Chapter 13 Life Is Smooth Sailing
Micah’s behavior grew unsettlingly erratic, as if he were slipping deeper into madness.
Could his breakup with Piper have impacted him so profoundly?
I found myself wondering if Jared had realized I was gone.
Without meaning to, he had become such an important presence in my life. Whenever he was close, I felt protected.
All of a sudden, the creaky church door slowly swung open.
I glanced back and saw Micah approaching. He was holding a bouquet of flowers in one hand, and a white wedding dress was draped over his arm.
A wild, almost unhinged smile stretched across his face, making him look utterly terrifying.
I pulled back instinctively. My eyes were wide with fear.
In that instant, it became painfully clear that he had lost all grip on reality.
He stopped just a few steps away. The sinister smile never left his face.
“Tabitha,” he whispered. “It’s time to put on your wedding dress.”
“Don’t touch me, Micah! This is kidnapping!”
If I’d known he was this unstable, I never would have gotten involved with him.
“How is this kidnapping? Tabitha, I’m only here to finish the wedding we never got to have.”
I clenched my teeth, and my voice softened. “Micah, kidnapping is a crime. Please, just let me go. Let’s act like this never happened. I won’t call the police.
“Even if you’ve lost Piper, you still have your company and your mom. Don’t ruin your entire life over one reckless moment.”
“Don’t you dare mention that bitch around me!” Micah snarled. His face twisted with rage. Veins protruded sharply from his forehead.
My heart hammered in my chest. All I could do was hope Jared had already noticed I was gone and contacted the police.
“Alright… I won’t mention her again. But you still have your company. Didn’t you once tell me you’d make T&P Tech the biggest tech company in the country? Did you forget… ah!”
Before I could finish, Micah suddenly yanked my hair, forcing a sharp cry from my lips.
He leaned in close. The rancid smell of sweat and grime made my stomach churn. But I knew better than to push him further. I clenched my teeth and forced myself to endure it.
“What company? I’d have forgotten it even existed if you hadn’t brought it up. Sterling’s already sold it. Now, all I’ve got left is you, Tabitha. So behave. After the wedding, I’ll send you back home.”
Something deep inside me told me he was lying. But with his emotions unraveling, I had no choice but to play along.
As he reached out to help me with the wedding dress, I pushed him away, insisting I’d do it myself.
Micah hesitated for a moment. Convinced I couldn’t escape, he reluctantly stepped back.
As I changed, I took every opportunity to survey my surroundings.
Micah had untied my ropes to make things easier. If I wanted to escape, this was my only chance.
I didn’t know what horrors awaited if I stayed any longer. It was better to risk everything now than face something worse.
The instant Micah looked away, I dropped the wedding dress and sprinted out of the church.
He chased after me almost immediately, but his footsteps were heavy and sluggish. It was clear he hadn’t rested in days.
Outside the church lay a wide expanse of barren land, stretching endlessly. My heart pounded in my chest. I had no clue where I was.
To my horror, the area was surrounded by stacks of firewood and pristine gasoline canisters, clearly placed there moments before.
Micah never meant for me to leave this place alive.
Swallowing my fear, I plunged into the tall grass.
Behind me, Micah’s sinister laughter cut through the air. “Tabitha, you can’t run. You belong to me! I’ll never let you go back to Jared! Die with me, and
it’ll all be over!”
What a lunatic.
!
Why couldn’t he just take his damn mother with him?
I felt disoriented as I was running frantically without a clear path. Suddenly, my foot caught on something, and I fell heavily to the ground.
A sharp pain exploded through my calf. I tried to push myself up and run, but my body wouldn’t respond.
Micah approached slowly. His eyes were fixed on me like a predator savoring the desperate fight of its prey.
You’re not going anywhere, Tabitha.”
Feeling hopeless, I couldn’t hold back and lashed out at him. “Micah, it’s Piper who ruined you! Why won’t you go after her instead? You’re just a coward. You deserve to be cheated on!”
My words sparked a sudden fury in him. Without a moment’s hesitation, he whipped out a dagger from behind his back. His eyes were cold and merciless. “Maybe I should silence you for good, Tabitha. You only say things I can’t bear to hear.”
Just as the blade rose toward me, a deafening bang cracked through the air.
Micah screamed and collapsed to the ground.
Within seconds, police officers swarmed in and pinned him down.
“Tabitha! Are you alright?” Jared shouted.
He rushed over to me. His eyes were filled with concern.
In that moment, I felt like a survivor, broken beneath the weight of all that had happened.
Tears ran down my cheeks as I held onto Jared tightly.
HI
While Micah had me captive, I wanted to plead for mercy. But now I knew he was beyond saving. Begging wouldn’t have changed a thing.
It wasn’t until after his arrest that the full truth came out. On the very day Lena came looking for me, T&P Tech collapsed into bankruptcy.
But Sterling wasn’t at fault. Micah had secretly partnered with a shell company behind Sterling’s back, only to be ensnared in their scheme. The fallout destroyed the company, leaving Micah overwhelmed by crippling financial penalties.
Micah had always been a gambler in business. Jared had warned him that if he didn’t change course, disaster was inevitable.
But no one expected that collapse to come at the exact moment Piper betrayed him, when he was already at his lowest.
Crushed by failure and buried in debt, Micah began to contemplate ending it all.
The fact that he wanted to take me with him made my blood boil.
After a relationship like that, I couldn’t help but feel I was cursed from the start.
In the end, Micah was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Lena came pleading for me to write a letter to the court on his behalf, but I stood firm and declined.
She returned a few times after that, only to be turned away by the security Jared had hired. Afterward, I never saw her again.
Following Micah’s sentencing, he requested one final meeting with me, but I refused.
A year later, I married Jared. From that moment on, life was smooth sailing.
