Chapter 182
Chapter 183
VENUS
The line went dead silent for a beat, and then:
“Hello again, my dearest Venus p>
My chest locked. The voice was smooth, like honey poured over glass, sharp underneath. Gerald.
My fingers tightened around the phone. “What do you want p>
A soft chuckle slid down the line, sending ice through my veins. “Straight to the point. You sound just like him when you’re cornered. But I don’t want anything complicated. Just… a trade p>
Every hair on my arms stood up. “A trade p>
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“I have Sabine.” His words were delivered like a casual fact, as though he were talking about holding a glass of wine. “She’s alive, for now. She’ll stay that way if you listen p>
“Please-” The word scraped out of me before I could stop it.
“Ah, ah, ah.” His interruption was sharp, slicing. “Don’t beg me yet, Venus. Save it for when you need it p>
I could hear my pulse in my ears. My throat ached with unshed tears, but I forced myself to stay still, to listen.
A click, then the sharp hiss of static, and my phone screen lit with a video message. My hand trembled as I pressed play.
Sabine.
She was tied to a chair, ropes biting into her wrists, ankles bound tight. Her head hung forward, hair tangled and damp with sweat. A bruise bloomed purple across her cheek. The room behind her was concrete, dim, the kind of place that swallowed light whole.
She stirred weakly, her chin lifting. Her eyes-those sharp, fearless eyes-were glazed, but alive. Alive.
My knees buckled. I sank onto the edge of the bed, clutching the phone like it was the only thing keeping me upright.
“Simple terms,” Gerald’s voice purred through the call, layered over the silence of the video. “You come to me. Alone. And Sabine walks free. If you don’t…” He let the pause stretch, deliberate, cruel. “…I slit her throat. Slowly p>
Tears burned my eyes. “Why won’t you let me be?” My voice cracked, “She has nothing to do with this. Take me, leave her p>
“That’s exactly what I’m offering, my sweet girl.” He sounded amused, like we were discussing a deal over dinner. “You exchange yourself for her. But there are rules p>
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Chapter 183
My fingers dug into my knees. “What rules p>
“No one knows. Not Aaron. Not Connor. Not the guards standing outside your door. You tell them, and I’ll send you a new video. One you won’t stomach watching p>
My chest constricted. “How do I even know you’ll keep your word p>
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“Because I’m a man who enjoys his games, Venus. And the game ends too quickly if I kill you both at once.” He paused, savoring the silence. “Now, are you clever enough to follow instructions p>
I closed my eyes, my body trembling so violently I thought I’d fall apart. But I swallowed, hard. “Yes p>
“Good girl p>
The words crawled over my skin like filth.
“Step one,” he said. “Walk out. Tell the guards you’re leaving. Say it’s urgent. Insist. But don’t let them follow. Make Aaron trust you enough to let you go p>
My blood turned to ice. He knew. Somehow, he knew how tightly Aaron kept me locked down, how little freedom I had.
“And Venus…” His voice softened, almost intimate. “If you hesitate, if you falter, Sabine screams. Understood p>
I bit my lip until it bled. “Understood p>
“You’re the only one I want, Venus. Don’t make me hurt your sister-in-law because of your disobedience p>
The line went dead.
My hand shook as I lowered the phone, but I forced myself upright. I couldn’t fall apart. Not now. Not when Sabine’s life was balanced on my every word.
The guards were at the door, just as Aaron had commanded. Two of them, solid as stone. Their eyes snapped to me the moment I appeared.
“Mrs. Sinclair.” One inclined his head.
“I need to leave,” I said, my voice sharp, firm. It had to sound real. Not desperate. “Now p>
One of them shifted, uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, ma’am, Mr. Sinclair gave explicit orders p>
“I said now.” My tone cracked like Aaron’s did when he wanted absolute obedience. “Don’t follow me. Don’t call him. Just… let me go p>
They exchanged a glance. Hesitated.
I swallowed. My fingers tightened on the phone. “Please. Don’t make this harder p>
Something in my voice-too smooth, too careful-seemed to land. They didn’t step aside, but I knew they
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Chapter 183
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wouldn’t move without Aaron’s word.
So I did the only thing I could. I called him.
When his name lit up my screen, my throat closed. The moment he answered, the sound of his voice almost broke me.
“Venus p>
“Aaron…” I forced my tone steady, too steady. “Tell the guards to let me out p>
“No p>
“Please. Tell them not to follow me p>
My eyes blurred. God, I hoped he could hear it. That he could hear through me, past the words, into the silence pressing behind them.
“Venus,” he said sharply, suspicion slicing through. “Why are you asking me that p>
I couldn’t answer. If I said too much, Sabine would die. If I said nothing, he might not catch on.
So I whispered, careful, broken. “Just… please. Don’t make this harder. I need you to trust me p>
Trust. The word felt like poison in my mouth.
He was silent for a long beat. Then: “Fine p>
The call cut.
My breath hitched, but the guards stepped aside a moment later, their earpieces crackling faintly. Aaron had relented. He knew. God, please, let him know.
The city air hit like a slap. Cold, sharp, filled with noise and light.
I walked. One foot, then the other. Gerald’s instructions pressed like a blade at my back.
Blocks blurred. The world narrowed to the sound of my footsteps, the phone burning in my palm. Then a car pulled up to the curb. Black. Windows tinted.
The back door cracked open.
“Get in,” Gerald’s voice rasped through the phone.
I froze.
“Now,” he said, sharp.
My body moved before my mind could argue. I slid inside.
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The car smelled of leather and smoke. A man sat in the driver’s seat-broad shoulders, face shadowed by a cap pulled low. He didn’t look at me, didn’t speak. Just drove.
Minutes ticked by. My heart hammered so hard it hurt.
Then his voice came, flat. “Phone. Trash. Now p>
My chest tightened. “What p>
“Gerald says ditch it.” His tone was dead, mechanical. “Out the window. There p>
We slowed near a cracked, shabby stretch of road. A trash bin sagged against the curb, spilling rot.
“Do it,” the driver snapped.
Tears blurred my vision. If I threw it, Aaron’s last tether to me was gone.
But Gerald’s words echoed in my skull: If you falter, Sabine screams.
My hand shook as I rolled the window down. Cold air cut my skin. I dropped the phone into the trash, watching it vanish into the filth.
The car rolled on.
And for the first time, true hopelessness sank its claws into me. Aaron couldn’t find me now. The ring… please let the ring be enough.
I pressed a hand to my stomach, whispering silently to the lives inside me, to the man I loved. Please. Please don’t stop looking for me.
The car turned sharply, the city lights fading behind us. Concrete gave way to shadow, to warehouses and broken fences. The air grew colder, thicker.
We slowed.
The engine cut.
The driver finally turned, his face still hidden, his voice low. “We’re here p>
My hand trembled on the door handle.
A figure outside was dark, silent and waiting.
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Ruby Walker
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby’s writing style is bold and irresistible—perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.