panic flashed across her features. I almost laughed. This was the woman who had spent years pretending to be smarter than everyone around her. Now she looked cornered, and she looked exactly like what she was.A criminal and a coward.She tightened her grip on the gun and swallowed hard.I sat down now and leaned back in my c

214. The rescue

Alex's POV The moment my car turned into the ranch compound, a gunshot shattered the air.My heart stopped, and for one terrifying second, I could not breathe. The only thought in my head was Rosa. She was in that ranch.I threw the car door open before I could form a complete thought, and sprinted toward the ranch. Every horrible possibility flashed through my mind. I had spent weeks searching for her—weeks chasing dead ends, wondering if she was alive, hurt, or trapped somewhere with Charles.I had finally found her. I could not lose her now. I burst toward one of the large windows and froze.Nobody had been shot. But Charles stood in the middle of the room holding a gun. Smoke still curled from the barrel.Rosa was standing several feet away, trembling. Beside her stood Taylor. The moment my eyes landed on Rosa, everything else faded. Relief crashed into me so hard that my knees almost gave way. She was here, alive, and standing right in front of me.For weeks, I had imagined thi

215. Tick, tock

Rosa's POV "Charlie, what the hell have you done?!"I heard Taylor's scream as though it were coming from the far end of a tunnel. Nothing around me felt real anymore.All I could see was Alex. The man I loved had just been shot..One moment he had been standing there trying to protect me, and the next he was collapsing to the floor, blood spreading beneath him.My entire world narrowed to that single horrifying sight. And I abandoned everything and ran towards him. Behind me, I vaguely heard Charles shouting my name. I heard him threatening me, telling me to stop.But the words never fully registered.I dropped beside Alex and grabbed his face with trembling hands."Alex."My voice shattered."Alex, look at me." Tears blurred my vision. "Why would you do that? Why would you let yourself get shot?"His eyelids fluttered. Slowly, he lifted a hand and brushed my cheek. The touch was weak. And a faint smile appeared on his face."Rosa."His voice was barely audible.His thumb brushed awa

216. Strangely unreal

Rosa's POV The drive back to Manhattan felt strangely unreal. I sat quietly in the backseat of the car, staring out the window as the city slowly came into view. I could not decide whether my heart felt heavy or light. Everything that had happened over the past few weeks, and especially over the past few days, felt like a blur stitched together by pain, fear, loss, and miracles.It felt impossible that I was still here.It felt impossible that life had continued after everything that had happened.A warm hand suddenly squeezed mine. I turned my head and found Alex watching me. A smile immediately tugged at my lips."You're thinking too much again," he said softly.I laughed under my breath. "Can you blame me?"His fingers tightened around mine. "Are you worried about going back?"I knew exactly what he meant. I looked down at our joined hands before nodding."A little."His expression softened."Because of my father?""Because of everything," I admitted. "It feels like I'm returning