I shot him an annoyed look. ‘Anyway, I’m just tired. There’s nothing wrong with . Just let get a few proper nights of sleep. Then I’ll be back to my old self.’
‘Alright,’ Ashton said, pulling close with a sigh.
I could feel the heat of his body against my back, and the obvious evidence of his arousal. But I was already fading, my eyelids growing impossibly heavy. Within monts, I was asleep.
The next morning, I woke up feeling just as drained.
‘What ti is it?’
‘Almost eight,’ Ashton replied. ‘But if you’re still tired, just sleep a bit longer. Take the day off. What’s going on with you lately? Is it really just exhaustion?’
‘It’s all your fault,’ I grumbled, giving him a half-hearted glare.
‘Yes, yes. It’s all my fault. I’m the one to bla,’ he conceded readily.
I had no intention of calling in sick. ‘I’m getting up. I’m going to work.’
‘You’re so tired, though. Just take the day. Please.’
I shook my head. ‘No. I’ll be fine.’
I was determined not to skip work. I got up, washed, had so breakfast, and then Ashton drove to the studio.
I stumbled into the office, yawning all the way. Priya took one look at and teased, ‘Rough night?’
Her suggestive tone made her aning perfectly clear. ‘Watch it, or I’ll have to dock your pay,’ I shot back, though there was no real heat behind it.
She just laughed.
I’d gone to bed early last night—no distractions from Ashton—so I’d expected to feel refreshed. But as the morning dragged on, I was still struggling to keep my eyes open. What was wrong with ?
I decided I needed a strong coffee from the café next door.
But just a few steps outside the studio, a powerful force yanked off my feet. Soone pulled roughly into a waiting van. It happened so fast—I had no ti to react or fight back.
‘Mirabelle! Mirabelle... Mirabelle!’ I heard Priya’s panicked shouts just before the van door slamd shut and we sped away.
Inside the van were several masked figures. The air felt cold and hostile, and fear began to claw its way up my throat.
‘Who are you? What do you want?’ I asked, trying to sound calr than I felt. But their harsh eyes told everything—this was bad.
The man who’d dragged in struck hard across the face. My head spun, ears ringing.
Slap.
Another blow landed. I tried to struggle, but n on either side pinned my arms down.
‘Fuck! Let go! Who the hell are you?’ I shouted.
Slap.
A third hit, harder this ti. It felt personal.
‘You stupid bitch. You must know you’ve pissed soone off,’ a cold voice hissed.
I didn’t recognise it. ‘Who are you?’
Pissed soone off?
Who?
Genevieve?
Frank?
Soone else entirely?
‘Why should I tell you?’ the voice replied, dripping with contempt. He sounded like he genuinely hated .
‘What’s your connection to Genevieve?’ I guessed blindly. But the slight tightening around his eyes—the only part of him I could see—told I’d hit a nerve.
Slap!
Another stinging blow landed on my already sore cheek.
I gritted my teeth against the pain, furious and helpless. I prayed Priya had called the police and Ashton. Maybe traffic caras had caught the van’s license plate. Maybe help was already on the way.
I hoped.
For now, I decided it was better to stay quiet.
I couldn’t see outside; the windows were covered. The van sped recklessly, swerving and jolting until my stomach churned violently. I sat perfectly still, afraid that if I moved even slightly, I’d be sick.
Ti stretched endlessly. I lost all sense of how long we’d been driving, every mont pure agony.
Then, finally, the van began to slow. It rolled to a stop, and the engine cut out.
The door was opened and as soon as I saw it swing wide, I rushed out and vomited violently onto the ground.
‘Useless bitch.’ The sa scornful voice.
When I was finally done, my whole body felt weak, but at least my stomach was sowhat relieved.
It was only then I realised it was already dark outside. Had I really been in the van for so long?
Where was I?
I looked around. We were outside a large house. It looked like a private residence.
‘If you’ve finished being sick, get your arse inside,’ the man’s cold voice cut through the night.
I dragged myself forward on heavy legs.
Once we were inside, he spoke again, just as coldly: ‘Take her upstairs.’
Just like that, I was escorted up to a room.
Soon after, the man appeared in the doorway, his gaze still frozen. ‘Now you’ll get to experience what it’s like,’ he said. ‘To carry a child, and then be forced to get rid of it. Let’s see how you like that kind of pain.’
What did he an? Pregnant? An abortion? I didn’t even know I was pregnant—how could he? And that tone... it was pure revenge, like he was blaming for what happened to so other woman. Had soone else gone through that because of ?
Before I could untangle my frantic thoughts, I was hauled back downstairs, a hood was pulled over my head, and I was shoved into another car. We drove for nearly two hours, ending up sowhere completely unfamiliar. Wherever it was, it was a long way from Skyline.
‘What are you looking at?’ the man asked coldly, noticing my defiant glare.
‘Who are you?’ I shot back. ‘What’s your connection to Genevieve?’
‘That’s none of your business.’
‘You don’t strike as one of her hired hands,’ I pressed, squinting slightly as though trying to see past whatever was covering his face.
For just a second, he seed caught off guard.
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