Chapter 30
I floated in darkness, trapped in the confines of my own mind and unable to move. The silence was heavy and every sound from the outside world echoed painfully. I heard voices, faint at first, then clearer. Ruby’s voice came through, cruel and mocking, and then I heard Mrs. Massaro laugh, her tone sharp and full of venom.
“She’s still alive?” Mrs. Massaro giggled, her voice trembling with malice. “Well, not for long.”
Ruby hissed, “Let her prince charming come. We will bury them together.”
I wanted to scream, to claw my way out, to fight, but I was paralyzed by fear and pain. In my mind, I saw fleeting images of Ephraim’s face and I heard Carson calling my name. I made a silent vow, a promise whispered with trembling determination: I am not dying here.
Then the blackness lifted. I woke up in agony. My chest felt tight and each breath came in shallow, labored gasps. My eyes fluttered open to a dim, dusty ceiling that swayed slightly with my motion. I tried to sit up, and panic surged as I realized I was lying in a coffin. The interior was lined with black velvet, smooth and oppressive.
Ruby and Mrs. Massaro stood before me, each holding a glass of champagne as if celebrating a trophy. Ruby smiled a cold, wicked smile that sent shivers down my spine.
“Well, well, sleeping beauty finally woke up,” Ruby purred, her voice laced with false
sweetness.
My throat was hoarse as I managed to ask, “Where am I?”
Mrs. Massaro tilted her head and smiled like a vulture. “Home. Or at least what is left of it. You are going to rot here.”
Ruby stepped closer, eyes glinting with brutal humor. “And don’t worry, Ephraim’s next. We will let him find your corpse first. You wanted to die with your precious Cleo, didn’t you?” She reached over and pulled at the necklace that held Cleo’s ashes and then stomped on it, a display of cruelty that made my blood run cold. “Then soon you will join him in hell.”
I tried to speak again, but my voice came out barely more than a whisper. “Please… why am I doing this? Why…”
Mrs. Massaro interrupted, her tone dismissive and scornful. “You are nothing but a traitor to our family. You brought ruin upon us when you dared to choose your soft heart over the power we deserve. Now, you will suffer for your choices.”
Ruby’s eyes bore into mine as she added, “You always thought you could play the victim and win sympathy. But no one envies you now. You ruined everything, and now it is time for you to pay.”
The words slammed into me, and I felt the weight of my regrets bearing down on me. I tried to summon a response to defy them but all I managed was a weak, trembling sound
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tried to summon a response, to defy them, but all I managed was a weak, trembling sound
that died in the cold air. I closed my eyes, trying to remember a time when I had hope, when I believed I could make a stand. But now everything was dark and brutal, and the echo of their voices promised endless torment.
I strained against the confines of the coffin, desperate to move, desperate to live. And though I was weak, I clung to that silent vow: I would not let them have the last word. I would find a way to survive, even in this nightmare, even if I had to fight every moment of every day for the chance to see daylight again.
**
I let my head fall back and forced my eyes shut again, slowing my breathing until it was shallow and uneven. I made myself look limp. Useless. As if I was slipping away for good. I heard one of them laugh, but I didn’t move. My wrists ached from the heavy chains, both hands cuffed to the metal sides of the coffin, but I didn’t dare adjust. Not yet.
Ruby started talking again, her voice sharp and careless now that she thought I couldn’t hear her.
“Everything’s ready. Death certificate’s already processed under the hospital’s ghost file. The press won’t question it once they see the photos. We’ll dump the body in the marsh, clean and cold,” she said, swirling the champagne in her glass. “He’ll be too broken to fight back when he sees her corpse. He’ll walk right into it.”
Mrs. Massaro scoffed. “Ephraim Lambert always did think with his heart. It’s disgusting.”
“He’ll suffer,” Ruby hissed. “And when he does, I want front–row seats.”
They talked a little longer, whispering and chuckling as they walked out. I stayed still, memorizing every word, every detail. My pulse hammered in my ears, but I didn’t move until I heard the door click shut.
I slowly opened my eyes, testing to make sure I was alone. My body was weak, my muscles sore from days of drugged sleep, but my mind was sharp now. I looked around carefully. The room was dim and cold, the walls cracked and yellowed. Dust covered everything.
This wasn’t a hospital. It wasn’t even a proper hideout. It was a chapel. Abandoned. The stained glass windows were boarded up with rusted metal, and the air smelled of mold and burnt wood. Candles burned low around the altar like someone had tried to make it feel sacred again, but all I felt was rot.
On the table beside the bed–my coffin–was a rusted nail. Maybe it was once used for the floorboards or the broken cross in the corner, but now it was mine. I closed my fingers around it, careful not to draw attention from the small surveillance camera blinking red in the corner of the room.
I wasn’t waiting for anyone to save me.
Chapter 30
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When the nurse came in later, I made my move. I started jerking violently, letting out strained gasps as if I couldn’t breathe. My legs kicked weakly and I bit down hard on my lip
until I tasted blood. The seizure was fake, but the pain was real. I needed it to look real.
He cursed and rushed over.
“Shit, not now–stay with me, come on-” he muttered, leaning over me.
That was when I drove the nail into his
neck.
He gurgled, eyes wide, blood spraying across my face and onto the white sheets. I didn’t flinch. I didn’t stop. I twisted the nail until he stopped moving and then reached for his belt. I grabbed the keys with shaking hands and yanked his coat from his back.
It took me three tries to stand.
I wrapped the coat around me, pushed the door open, and stepped into the hallway. It was colder outside the room, the stone floors unforgiving under my bare feet. I moved quickly but kept low, heart hammering as I counted the doors.
Halfway down the corridor, another guard spotted me.
“Hey! She’s out!”
“The bitch escaped!”
