Caroline pov:
We had been driving for what felt like hours. The city was shrouded in darkness, and the weather matched the somber atmosphere with its relentless rain and brooding gray clouds.
As we sat in silence, the morning's sunny disposition felt like a fading memory. Neither of us had uttered a word. I refused to be the first one to break the silence, not until he apologized.
Occasionally, I couldn't resist glancing back to make sure we weren't being followed, but it was just Milo and Theo trailing behind us in the other Range Rover. Seeing their familiar vehicle was a relief, and I sensed Nathaniel felt the same way. We had left the highway some time ago and were now travelling along a deserted one-way road.
The car gradually slowed down in front of a gate, its "Restricted Area" sign making me furrow my brow in confusion. Was this the right place?
It looked abandoned.
Caroline pov:We landed a while back and now we're on the road. I couldn't sleep all night and kept mulling over his words. It was way past midnight when Nathaniel woke up just before we landed. I hoped he might say something about what he mentioned earlier, but he didn't.When I asked him how he slept, he just said it was good and nothing else. It bothered me because he either didn't remember saying it or worse, said it to someone else in a dream, which would hurt even more. We're in the car with Theo and Milo in the front seats, and I keep sneaking glances at Nathaniel every few seconds. He's been giving me strange, questioning looks in return.I wanted to confront him, but with Theo and Milo there, I couldn't. We left the city and got onto the highway, only seeing trucks
Caroline pov:We had just finished taking a shower together. As he washed me, I watched him closely, but his expression gave nothing away. He seemed completely normal and didn't try anything inappropriate. By the time we were done, the sun was starting to rise.Since I still didn't have any clothes of my own, he provided me with his shirt and boxers, promising he would get me some proper undergarments soon. I felt uncomfortable walking around without a bra.As he walked out of the closet, still wrapped in his towel, his phone suddenly rang. I was worried it might be the person who had found us before, but it turned out to be Milo calling."Nathan," I called out to him as he opened the dresser. I decided it was time
Caroline pov:It had been two long weeks since that unforgettable night. The days were dragging on, and I found myself going to bed with Nathaniel, only to wake up alone.His mysterious comings and goings left me feeling confused and lonely, as he would leave before I was even awake and return in the evening.However, there was one thing I looked forward to each day, our silent car rides. Nathaniel would take me on short drives near the house, holding my hand as we cruised in silence for about 10 minutes. It was a small escape from the confines of the house, and I cherished those moments.Milo, who Nathaniel had tasked with keeping me company, was a quiet presence. I tried asking him about Nathaniel's whereabouts, but he remained tight-lipped, burying himself in books or TV. It was clear that Nathaniel had stationed him there to keep an eye on me.As for Leila, I hardly saw
Caroline pov:His hands run up my back as he pulls me closer to him. I can feel him hardening, straining the crotch of his pants, heat rushing through me at the sensation. My fingertips tingle with the urge to touch him.I let my hands wander down between us, reaching for his jeans. I fumble with the zipper for a moment, my heart racing with anticipation.Then he takes my hand, pulling it away and making me pout a little. But soon after, he undoes his zipper, working the button free, before pulling me back into another passionate kiss.I seize my opportunity. As soon as he allows it, my hand slips into his pants, wrapping around him. I pull him out, stroking him eagerly as I return his kiss with all I’ve got.He’s so warm against my palm, growing even harder. My thumb brushes the tip, feeling a drop of moisture.Suddenly, the urge to taste him ove
Caroline pov:I was staring at the TV, confused and bewildered by what I had just witnessed. They thought I was dead? Why would they believe that?I could feel someone's presence behind me, and I knew it was him, but he didn't say anything. Did he hear the same thing I did?I slowly got up as the woman's voice faded away. I was dead? But I was clearly alive. How could they have mistaken me for someone else?I turned to face him. He was standing behind the couch, holding a bag in his hands. I looked at the bag, then at his face, remembering that he had left us before. Where had he gone?"You weren't meant to see that," he said, placing the bag on the couch. What was in the bag?"Why do they think I'm dead?" I asked him, my eyes fixed on the bag."Because you are," he replied casually, with a blank expression on his face. 
Caroline pov:"You went to see her?" I asked, but he ignored my question and brushed me off.I watched as he strode over to her, and her lips were moving, but I couldn't make out what she was saying. She then placed her hands on his arm, like she was claiming him as her own.Images of them together kept flashing through my mind. Was that what he had been up to all day? They looked like the perfect couple, standing there side by side.I'd told him I loved him, and he went running to another woman. Unbelievable."Caroline, are you alright?" someone asked.I didn't even realize I was breathing heavily. They both looked at me like I had grown a second head. I couldn't stop the mental pictures playing on a loop. It felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room, and I needed to get out of there, fast."I need to leave," I croaked out, m
Caroline pov:The first few days of being apart were agonizing. I spent most of my time locked in my room, avoiding him. He stopped trying to get me to forgive him on the second night.I was making dinner when he suddenly came in, pushed me against the counter, and had his way with me without saying a word. I struggled for a while before giving in. I walked away when he was done, not saying a word.After that night, he was hardly ever home, usually stumbling in around midnight. I would stay up waiting for him, unable to sleep knowing he wasn't there.I could hear him drunkenly making his way through the house, trying not to wake me up, unaware that I was already awake.I couldn't sleep well either, constantly plagued by the same nightmare. I would wake up back at the cabin, chained to the bed, with everyone I met in Toronto, my father, Nathaniel's dad, Adam, and Natha
Nathaniel pov:I watched as she climbed the stairs, grateful she didn't put up a fight about going back to sleep, I could tell she was exhausted.I knew why she was tired, but she was still in the dark about it. And when she does figure it out, she's gonna despise my guts.But right now, I had to take care of that jerk in the back of my trunk. I didn't want her flipping out about it.I waited until I heard her close the bedroom door before calling Theo. I was glad she didn't wake up a few minutes earlier, I was too busy stuffing that creep in my car.Around 5 AM, I heard some noise coming from the back. At first, I thought it was a raccoon or some animal, but nope, it was one of my dad's goons.I knew it was only a matter of time before he showed up. My plan had been in place for a good 4 weeks, but I didn't expect my dad to se
Caroline pov:***One Week Later***“Thank you all for being here. I know Addison would have appreciated it,” Grayson said into the microphone.I couldn’t believe how calm he was. I was a mess, tears streaming down my face all day. I kept replaying the promise I made to Addison in my head. I was supposed to be there for her, but now she was gone, buried six feet under. They said it was a freak accident, but I know her parents were hiding the truth.Being back in Toronto brought back a lot of bad memories, but I knew I had to say goodbye to this life before starting a new one. I couldn’t leave without saying a proper goodbye to Addison.***Flashback to the Hospital***“I told you I’m here and I’m never leaving you,” I said, pulling him into a hug.“I forgive you. It wasn’t your fault. You were just a kid who had a terrible life,” I whispered into his neck.“I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you. I regret everything I did. If I could go back and change it, I would,” he said.“I forgive you
Caroline pov:***AFTER ONE MONTH***The small hospital room was filled with the steady ticking of the clock, each tick a reminder of the day I had both dreaded and prepared for.It had been a month since I confronted Nathaniel about what he did to my mom and brother.A month filled with anxiety and fear as I prepared to bring a new life into this chaotic world. And now, the moment had finally come.The delivery room was bright and clean, I lay on the bed, feeling the weight of the baby inside me as contractions began to crash over me like waves.Each wave of pain was a reminder of the life I had created with the man I feared most.Nathaniel was just sitting there in the corner, constantly reminding me of my messed-up past.I wished he wasn't around. I felt stuck, like a bird locked up in a cage. It wasn't just a
Caroline pov:I stood at the edge of the lake, my heart racing with a mix of relief and dread. I was finally here, far away from that suffocating apartment, staring at the peaceful water.I had been waiting for this moment, waiting for the right time to confront him, but it never seemed to come.Weeks passed, and I kept trying to figure out how I felt, but the more I tried to convince myself things were fine, the more I knew they weren’t.I had lied to myself and pretended everything was okay. It was easier that way. But I couldn't keep doing it. I needed answers.“Did you kill my mother and brother?” I asked, my voice barely more than a whisper.I kept my eyes fixed on the water, afraid to look at him, afraid of what I might see in his expression.The air between us felt heavy, and I could sense his te
Nathaniel pov:I looked down at Caroline, her soft breaths brushing against my chest as she slept. There was so much I needed to take care of, so many problems waiting to be dealt with, but I couldn’t leave her right now. Not with everything she’d been through.Telling her about Addison was so hard. The way her face crumbled when I told her... it wrecked me. I didn’t want her to blame herself, but of course, she did. That’s just how she is. Addison was the only friend she had left, and now even that was gone. I prayed the memorial would give her some kind of peace, but Taehyung? He wasn’t going to let it slide. And neither was I. Adam would pay for what he did, and I wouldn’t stop until I found him.I glanced at Caroline’s bruised face, her fragile body curled up close to mine. Everything about her screamed broken, but there was still so much strength in her. Now, it was just us, me, Nari, and our baby. No one else mattered. Her mother, her brother... they’d always stood in our way
Caroline pov:I was curled up in bed, spooning tomato soup into my mouth, the warmth of it barely soothing the storm inside me.A few hours ago, I didn’t expect Nathaniel to bring me to a sleek penthouse in Berlin, Germany. Nor did I expect the sea of reporters waiting outside. He mumbled something about his father and the cult, but honestly, I was too drained to pay attention.My thoughts were louder. He killed my family. No matter how hard I tried to push that fact aside, every time I looked at him, the truth hit me harder.I vaguely remember him saying he’d been working with the FBL for some time, something about them trying to nail his father for years but never finding enough evidence. They finally caught him laundering money from investors.I was worried that they’d drag Nathaniel down with him, but he assured me he was an informant. Stil
Caroline pov:***NEXT DAY***Slowly opening my eyes, I felt a throbbing pain in my head. How long have I been asleep? The last thing I remembered was Nathaniel's eyes and the blood.Was he really there or was it just a dream? The smell of strong disinfectant confirmed I was in the hospital.I blinked slowly, trying to survey the room, but my neck was stiff. The oxygen mask on my face felt uncomfortable as if I had been hit by a car multiple times. My throat was as dry as a desert."Hey, don't move," a shadow loomed over me.He was here. I tried to speak, but my mouth was covered by the mask. I needed water, but I couldn't ask for it."I know you're in pain, Love, but you need the oxygen for the baby," he said, gently brushing my hair away from my face.The baby? Was the baby still alive? I was confus
Nathaniel's POV:"How is she?" The words left my mouth with a sense of urgency I couldn't hide, my heart pounding like a drum in my chest.The doctor smiled softly, "They both are stable right now."Both? Confusion hit me like a slap. The baby?"Wait... both?""The baby, sir."My heart stuttered."But she was bleeding... I thought..." I couldn't even finish the sentence.The blood, the chaos, I had been sure we had lost it. The baby couldn't have survived, right?"That was due to stress," the doctor explained patiently."It's not uncommon for some women to experience light bleeding. With everything she went through, it's expected."The relief that washed over me was almost too much to handle. I nodded, absorbing her words."The baby's
Nathaniel pov:"They'll be fine, boss," Theo said, his eyes meeting mine with a calmness I couldn't quite share."Just give me five more minutes."I glanced down at her still body, the oversized, tattered shirt hanging off her frame like she was disappearing into it.She looked so small, so fragile. I could barely recognize the girl I once knew. Her cheeks were hollow, and her eyes, though closed, seemed to carry the weight of everything she’d gone through.The image of her crumpled on the roadside was seared into my mind. If we hadn’t found her when we did, I don't think she would’ve survived. She was already halfway gone.When she first saw me, her eyes were wide, but it was like she didn’t even register who I was.I had to shake her gently, terrified that she might not recognize me at all. For a mome
Caroline pov:The night was eerily silent, like a graveyard. The sky was a deep, inky black, speckled with a million stars gazing down. But inside me, a storm raged as fierce as any thunder outside.Her hand gripped mine, pulling me toward the car that idled nearby, its engine humming like an anxious predator.“Come, Caroline. The car’s waiting,” she urged, her voice tense as angry shouts echoed behind us.Her face, a mask of concern, twisted in the dim light, but I couldn’t bring myself to trust her.For all I knew, she could be one of them. How could she claim to be my aunt when my mother never mentioned her? And why now, after all these years?Nathaniel, at least I knew he wasn’t with them. He had always wanted to protect me. But her? She was a stranger, and this was my one chance to break free.