Isabel’s POVThe room was silent, the air thick with unspoken tension. Michael and Robert stood before me, their gazes cautious. As though they were afraid their words had already done enough damage. My thoughts whirled, every revelation settling like a stone in my chest. The betrayal. The misunderstandings. The years of pain.Finally, I broke the silence. My voice was quiet but steady. “Please tell him…”Michael’s brows furrowed. “Tell who?”“Emerson,” I clarified, my gaze meeting his. “If he’s sincere about making things right, then he can’t keep risking his life like this. It’s not just his life anymore. He’s living for Liam now, too.”Michael nodded slowly. “All right. I’ll tell him.”But that wasn’t enough. “And Michael?” I added, my tone sharper. “Make sure he listens. He needs to understand that his recklessness doesn’t only affect him.”“I’ll do my best,” Michael assured me, though there was a flicker of doubt in his expression.Robert cleared his throat, cutting through the h
Isabel’s POVI didn’t wait for Robert to finish his sentence. Before he could utter another word, I was already out the door, my hospital gown flapping as I moved. The only thing in my mind was my father, lying vulnerable in his hospital bed. Lilith’s threats from before echoed in my head. Her chilling smile and those venomous words.I had thought her death was the end, but I was wrong.Even in death, she remained relentless. Lilith had always been calculated and cruel—why wouldn’t she have a plan set in motion?I pushed through a throng of medical staff who tried to stop me. Their protests fell on deaf ears. My only thought was reaching my father before it was too late.Their voices were white noise. Their hands pulling at my arms were only fleeting distractions. I couldn't stop. I wouldn’t stop.“Ms. White, you’re not well enough!” one nurse called, panic lacing her tone.“You’ll collapse!” another added.I couldn’t hear them. My body acted on instinct. My legs carried me forward ev
Emerson’s POVI woke to a dull, pounding ache in my abdomen. The sensation dragged me out of a foggy, restless unconsciousness. My first instinct was to sit up, but the sharp sting in my side reminded me of the blade Lilith had plunged into me.Lilith. The memory slammed into me—her crazed smile, the sickening thud of her collapsing body, and Isabel’s worried cries. Isabel.Her name echoed in my mind, sharp and consuming. It drowned out everything else. A surge of panic shot through me, chasing away the pain that throbbed in my abdomen. The only thing that mattered now, was finding her.I stumbled out of my hospital room, my hand pressed to my side as if that alone could keep me upright. Each step was an effort. The fear coursing through my veins made me move faster than I should have.I reached her ward, my heart pounding in my ears. The sterile hallway stretched around me, a blur of white and fluorescent light. I knocked on the door with trembling hands, leaning heavily against the
Emerson’s POVAs I stared at Robert, a bitter mix of anger and frustration churned within me. The man was a walking contradiction—so self-righteous yet willing to play dirty when it suited him. Hypocritical, just like… me.I still remembered our conversation a few days ago, his unwavering confidence as he had backed me into a corner.“What do you want?” I had asked him, trying to mask the unease in my voice.“Hand over Isabel’s father,” he had replied without hesitation.The audacity of it had been enough to stun me into silence. He claimed Mr. White was my last leverage over Isabel, accusing me of using her father to control her. That was laughable, but not entirely untrue. His conditions weren’t exactly something I’d used against her. But I couldn’t deny how much of a liability he had become.Robert, though, had offered a trade: If I let him take over Mr. White’s care, he wouldn’t tell Isabel that I had let Lilith go. At the time, I had expected him to take the credit for it. That
Isabel’s POVThe first thing I felt was the dull ache in my body—a reminder of how fragile life had become. The second was the warmth of sunlight seeping through the blinds. And the third… voices. Faint, low, tense voices.My eyelids fluttered open.. The sterile white walls of the hospital room greeted me. Two figures stood beside my bed—Emerson and Robert. They were speaking in hushed tones. But their strained expressions said more than words ever could. I shifted slightly. The movement immediately caught their attention. Both men turned to me. Their faces reflected a mix of relief and concern.“You’re awake,” Robert said softly, moving closer. Emerson lingered, his arms crossed, his jaw tight.“What… happened?” I asked, my voice hoarse. My fingers instinctively went to my head, brushing over my scalp. No surgical bandages. A pang of worry shot through me. “Didn’t I… have the surgery?”Robert hesitated, exchanging a glance with Emerson. The air was thick with something unspoken, an
Lilith’s POVAt first, there was only darkness. A deep, endless abyss of darkness.Was I… dead? The thought clawed at my mind. No. There was too much pain. Dead people didn’t feel pain.Then, I noticed voices floating around me. They sounded faint and garbled, like a distant conversation submerged underwater."Vitals are stable for now.""Prep the next injection.""Is she conscious? Increase the dosage if necessary."My entire body screamed in protest, every nerve ablaze. I could feel tubes piercing my skin. They constricted my movement, tethering me to something sinister.Blinking against the blinding light above me, I squinted to take in my surroundings. The air was damp and carried a faint metallic tang that reminded me of blood. The walls were dark, almost black, and slick with condensation. As if the place itself was alive, breathing. Machines beeped methodically around me, and shadows moved beyond the sterile glow of overhead lights.A group of people dressed like doctors hovere
Isabel’s POVThe tension in the air was suffocating. Every day since Emerson discovered Lilith’s body had vanished, we lived in a state of constant vigilance. His paranoia bled into every corner of our lives, infecting even the briefest moments of calm.I sat near the window, watching the late afternoon sun filter through the blinds, its light fractured and fragmented—much like my thoughts. Across the room, Emerson was pacing furiously, his phone pressed to his ear. His voice, sharp and demanding, echoed off the walls.“Find out who took her,” he growled. “I don’t care how long it takes or what resources you need—just get me answers.”He paused to listen, his jaw tightening.“No clues? That’s not an excuse. If you fail, you know the consequences.” His tone dropped, cold and deadly.I winced, my stomach twisting at his words. When he finally ended the call and threw his phone onto the nearby table, the silence that followed felt heavier than his anger."You shouldn't take it out on yo
Isabel’s POVThe room fell into a tense silence as Caleb burst in. His sudden entry and hurried announcement sent a ripple of unease through us all.Caleb’s face was flushed with urgency. His chest was rising and falling as if he had sprinted all the way here.I hadn’t seen him since the kidnapping incident. Aside from the occasional call to check on my condition, he’d been conspicuously absent. It was so unlike him—I couldn’t help but wonder where he had been all this time.Emerson, who had been pacing by the window with clenched fists, turned sharply. His eyes narrowed at the sudden interruption. Robert straightened in his chair, his usual calm giving way to visible curiosity and suspicion. As for me, I felt my heart skip a beat. I was torn between hope and disbelief.“So, Caleb? What’s the good news?” Emerson’s voice was sharp. His frustration at being left waiting was evident.Caleb froze, as though realizing only then that the room was crowded. His eyes darted between me, Emerson
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
Isabel’s POVCarter first sent a team of soldiers to probe the enemy’s defenses. The plan was simple: test the waters, gauge their numbers, and avoid unnecessary bloodshed before reinforcements arrived. But what they found was far worse than expected.“These are not just Alistair’s usual lackeys,” Carter murmured, lowering his binoculars. “The numbers far exceed our expectations. And what’s worse: these men are seasoned fighters. Most of them have appeared on international wanted lists… multiple times.”Emerson, standing beside him, clenched his fists. “That bastard really went all in.”I narrowed my eyes, straining to make out the details from our vantage point on the rocky hillside. The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the rugged terrain. The distant compound was a maze of dilapidated buildings, high fences, and scattered patrols. From here, it was impossible to tell how many men were stationed inside. But it was clear we were up against more than just a handful
Sebastian/Elias’s POVI stood there, rooted to the spot, watching the scene unfold before me. The sterile, cold walls of the laboratory pressed in around me.Alistair’s voice broke the silence, a hint of pride echoing through his words. “This is my proudest work! Thanks to your potions, Scarlet.” His tone was a mix of admiration and satisfaction, as if he had just achieved the culmination of a long and arduous project.Scarlet’s gaze flickered to me, her sharp eyes assessing the situation with cold precision. There was no mistaking it: she was shocked I hadn’t escaped yet. She must be wondering if her antidote had failed.Then, without warning, she lunged forward, grabbing Alistair by the collar with a force that was both unexpected and dangerous. Her voice was low, a warning laced with venom. “I’m telling you, don’t touch my nephew! Otherwise, I’ll make sure you never stand again!” Her words were like a promise, a threat wrapped in maternal protection. But there was something more
Emerson’s POVI sat in the car, fingers drumming absently against the steering wheel as my mind churned through everything that had happened. The weight of it all pressed down on my shoulders like an iron grip. Lilith’s confessions, Elias’s predicament, the looming confrontation with Alistair—it was a tangled mess of threats and uncertainties. Every second that passed only heightened the tension coiling in my chest.A sharp knock on the window pulled me from my thoughts. I turned to see Carter standing outside, his sharp gaze scanning the area. I rolled the window down, and he wasted no time.“I heard you caught a woman? How is she involved in this?” he asked, his voice even but laced with curiosity.I exhaled and nodded, stepping out of the vehicle. My eyes swept the surroundings instinctively, old habits keeping me cautious even in relatively safe zones. Carter caught on immediately.“Margot’s with Isabel back at the base,” he assured me. “We can talk there.”I gave him a curt nod,
Isabel’s POVWe delayed our mission. Lilith's intel might be significant and give us clues on how to proceed.In the interrogation room, Lilith sat handcuffed to the chair, her face twisted with a mixture of defiance and resignation. I stood behind the mirrored glass, my arms crossed tightly over my chest, trying to steady my breathing. Emerson and one of his men sat across from her, their expressions unreadable. The tension in the room was thick, palpable."Talk," Emerson commanded, his voice cold.Lilith smirked, leaning back as if the shackles meant nothing to her. "Where do I begin?" she mused, tilting her head. "Maybe with the fact that I was Lila all along?"My stomach dropped. I clenched my fists, forcing myself to stay rooted to the spot. I knew it. But I’d never expected to hear her say it aloud. My mind reeled as Lilith continued."Alistair took me after you thought I’d died," she said, her tone shifting into something bitter. "He changed me—physically, mentally. His damned
Isabel’s POVCarter and Emerson bent over the map, their voices low but intense as they laid out the plan. The dimly lit tent smelled of sweat, gun oil, and the anticipation of an impending fight. My fingers tightened into fists at my sides. I refused to be left behind.“We move in small teams,” Carter was saying. “Margot and I will take a group to circle around and cover you. The reinforcements are still a few hours out, so we’ll have to be careful.”Emerson nodded, his expression unreadable. “I’ll lead a team ahead to scout their positions.”“I’m going with you.” The words left my mouth before I could second-guess them.Emerson’s head snapped toward me, his brows furrowing. “No. It’s too dangerous.”I squared my shoulders. “I didn’t train for years on that island just to sit in the shadows while you go off to fight. I’m stronger than ever now, and you know it.”He exhaled through his nose, his fingers flexing at his sides as if fighting the urge to grab my arm and shake some sense i