chapter 75

The light was dim when I woke up. My head throbbed painfully, and my body ached as if I’d been dragged across the floor. I tried to move, but my wrists were bound behind me, and my legs were tied together. Panic surged through me as I struggled to sit up, taking in my surroundings. The room was small, bare, and not the bridal suite where I had been just hours ago.

I blinked, disoriented, trying to make sense of what had happened. The wedding… the mysterious figure… the blow to my head. “Tick tock, Lyra.” That voice haunted me, and the memory of the masked man chilled me to my bones.

Suddenly, the door creaked open. My pulse quickened as footsteps echoed on the concrete floor. I braced myself, my heart hammering in my chest, trying to keep my breathing steady despite the overwhelming fear that gripped me.

Two figures stepped into the room, their faces coming into view. My breath hitched when I saw them.

“Angela.”

“James.”

I couldn’t believe it. My sister. My ex-boyfriend.

“What… what