Isabel’s POVThe air was thick with tension as I stood there, vulnerable and exposed. I felt the weight of my decision pressing down on me like a storm. Was this the right choice?If nothing else, I had to save Margot. She stood there, trembling, with a gun pressed against her temple. This was not her battle to fight, nor was it Sebastian’s. This was between me and Emerson. I would not let these kind, innocent siblings get caught in the crossfire.Emerson’s bodyguards formed a barrier between me and Sebastian, while the soldiers stood watchful but uncertain. I knew this was my moment. If I didn’t act, things would spiral out of control. Emerson wasn’t the type to be patient for long. And Sebastian, despite his calm exterior, was on the verge of losing his composure. Margot’s life hung in the balance, and I couldn’t bear to see her suffer any more because of me.“Isabel, you can’t do this,” Sebastian said, his voice laced with disbelief. His eyes met mine, searching for some other s
Isabel’s POVAs I stood between Sebastian and Emerson, I felt a swirl of confusion. Sebastian’s sudden action—the cold, metallic object he had slipped into my hand—left me unsettled. I clenched my palm tightly, trying not to let my thoughts betray me. If Emerson noticed anything out of the ordinary, things could escalate quickly.The object felt familiar. Similar to the invisible headset I had used to listen in on their conversation, only smaller. Was it a communication device? One thing was clear—Sebastian wasn’t letting me go without a plan. We would stay connected.“I’ll keep my promise,” Sebastian said, his voice low but firm. There was a quiet intensity in his eyes as he glanced toward me. “As a return for all you’ve done for us.”He was referring to the investigation—Lilith, my father, the monstrous clinic, and everything we had unraveled. The look in his eyes told me that this wasn’t goodbye. Not completely. There was still unfinished business between us, and this small devic
Isabel’s POVEmerson’s estate loomed in the distance, a grand structure nestled in the quiet countryside. Its isolated location made it perfect for keeping secrets and avoiding prying eyes. “We’ll be safe here,” Emerson said with a cold certainty. His words felt more like a sentence than a reassurance. Safe? Being isolated with a man who had grown increasingly unpredictable didn’t exactly feel safe.His maid welcomed us in, and Emerson asked her to prepare a meal. As the table was set, the silence between us was suffocating. The warmth of the food felt out of place in the frigid atmosphere. I stared at my plate, barely touching the meal. I knew this was just the calm before another storm.It wasn’t long before Emerson spoke, breaking the silence with a question that dripped with thinly veiled bitterness. “What exactly is going on between you and Sebastian?” he asked, his eyes narrowing.I looked up, startled. “What are you talking about?” I asked, though deep down, I knew where this
Isabel’s POVAs soon as the door to Emerson’s study slammed shut, my anger flared. How dare he? What right did Emerson have to imprison me like this? To restrict my freedom as though I was his property? My fists clenched at my sides, and my heart pounded in my chest. I wanted to scream, to shout back at him through the thick walls of his study. But before I could do anything, a sharp pain shot through my head, making my vision blur for a second.Not now. Of all times for this headache to strike.I stumbled to the sofa, rubbing my temples in an attempt to ease the throbbing pain. There had to be some painkillers around here. Emerson kept me locked up, but he didn’t seem like the kind of man who would skimp on amenities for his precious estate. I started searching the room, trying to keep my frustration at bay, but before I could get very far, Michael suddenly appeared beside me, holding out a glass of water and a familiar bottle of painkillers.I jumped, startled by his sudden presenc
Isabel’s POVMichael’s words echoed in my mind, unsettling and ridiculous all at once. The idea that Emerson could have been so... desperate. The man who had always seemed invincible, cold, and calculating, brought to the brink because of me? It didn’t add up. But before I could dwell on it further, the doorbell rang. The sharp sound pulled me out of my thoughts.Michael glanced at me before heading to answer the door. His usually calm face twitched slightly, betraying a hint of discomfort. I watched him leave, trying to gather my scattered emotions. Emerson’s extremes—his anger, his possessiveness, his bizarre form of care—had left me off-balance. I didn’t like any of it.When Michael returned, he wasn’t alone. A familiar face stepped into the room—the housekeeper. My heart skipped a beat. Marianne.I hadn’t seen her in years, not since Emerson and I divorced. We had once gotten along so well. And now here she was, in this strange new chapter of my life, as if no time had passed.“We
Isabel’s POVI stared blankly at the two jewelry boxes in my hands. Why did Emerson want me to have them? How did he get them back from the auction? It was all so confusing.The weight of the rubies and emeralds pulled me into a flood of memories. My fingers absently traced the edges of the ruby necklace, a piece that had once belonged to my mother. I never thought I would see it again, let alone feel it rest in my hands. The deep red stones shimmered in the dim light, reflecting fragments of the past. Every time I looked at it, my mother’s radiant smile flashed before me, her warmth and elegance embedded in every facet of the jewels.But how could Emerson have gotten them? The necklace had been sold to someone else at the auction. As for the emerald brooch... it meant so much to the Williams family. And I had thrown it all away, leaving it in the hands of the highest bidder. I thought he would hate me for it, that he would immediately give it to Lilith. But instead, he had risked hi
Isabel’s POVThe sharp noise echoed through the hallway, and my heart skipped a beat. Something was wrong. “Emerson!” I called out, louder now, hoping he would answer. But the silence that followed was suffocating.A wave of dread washed over me. My hand shook as I pounded on the door. “Please, answer me.” It was a desperate plea, one I hadn’t thought I’d make after everything that happened.Marianne, hearing the noise, hurried down the hallway. The look on her face shifted from curiosity to concern as soon as she saw me. For a split second, her eyes flicked to my fancy dress and the ruby necklace glinting around my neck, a reminder of a life I had left behind. But she quickly regained her composure. “What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice laced with confusion.“I heard a crash,” I said, my breath coming faster. “I think something happened to Emerson.”Her eyebrows knit together as she assessed the situation. “The door’s locked. Do you know how to open it?" I asked, my voice rising in ur
Isabel’s POVEmerson’s fingers were wrapped tightly around my wrist, his grip hot and trembling. I tried to pull away. But the way his eyes fluttered shut and his brow furrowed told me he was unconscious again. I scoffed inwardly. Was this some elaborate act of self-torture? Did he think that collapsing at my feet would somehow make me forget all the control he exerted over me? He’d forced me into this situation, but now he wanted me to believe he cared?I stared at him, unconscious and pale. I never asked him to search for me or risk his health. In fact, I couldn’t remember a single moment during our recent confrontations where he showed anything beyond a desire for dominance. His obsession with control had always suffocated any semblance of concern he might’ve had for me.As I tried to pry his hand off mine, the door swung open. Eric, the private doctor, entered in a rush. His presence seemed to jolt Emerson briefly, his hand twitching before going limp.I took the opportunity to f
Isabel’s POVDays passed, stretching into an unspoken eternity, and Emerson’s condition could no longer be kept from Liam and Elena.One afternoon, I was sitting by Emerson’s bed, my hand gently brushing his, when the door to the hospital room creaked open. My heart skipped a beat."Liam, Elena, what are you doing here?" I asked, my voice thick with emotion. I hadn’t expected them today, and the sight of their small faces brought a surge of overwhelming love and guilt.Eric stood behind them, his expression apologetic, his eyes soft with understanding. “They begged me, Isabel. They wouldn’t stop asking to see him... I couldn’t say no anymore.”Liam’s face was drawn, his usual bright energy dimmed with concern. Elena clung to her brother, her eyes wide with fear as they both hesitated in the doorway.Before I could say anything else, another figure appeared behind them, stepping into the room. My heart stopped for a moment as I looked up to see Emerson’s mother, Estelle, walking towards
Isabel’s POVA month had passed. One whole month, and still, no sign of life from Emerson. The machines beside his bed beeped steadily. A monotonous rhythm that I had come to know too well. A rhythm that seemed to mock the stillness of his body. I sat by his side every day, watching him, praying for some miracle—some sign that he was still there, still fighting. But each time I whispered his name, there was nothing. Nothing but the soft hum of hospital machinery.“Emerson,” I whispered, my voice trembling despite my attempts to sound steady. “Don’t you want to be with me? If you wake up, I promise we can live happily as a family of four.”I meant it, every word of it. The thought of a future with him, of raising our children together, was the only thing that kept me going. I needed him to hear me. I needed him to wake up.But Emerson remained unresponsive.He looked like a prince charming, trapped in an eternal dream—strangely peaceful. I combed his dark hair back neatly after gently
Isabel’s POVThe world blurred—shouts, chaos, the metallic scent of blood thick in my nostrils. My heartbeat pounded in my ears as I clung to Emerson, his labored breaths hot against my skin.I didn’t dare move. The slick warmth of his blood drenching me was unnerving. His chest rose and fell in erratic, shallow breaths. But then, amid the cacophony of battle, a stunned silence emerged. Orders were shouted. Weapons clicked into position. Something had changed. I forced myself to glance up from Emerson’s chest, my pulse hammering.Alistair stood frozen, his face contorted in pain. Blood dripped from his hand—the very hand that had been pointing a gun at me just seconds before. His grip slackened, and the weapon tumbled to the ground.A sniper.Alistair’s men immediately scattered, taking defensive positions, frantically searching the area. But before they could react, several of them suddenly dropped to the ground.They were convulsing violently, frothing at the mouth. One by one, the
Isabel’s POVMy wrists ached from the tight ropes binding my hands behind my back as I was shoved forward. The rough ground beneath my boots felt unsteady, my knees weak with exhaustion. The air smelled of blood, gunpowder, and sweat. The night was still alive with distant gunfire, but here, in the heart of the enemy’s grasp, there was only the sound of my ragged breathing and Alistair’s mocking laughter.“Stop resisting, Emerson,” he drawled, his voice filled with smug amusement. “You’re in over your head. Oh—look who finally decided to join us.”Emerson was holding back several opponents, bruised and bloodied from the fight. His head snapped up at Alistair’s words.He turned, and when his eyes landed on me, something in his face shifted. Shock, then rage, then a devastating kind of fear. He lunged forward, but a guard was faster. A rifle butt slammed into Emerson’s ribs. The sickening crack echoed in the night, and he crumpled to the ground, gasping for air."Emerson!" I screamed,
Isabel’s POVAt first, Emerson and I managed to escape the building, slipping into the shadows like ghosts. The night was thick around us, swallowing our hurried footsteps as we navigated through the wreckage of Alistair’s camp. The distant gunfire and shouts of battle echoed behind us. But just as we reached the edge of the compound, the world seemed to shift.From the darkness, figures emerged—silent and predatory, their weapons gleaming under the pale moonlight. They moved like shadows given form, their presence an unspoken promise of violence. My breath caught in my throat as a dozen, no, more than two dozen enemies surrounded us, blocking every escape route. The sheer hatred in their eyes sent an involuntary shiver down my spine. These weren’t just guards; they were fanatics, men who thrived in the chaos of bloodshed and terror.Emerson moved instinctively, stepping in front of me, gun raised. “Stay close,” he murmured, barely audible over the wind. I nodded, steadying my grip
Sebastian/Elias’ POVScarlet’s scream echoed through the dimly lit room, raw with disbelief and fury. “You’re lying!” she spat, her eyes blazing with denial. The restraints binding her wrists rattled as she struggled, but I didn’t move to stop her. There was no point—her fight wasn’t with me. It was with the truth.I let out a slow breath, pulling a small, timeworn pocket watch from my coat. The silver casing had dulled over the years, but the engraved initials remained clear. I clicked it open and held it out to her, revealing a faded family photograph inside.“My father gave this to me before he died,” I said evenly, my voice softer than before. “He cared about you, Scarlet. No matter what you believe, you were never forgotten.”Her breath hitched. For a moment, the fire in her eyes flickered, replaced by something rawer—uncertainty. “How could it be?” she murmured, barely more than a whisper.All the pieces had finally clicked into place as Scarlet unraveled her story. The tangled
Scarlet’s POVTelling my story, I was flung back into the past. Lost in the grip of memories that had never truly left me. The present moment faded, and I found myself reliving those painful years. As vivid and raw as the day they had happened.I had been young, hopeful, foolish. Despite the years of neglect, I had still wanted my parents' love. But when I overheard them denying my very existence, something inside me snapped.Disheartened, I had returned to the countryside, burying myself in my studies. Medicine became my refuge, my salvation. I dedicated myself to understanding the human body—not just how to heal it, but how to manipulate it, how to break it. My hands, once weak and trembling from years of frustration, became steady, precise instruments of control.The first time I killed a lab mouse, something dark and exhilarating bloomed inside me. Power. The ability to decide whether something lived or died. The ability to take control of what had always been out of my grasp.
Elias’ POVI watched from the shadows as Isabel and Emerson disappeared into the night, their figures swallowed by the chaos of battle outside. I clenched my fists and tried to push down the sharp, aching weight that settled in my gut.Maybe it had been foolish to think I ever stood a chance with Isabel. Emerson had always been the one she turned to in the end. The one she trusted in the heat of battle. The one she looked at with that fierce determination in her eyes. And me? I was just a shadow lingering on the edges of her world, never quite stepping into the light.A slow clap echoed through the dimly lit room."Are you just going to let them go?" Scarlet’s voice slithered through the shadows like a snake.I turned away from the exit, my expression unreadable as I faced the woman bound to the chair before me. Her wrists were tied behind her back, her face partially obscured by strands of disheveled hair. Even restrained, she exuded a sickening confidence, her smirk unwavering.I m
Isabel’s POVI had to stop Margot.There was no time to think, no time to call for backup—just raw instinct and the desperate need to prevent her from making a terrible mistake. My boots pounded against the forest floor as I sprinted after her, weaving through the pine trees in pursuit. I knew why she was doing this. I understood the desperate, reckless pull of wanting to save someone you love. But charging straight into enemy territory? Alone? It was suicide.“No!” I hissed under my breath, pushing my legs harder.Margot moved swiftly, her figure barely a shadow in the dim light. She reached the edge of the enemy’s perimeter and, without hesitation, hoisted herself up onto a low window ledge. She pulled her body through with practiced agility. She was inside before I could even call her name.Damn it.I skidded to a halt near the building, pressing myself against the rough exterior. The compound was crawling with patrols. My heart pounded as I scanned the area, calculating the be