Chapter 226
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VENUS
I killed the engine and the headlights. The sudden, absolute silence of the woods pressed in on me, broken only by the frantic hammering of my own heart and into the cold mountain air. The smell of pine clung to everything. The ground was soft with fallen needles. The moon hung low-too low, too bright-casting long, skeletal shadows between the trees.
Cabin 9 sat at the very edge of the ridge, isolated from the others like it had been exiled.
I checked the time.
11:47 p.m.
Thirteen minutes early.
Good. Early was safe. Early meant control. Early meant-
A chance to breathe.
Except I couldn’t. My lungs felt like they were lined with glass. Every inhale scraped. Every exhale trembled.
Iris.
My baby.
I closed my eyes for one second—one—and the memory of her voice came back, small and scared.
My stomach knotted so violently I had to put a hand on the cabin’s outer wall just to stay upright.
“Get it together,” I whispered to myself. “You came here for her. Focus p>
The cabin had one dim porch light that flickered, buzzing faintly like an insect caught under glass. I stood beneath it, hugging my jacket to my chest, listening to the wind comb through the trees.
No footsteps.
No voices.
No cars.
Just me.
And the suffocating quiet.
11:59 p.m.
My fingers started shaking.
Midnight came.
The cabin remained dark. Nothing moved.
I walked toward the small, rickety porch, my hands clenched so tight my nails dug crescent moons into my
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palms. I forced myself to stand there, waiting in the cold, thick darkness.
Nothing.
Was she playing games? Had I risked everything-Aaron’s trust, his safety, my own conscience-for a cruel, empty gesture?
A wave of panic, hot and blinding, washed over me. I wanted to scream, to lash out at the silent cabin.
Just as the terror threatened to consume me, I heard a soft click.
The cabin door creaked open.
Andrea stepped out like she was making an entrance on a stage-slow and controlled, with that same icy composure she’d always worn like a second skin.
She looked different, though. Not the polished heiress I remembered. Her hair was tied back in a tight knot. She wore all black, simple and functional, not a single piece of jewelry on her.
Her eyes found mine immediately.
“Well,” she said, her voice smooth as silk over broken glass. “You did, in fact, make it p>
I swallowed hard. “Where is my daughter p>
Andrea took a slow, deliberate step forward, her head tilted, analyzing me with clinical interest. “My, my. Always so dramatic, Venus. Always rushing to the climax. You really must learn to savor the moments of high tension. It’s where the fun is p>
Fun.
My fingers curled into fists. “Show me she’s alive or I’ll walk p>
Andrea sighed like I’d inconvenienced her. “You really haven’t changed, have you p>
Then she pulled her phone out, dialed, and lifted it to her ear.
“Show me the girl,” she said simply.
A beat passed.
Then the screen lit up.
She flipped the phone so the camera faced me.
And Iris appeared.
My daughter.
My baby girl.
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Her hair was messy, her cheeks damp, her little hands clutching the edges of a blanket like it was the only safety
she had left.
“Mommy?” her voice cracked. “Mommy who are these people? Where is George? And Daddy? I’m scared p>
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I stumbled forward like something had punched me in the chest.
“Iris-baby-listen to me, okay? Daddy and Mommy are coming to get you. Are you hurt? Are you p>
Andrea snatched the phone back and ended the call.
The world fell silent again.
“There,” she said coolly, slipping the phone into her pocket. “Evidence provided. She is fine. She’s warm, fed, and utterly terrified. Exactly where she needs to be for now. She’s fine. Temporarily, at least p>
Temporarily.
A threat wrapped as reassurance.
“What do you want?” My voice trembled, anger and terror twisting together. “What the hell did Iris ever do to you? She’s a child. She’s innocent p>
“Innocent?” Andrea scoffed. “Please. Spare me. Children are just collateral to their parents’ sins p>
My vision blurred with fury. “What do you want p>
“Oh, Venus…” She tilted her head, her smile stretching unnervingly. “I want both you and Aaron to suffer. I want Aaron to know what it is to have the core of his life ripped out, meticulously, painfully, piece by piece p>
My heart plummeted.
She stepped closer.
“I had a life. Power. Stability. A future. My family had legacy. They had everything and then you happened. Gerald just had to have a fucking obsession with you, didn’t he? And he happened.” Her voice sharpened like a blade. “Your husband put my brother in prison.
“Gerald was wrong,” I shot back. “You know what he did was wrong p>
“Yes.” She laughed once, sharp and mirthless. “He was wrong. But Aaron didn’t stop there. Gerald’s conviction destroyed our stocks, our clients, our standing-but that wasn’t enough for dear Aaron Sinclair, was it p>
My breath froze.
Andrea continued, fury simmering beneath every word.
“He used my family as a warning. He made sure take our house, our savings, every single asset we had left. He made sure we were bankrupt. He made sure we were ruined. He made sure everyone knew to fear the Sinclairs p>
I stared at her, stunned.
“I didn’t know Aaron did that p>
“Well, of course you didn’t.” Her lips curled. “You were living your perfect little life with your perfect husband and your perfect children, blissfully unaware that your husband is a monster p>
Her voice rose, brittle and shaking.
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“Do you have any idea what I went through? What my parents went through? We had to change our names just to rent a flea-bitten apartment! Do you know what losing everything does to a family? No you don’t, of course you fvcking don’t. You had your perfect Cinderella story didn’t you p>
I shook my head. “Andrea… listen to me. I can talk to Aaron. I can fix this. He can restore your family’s losses. We can give you everything back. Just-please-just give me Iris and we’ll forget all of this. We will walk away. You will never hear from us again p>
Andrea blinked once.
Then laughed.
A quiet, chilling sound that sliced straight through my spine.
“You think that’s what I want?” She shook her head like I was a child who’d said something heartbreakingly naïve. “God, you’re still as foolish as you were p>
She took another step forward, her voice dropping.
“I do wonder what Gerald ever saw in you p>
Ice ran through my veins.
She leaned in.
“I don’t want money. I don’t want status. I already bounced back, turns out Sinclair had a lot of enemies across the whole fucking world! Enemies who are willing to do anything to watch him suffer! So no, Venus Sinclair the great I don’t want your pity. I want retribution. I want Aaron Sinclair to suffer the way I suffered. The way my family suffered p>
Her eyes gleamed with something feral.
“And you,” she whispered, “are going to help me.
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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.