Chapter 14
“You fucking evil!” I shouted, my voice echoing through the cold, dimly lit warehouse. My wrists burned from the ropes cutting into them, but the pain was nothing compared to the rage boiling inside me. “Why did you do it, Gabriel? Why did you publish the article? Why the video?!”
Gabriel leaned against a rusted metal table, his arms crossed, a twisted smirk plastered on his face. “Scared, Amanda?” he taunted, his tone dripping with malice.
“Scared Bryant will leave you now? I’m
pretty sure he doesn’t care anymore after seeing the article. Who wants a bride tangled up in such a mess?”
I clenched my fists, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. “You‘ re wrong. Bryant loves me. He’ll see through your lies.”
Gabriel laughed, the sound hollow and
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cruel. “Love? Oh, Amanda. You‘ re so naive.” He pulled his phone from his pocket, his fingers swiping across the screen. “Let’s put that love to the test, shall we? I’ll send him the rest of our videos. Then we’ll see just how much he loves you.”
“No!” I screamed, struggling against the ropes binding me to the chair. “Don’t do this, Gabriel!”
His grin widened as he held up his phone, showing me the folder of videos he had just sent. The notification banner popped up o the screen–Bryant’s name. He was calling.
“Answer it!” I demanded, my voice trembling with fury.
Gabriel’s finger hovered over the screen, but instead of answering, he chuckled and powered off the phone. “Not a chance,” he sneered. “You’ll never get away from me again, Amanda. If I have to keep you hostage to make sure Bryant never gets to
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Chapter 14
the room with a tray of food in her hands. Her eyes sparkled with malice as she took in the sight of me. “Poor Amanda. Back to being nothing but a helpless little girl, huh?”
I glared at her, my body tense.
Nadia laughed, a sound that grated on my nerves. She threw the tray onto the floor, the food scattering across the dirty ground.
“Go ahead. Eat it like a pig.”
I spat at her feet. “You‘ re pathetic.”
Her smile vanished in an instant. She lunged at me, grabbing my hair and yanking me backward. “You think you can steal everything from me? My family? My life? No, you will go down with me!”
I gritted my teeth. But as she raged, she didn’t notice my hand reaching for the fork that had fallen from the tray.
With all the strength I could muster, I stabbed it into her side.
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Nadia screamed, her grip on my hair loosening as blood poured from the wound.
Gabriel froze, his eyes wide in shock.
“Nadia!” he shouted, rushing to her side.
Taking advantage of his distraction, I
kicked him hard in the groin. He doubled
over, groaning in pain as I scrambled to my feet.
“Catch her!” Gabriel roared, his voice hoarse as his men appeared from the shadows.
I ran, my legs trembling but moving faster than I thought possible. Adrenaline surged through me as I shoved past one of the men, my hands clawing at the door.
But just as I reached it, I heard the unmistakable click of a gun.
“Stop,” one of the men growled.
I froze, my heart pounding as I slowly raised my hands. My eyes squeezed shut,
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tears slipping down my cheeks.
The deafening explosion of a gunshot shattered the air.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence. I waited for the pain, for the darkness to consume me.
Instead, I felt strong arms wrap around me.
“Thank God,” a familiar voice breathed.
Bryant.
I opened my eyes, my vision blurry with tears. Bryant’s face came into focus, his expression filled with relief and fury all at
once.
“You‘ re alive,” he said, pulling me close. “I’ve got you now.
I collapsed against him as I started sobbing in relief.
