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CHAPTER 40
Laura
At first, I didn’t feel the pain.
What hit me was shock–the blazing sting of the triplets‘ betrayal–long before the arrow even punched through my shoulder. I stumbled, one foot skidding on the wet moss. My gaze locked on them–three identical faces, cold, emotionless.
Then the second arrow flew.N
No scream. No time. The world tilted, and my body pitched backward.
Over the cliff.N
Gravity hauled me down while leaves and open air smeared past. My back slammed against jagged rock, knocking every breath from my lungs. Then came the water.N
It swallowed me whole.N
The river was a beast–ice–cold, relentless. Everything went black, with only the terrifying roar of the current in my ears. That sound dragged up a memory from seven years ago.
The crash with Maureen. The pounding water became the wail of sirens.
I’ve always wondered–why didn’t I die with Maureen that day? It would’ve spared everyone the trouble of guessing what really happened. My mother shouldn’t have died of grief for Maureen. I should’ve been the one grieving her–because I failed to protect her.
The trauma never faded. I still don’t understand why I was the only survivor. Our car was mangled; the impact hit Maureen full force on the left side.N
Sirens keened as her blood–soaked body was rushed to the hospital. Doctors dragged me into surgery. One of my legs–gone.
A month later, Mrs. Hudson appeared like an angel. She offered me a dignified life–with a prosthetic leg. On one condition: I had to repay Oliver’s life and that of his three children.N
And that’s what I did. But now it’s over.N
They cast me out.N
Something tugged me deeper. Pain detonated in my chest as I fought toward the surface. Every move burned. My right shoulder was useless where the arrow still lodged. Blood swirled downcurrent, muddying the water around me.
I kicked–agony slicing through my knee.
I broke the surface long enough to gulp a shard of air before the river sucked me under again. It spun me like a rag doll, slamming me into rocks and debris, dragging me through thorns and branches.
“Help! Somebody… help me!“N
My lungs shrieked. Vision blurred. But I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. I clawed at the water, at anything. My fingers found only slick stone and icy foam.
Finally–the current slackened. My hand raked mud.
Land.
I hooked my nails into the earth, hauling myself up, ignoring the ruin of my shoulder. Inch by inch, each scrape flayed me, but I kept crawling.”
I have to leave. From them. From the triplets.N
I collapsed on the bank. Cold mud seeped into my skin. I coughed river water from my chest.
Somewhere behind me, the river kept roaring, indifferent. It had almost taken me–but not quite.
Not yet.”
I rolled onto my side, staring at the sky. Trees loomed overhead, shadows shifting. Thunder rumbled far off.
I’m alive.
Barely.
And they think I’m dead.
Good.”
Let them believe it.
Let them think they succeeded.
Because the next time they see me–W
I’ll be the one taking aim.
I glanced at my shattered leg. The prosthetic was gone–ripped away by the torrent.
I don’t know whether to be grateful. God saved me. Again.
But now I don’t know where I am. I’m not even sure how far the river carried me. The forest is so thick I can’t see a single landmark.
And I can’t walk–not properly–not on one leg. Dusk is closing in. All I can do is pray no wild animal finds me first.”
linched forward, using both hands to drag myself.
Branches tore my skin. Uneven ground scraped my arms. I grimaced. My body trembled. The wounds were burning now. Honestly, I
1:04 PM
almost wished I’d died.}
ID
My hand slipped. I couldn’t go on. Blood dripped again from my shoulder. Darkness punched through my vision. My head sagged to the earth, and everything went black.
I don’t know what happened next.}
When I woke, I was somewhere else. Someone had found me. Whoever it was, I prayed it wasn’t Oliver–or any Hudson.
I don’t want them. Especially the triplets. I won’t let myself get dragged back into their chaos.
But how did I end up here? Someone must have rescued me, yet judging by where I am now, it can’t have been a simple rubber–tap farmer or a rattan gatherer.
I lay on a massive bed, bandages wrapped around both shoulders. Someone had changed me into a short gown.
“Where am I?”
A wheelchair waited beside the mattress. I gripped it, pushed myself up, rolled to a huge window. Bright light washed over my face. I’d
been here a while.
I turned toward the door. Tried the handle. Locked.
I’d been studying the room for a long time when, suddenly, the lock clicked.}
I wheeled toward the door, cracked it open. Light streamed in.§
I needed to know where I was–and who’d saved me.
Beyond the threshold, nothing looked homey. No warmth. It felt more like an old fortress: stone walls, shadows clinging to corners. Only a few dim lamps lit the corridor.}]
My gaze swept the space–and froze.
A painting.”
Of me.
“Damn it!”
I jerked around when a voice startled me.
“Are you lost, darling?“}
He stood before me. That face–familiar, though I couldn’t place him. My chest tightened, as if the river filled it again.}
He caught me just as my body buckled.}]
