Back to The Lion's Den

My knees gave way immediately. The sight of blood on the road made my stomach churn, but nothing came up. I curled into a ball, hugging my knees to my chest.

What had I just done?

Blood streamed down the tarred road, staining it a deep, horrifying red.

I felt Noah crouch down beside me. His fingers brushed my hair, pushing it away from my face. I flinched at his touch, and suddenly, I wasn’t on the road anymore. I was back in the dark basement. The place where Noah used to punish me.

"You see what you’ve done?" he said, his voice was cold and accusing.

"I’m sorry," I whispered over and over, my voice trembling.

He touched my hair again, and his tone shifted to something darker. "Look at you. It’s been a while since I saw you on your knees."

"Get up," he commanded.

My body obeyed instantly, and the scene around me shifted back to the road. A small crowd had gathered, whispering and staring.

"Do you need help to sort this out?" Noah asked, his voice calm, as if this were an everyday inconvenience.

I felt trapped. I knew I shouldn’t accept his help, but I had no other choice. If I refused, he could ruin me. He had the money and power to make sure the police arrested me. And I... I had nothing.

Reluctantly, I nodded.

"Good girl," he said, patting my shoulder. With a snap of his fingers, two men appeared, swiftly lifting the woman’s lifeless body from the road.

"Go home," he said. "We’ll talk later."

I froze. The reporters. The cameras. They had captured everything.

"Don’t worry," Noah added, his voice dripping with confidence. "I’ll handle it all."

Mark helped me book a cab. As soon as I stepped through the door of my apartment, I collapsed into Lewis’s arms.

"What happened?" he asked, holding me upright as I struggled to steady my breathing.

"I killed someone," I whispered.

Lewis let go of me in shock, and I sank to the floor. He crouched down to help me again, but I slapped his hand away and got up on my own.

"It was an accident," I said, trying to convince myself as much as him.

"What if the police come after you?" he asked, his voice rising.

"Noah said he’d take care of everything."

Lewis let out a bitter laugh. "And you believed him? After everything he’s done to you? He’ll ruin you, Jenny. In the media, in society, everywhere."

I gave him a weary smile. "Am I not already ruined? The reporters called me a whore. They accused me of having an affair during my marriage. They said I’m still living off Noah."

Lewis didn’t respond, his silence was louder than any words.

I grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. The reporter’s face filled the screen, delivering the news with practiced seriousness.

"Vanessa Dicompetti is currently in the hospital, receiving treatment," the newscaster said. "She stepped into the road earlier today and was struck by a vehicle. Billionaire CEO Noah Hernandez has generously offered to cover her medical expenses, as the accident occurred on his property. Her cameraman, Leonardo, claims he didn’t capture the full incident, as he was focused on trying to stop her from crossing the road. Vanessa had been showing signs of depression."

I stared at the screen in disbelief. Lies. Every word of it.

A few “witnesses” gave their statements, but I knew they hadn’t been at the scene.

I turned up the volume as I poured myself a glass of water, listening to the fabricated story unravel.

Then my phone rang. My hands trembled as I fished it out of my bag.

"You’ve seen the news," Noah said coolly, his voice as sharp as ice.

"Yes," I whispered.

"Are you ready to accept my offer now?"

I swallowed hard. I didn’t even know what the offer was, but I knew I had no choice. Jail was not an option.

"Yes," I whispered again.

"Good. I’ll come to your place."

The line went dead.

Lewis stood behind me, his face a mix of fear and frustration. "He’s making you come back, isn’t he?"

I nodded, tears stinging my eyes.

"I knew this was his plan all along," Lewis said bitterly. "He wants you back. To punish you for leaving."

"I know!" I snapped. "But I need protection! I can’t let anything happen to me!"

"And has anything happened to you yet?" he shot back, his voice breaking.

I couldn’t answer. My throat tightened as tears spilled over.

"Tell my mom I loved her," I said softly.

Then I turned and marched to my room to pack.

By the time I finished packing, my cab was waiting outside. My heart pounded relentlessly in my chest, each beat louder and heavier as I stepped closer to the familiar white mansion. The towering structure loomed ahead, a chilling reminder of the life I had once known — and the life I had tried so desperately to leave behind. 

From the top floor balcony, Mary Anne was watching. Her arms crossed tightly over her chest, and her expression was a mix of pity and disapproval. She shook her head slowly, her gaze cutting through me in a way that made my stomach twist.

By the time I reached the front door, she was already hurrying downstairs. She didn’t say a word as she took my bags, her movements brisk and efficient. She placed them in the walk-in wardrobe where my clothes had once hung neatly, as though I had never left.

"He just wanted you back," she muttered under her breath, the bitterness in her tone impossible to miss. "You should have agreed to anything. Anything but coming here."

I paused, her words rattling in my mind. I wanted to ask her what she meant, what I had walked back into, but something inside me told me it didn’t matter anymore. Whatever it was, it was too late to turn back now.

I headed to the bathroom, letting the hot water wash over me as I tried to gather my thoughts. The steam clouded the mirror, obscuring my reflection as though, even it didn’t want to face me. Afterward, I tidied the bed exactly the way Noah liked it — precise, with every crease smoothed out and the pillows fluffed just so.

The mansion felt like a trap, its grandeur masking the suffocating coldness that seemed to seep into every corner. Its walls, once a symbol of security, now felt like they were closing in on me, locking me into a future I couldn’t escape.

I slipped into a simple white dress, the fabric light against my skin but heavy with unspoken expectations. Kneeling down on the floor, I folded my hands in my lap and waited, the silence of the room pressing down on me like an invisible weight.