Chapter 387

Olivia

Jenifer’s face was still uncomfortably close to mine, her malevolent gaze boring into me with a sadistic satisfaction.

She pulled away, her lips curling into a mocking sneer that sent shivers down my spine. In her hands, she held the rock I had been desperately trying to wedge free from the wall, and she tossed it idly between her fingers, a chilling chuckle escaping her.

“I almost forgot how naive you are,” she taunted, her voice dripping with condescension. “Did you think someone as powerful as me wouldn’t notice your feeble attempts to get that rock out?”

My heart raced as the realization of my failed escape plan washed over me. I had hoped to use that rock as a last resort, a means of defending myself if the need arose. But now, it was in Jenifer’s hands, and I was at her mercy.

“What would you have done with it, hmm?” she continued, a wicked glint in her eyes. “Were you planning to bash my skull in? Go ahead. Do it.”

She tossed the rock down beside me with a cold, humorless laugh, daring me to make a move. I reached for it, my fingers closing around the rough surface, but as I held it in my hand, a wave of doubt and hesitation washed over me.

I looked at the rock, my mind racing with conflicting emotions. Could I really bring myself to harm someone, even if it was Jenifer, the source of all my torment? I couldn’t deny the darkness that had taken root in her heart, but I also knew that…

That wasn’t me. I wasn’t violent. I wasn’t a killer. And I sure as hell wouldn’t stoop to her level.

With a heavy sigh, I dropped the rock back to the ground, unable to go through with it. Jenifer’s laughter echoed through the dimly lit basement.

“Weak and pathetic, just as I suspected,” she purred. “You’re such a disappointment, Olivia. And to think that I was starting to almost admire your gumption.”

I shook my head, refusing to let her words break my spirit. I had faith that help would arrive soon, that Nathan and the others would come to rescue me from this living nightmare. I had to hold onto that hope, for my sake and for the sake of our unborn child.

“You may think you’re winning now, Jenifer,” I retorted, my voice trembling with determination, “but you won’t escape the consequences of your actions. Help is on its way, and you’ll be caught and hauled back to the asylum where you belong.”

Jenifer’s laughter, though filled with arrogance, sent a shiver down my spine. She leaned in close, her eyes boring into mine with an eerie intensity.

“Oh, poor Olivia,” she sneered, “no one is coming for you. Not now, not ever. You’ll die alone in this basement, and your body will never be found. Your children will grow up thinking that their own mother abandoned them.”

The weight of her words hung heavily in the air, and for a moment, doubt gnawed at the edges of my resolve. Could it be true? Would Jenifer really kill me down here and let my children grow up thinking that I had abandoned them?

But then, as if in defiance of Jenifer’s cruel words, a flicker of hope lit up inside of me. I couldn’t let her win; I had to believe that I would be found and that Jenifer would be brought to justice once and for all.

I just had to.

“You’re wrong, Jenifer,” I hissed, shaking my head in defiance. Finally, having regained the strength, I stood to my full height. From here, she no longer looked so large and frightening anymore. “Nathan will live, and so will I. And it will be you who goes down in history as a pitiful coward.”

“Me? A coward?” Jenifer laughed and took a step toward me. “What makes you think that?”

I squared my shoulders. “Look at you,” I said. “Hiding behind disguises. Setting up hexes in the night. Preying on the innocent, children who can’t fight back. It’s the most cowardly thing you could do.”

Jenifer’s eyes darkened. Suddenly, before I had a chance to react, she bolted forward, her thin fingers wrapping around my neck. I felt myself slam into the wall behind me, instantly losing my breath. Damn, she was strong. And my wolf was still weakened. Fighting back was futile.

I gasped for breath, my vision blurring as the pressure on my windpipe intensified. Struggling to maintain my composure, I forced out words between choked breaths. “You’re not a killer, Jenifer,” I rasped. “You don’t want this.”

Jenifer’s eyes bore into mine, cold and calculating. “You don’t know the first thing about me,” she snarled. “You don’t know what I want.”

“But you’re not like him,” I insisted. “You’re not Colin. You don’t need to stoop to his level.”

For a moment, something flickered in Jenifer’s eyes. But only a moment, and then her grip on my throat tightened even more.

But at that moment, as my vision began to fade, I felt something. Something distinct. Something that made my wolf stir. Something that gave me hope.

“Nathan,” my wolf said. “I think… I think he’s waking up. I can sense him.”

Nathan. Just hearing his voice gave me strength, gave me the courage to keep fighting for just a little longer.

“Just hang in there,” my wolf said. “He’s coming. He’s coming, Olivia.”

Jenifer, as though sensing my newfound strength, only tightened her grip. “Don’t think for a moment you’ll escape, Olivia,” she hissed, her desperation becoming evident. “You’re going to die in here. Once Nathan is gone, I’ll kill you. And I won’t bat an eye.”

“That’s not true,” I rasped. “Nathan won’t die. Your hex means nothing anymore.”

Jenifer’s eyes flashed. “Liar,” she said, although I could sense the panic beginning to rise inside of her.

“It’s the truth,” I said. “He’s coming. He’s waking up.”

Jenifer’s eyes widened in alarm, and she slowly began to back away from me, her grip on my throat releasing. The realization that Nathan might be on his way clearly struck fear into her heart, and I knew that she couldn’t afford to be caught off guard.

“Is that... supposed to scare me?” she hissed, clearly trying to hide the fear in her voice. But I could hear it. I could hear the waver in her voice, and I knew that she was terrified.

I coughed and wheezed, fighting to regain my breath as I continued to taunt her, just trying to buy myself some time until Nathan arrived. “You should be scared, Jenifer. You can’t hide from him forever. He’ll stop at nothing to find me.”

Jenifer took a few more steps back, her eyes darting around the basement as if searching for an escape route. She was torn between her desire to eliminate me and the fear of facing Nathan’s wrath.

And then, in that tense moment, the door to the basement suddenly banged open with a resounding crash, startling both Jenifer and me.

We froze, our eyes locked in a silent exchange of fear and anticipation. The sound of footsteps echoed on the stairs leading down to the basement, but one thing was certain…

Whoever just came in was not Nathan.