Chapter 10
Looking at my family’s pained expressions, it hit me–I was finally sering just how far off the deep end I’d gone.]
No wonder my dad always dodged police bullets whenever I yelled about being almused. Because he wasn’t abusing me at all!
Everything was just in my messed up head:
When I learned how they’d spent years running themselves ragged looking for specialists, blowing their savings, and basically drowning in stress–man, I just… lost it. Guilt and gratitude e slammed into me all at once, and I couldn’t hold back the flood of tears.||
I stumbled forward and threw my arms around my parents, hugging them with everything had, trying to pour years of love and thanks into that one embrace.
mised to check myself into the
the hospital for treatment||
Honestly? Hospital life wasn’t the nightmare I’d built it up to be in my head.]
I took my meds like clockwork, spent free time playing ping–pong with the other patients, challenged them to chess matches, munched on sunflower seeds while binging TV, and just hang out talking. Pretty chill existence, all things considered.
I knew as long as I stack to my medication. I’d get my second chance at a normal life.]
Mom, Dad, my sister, and her husband stayed away to give me space to heal. They promised they’d throw me one hell of a party when I finally got released, and told me to focus on getting better.
Tut then, a year into my stay, I ran into Kael Voss at the mental hospital
The guy was genuinely out of his mind, covered in bruises and scratches. Apparently, his family had him committed.]]
But something didn’t add up. I watched him carefully for days and noticed–his head had no cars
Wasit he supposed to have a massive knife wound from when I attacked him?||
1 stared at his handsome face, my mind spinning with questions that wouldn’t quit
In the dead of night. Karl snuck into my room]
Just as I was about to scream for help, he clamped his hand over my mouth
“Shhh! Keep it down: If you make a sound, we’re both dead meat|
1 peeled his hand away and looked him straight in the eyes. “You’re not crazy at
are you? Why Face your way in here?”
To find you obviously! When I heard they lacked you up. I had to come. Your parents? Obear worthy performers! But I’ve got the goods on them now. Don’t warry–the bad guys are finally going downr
cal, but he had à mission to complete before we could get back
Turns out Kael was an undercover agent. He swore his love and our marriage were 100% real. together
Those people aren’t your real parents. For years, they’ve been kidnapping young women to film sick videos they sell online. You’ve the prettiest girl they’ve ever grabbed, and some rich creep was willing to pay top dollar for you. But you kept fighting back, so they beat you half to death!”
“That girl in your sister either–the’s just one of thousands of victims. She’s actually the one who tipped off the police, which is why I started digging into your house Your fator parents told everyone you had schizophrenia and showed them doctored videos as “poot.” That’s how they’ve stayed under the radar so long But justice is ruming for them on–they can’t run anymute!
“You don’t remember our relationship because they hit you to electroshock therapy that wiped huge chunks of your memory! I’m your only ex husband–those fasar guys? Tutal bulishi they fed you to screw with your head. I’ve been searching for you forever, but they kept moving, always one step ahead of me….”
That night, Rael smuggled me out I became a key wines against my so called parents
The police discovered that every female patient in that hospital was thousands
dly a trafficking victim. The videos they’d been selling numbered in the tens of
Because they had blood on their hands, my fake parents and over a dozen other gang menders were arrested and sentenced to death
When I tried so find my real parents back in my hometown, i uncovered the worst news, they died in a car crash the year I was thatched, killed white they were out there desperately searching for me, their line girl who’d gone missing [
wandered home in a dare, Outside my budding stood Karl, dressed in a sharp suit, holding out a diamond ring and a bouquet of flowers
When he saw me, he groitly took my hand in his |}
Tona, you’ve suffered enough. For the rest of our lives, I promise to stay by your side, take care
Through my tears, I broke into a smile and threw my arms around his waist ||
1, and love you with everything I have. Will you marry me.
