Chapter 80

Stella

If I held any hope of being rescued inside of my heart and brain, it has now been smushed to death, pummeled by the look of smugness in Clara’s eyes as she and Adrian exited down the stairs of the warehouse.

I fight against the ropes and try to push the gag out of my mouth with my tongue but it is no use. I am unable to do a god damn thing while Clara and Adrian escape into freedom.

He has finally made his choice. Adrian has finally chosen Clara over me. I knew that this day would come but I didn’t expect it to hurt as much as it does.

A pain resonates inside of my chest. I am unable to control the tears that stream down my face. I can no longer fight back against the restraints of my confinement as complete and utter dejection courses throughout my body.

My sobs are muffled through the fabric of the gag. Only I can hear them as my tears soak the material, my lungs feeling like they are on fire as I struggle to catch my breath.

Is this it? Is this the end of my story? Will I no longer live on this plane of existence?

I hope that I will be remembered. I hope that Sebastian and my brothers will carry on my memory with them for the rest of their days, knowing me as someone they used to love, someone who as cruelly ripped from their lives.

In the end, Clara has won. I do not know if this was a plan made by her all along, if this was some sick and twisted way for her to assert her dominance over me or if she was a victim in this alongside me. I do not care to find out, though.

All I can do now is wish that my misery will be put to an end as soon as possible. I do not know how much more of this I can take or just how much more energy I can put towards escaping.

The door to my room opens. A few men trickle inside, their guns hanging on their sides. Their laughter fills the room, mocking me as the sounds bounce off of the walls.

“So,” one of them speaks up and tilts his head as he looks at me, “they decided to leave you behind? That’s cold.”

“Yeah, the girl didn’t even mention you when we let her call him. She completely disregarded you when it was time to plead for help,” another man draws closer.

“Maybe that’s on us for letting the mistress call instead of his wife.”

The room erupts into laughter at the comment. I close my eyes, allowing more tears to roll down my cheeks.

Their cruel comments and jokes poke and stab at my soul, leaving me a shell of a person. Each and every word rips me apart, continually reminding me that Adrian has never loved me, that he has only ever had eyes for Clara.

One of the men approaches my personal space. He leans down and grabs my chin, yanking it so I look at him. I try to remain as calm as possible, knowing that if I freak out, my position will only worsen and make them even more inclined to kill me instead of letting me go.

“I kind of feel bad for you,” he murmurs just loud enough for the two of us to hear, “maybe I should take you home and show you how a husband should treat his wife instead of what that pretty boy does. How does that sound, hm?”

I gag at the idea, nausea overtaking my body. The man’s expression hardens. He lets go off my face and takes a step back, looking down at his gun as he checks to see if there is a bullet in the chamber.

“Fine, be like that, why the fuck should I even—”

The man is cut off by a bullet lodging itself inside of his skull. The room goes still, my heart racing inside my chest as he falls to the floor. Another gunshot sounds out and the other men inside of the room begin to fall one by one.

I close my eyes and flinch at the sounds. I cry out and ball my fists over the coarse trope, trying to ground myself before it is my turn to die.

But the gunshot never comes.

My body begins to slowly relax and I open my eyes to see Silas standing in front of me. He tilts his head to the side, giving me a slight nod, before he calls out, “She’s in here!”

Almost instantly, Sebastian comes running inside the room. He drops to my side and slips a knife out from his pocket, cutting the ropes.

“Stella,” he breathes out. I gasp and my once depressed tears turn into tears of joy and hope. “Are you okay? Did they do anything to you?”

As soon as I am free from the ropes, I fall into Sebastian’s arms. He wraps his arms around my waist and hoists me up, bringing me closer to him. He holds the back of my head and leans in, his lips grazing the shell of my ear.

“It’s okay, I got you. I’m going to get you out of here, okay?” Sebastian whispers into my ear. I nod and cling to him, unable to bring myself to let go of him just yet. “Silas, cover us, we’re going to run for it. Is Luca out in the car?”

“Yes,” Silas responds. He pokes his head out of the room and aims his gun, shooting it.

Sebastian quickly adjusts me in his arms, wrapping my legs around his torso and my arms around his neck. He rests one hand under my backside while the other holds the back of my head.

“Ready?” Silas asks. Sebastian nods.

He runs us out of the room while Silas unloads an entire clip of bullets in the direction of the enemies. Bullets fly past our heads, whizzing at fast speeds before they land into the cement walls beside us.

I whimper and hold myself closer to Sebastian, burying my face into his neck. He runs down the stairs and his hand leaves my back. He shoots nearby people before he makes it to the exit, helping me down from his arms. My feet are unsteady against the ground and I look up at him with widened eyes.

“Go, Stella! Luca’s in the car! I need to help Silas,” Sebastian calls out.

I nod and watch as he steps back into the warehouse. I turn around and sprint towards the car, listening to the gunfire sound from all around me.

I reach the car and get inside, hiding in the backseat as Luca remains silent, his eyes fixed on the warehouse. We wait for a few moments. Suddenly, there are hands on the door, swinging it open as Silas and Sebastian pile inside.

Luca, without wasting another beat, drives away. Sebastian settles into the back of the car beside me, pained groans flying from his lips.

“Sebastian? Are you okay?” I ask, immediately attaching my hands to his shoulder. Bright red blood stains my skin. I gasp and look at him, ripping off a piece of my shirt as I begin to wrap his shoulder.

“I’m fine, Stella,” he groans.

“No, you aren’t,” I huff, unable to look at anything else but the gunshot wound.

I press into it, trying to stop the bleeding, when Sebastian reaches up and cups my face. My movement slows and I tilt my cheek into his touch, looking down at him.

“I got you back,” he whispers, “that’s all that matters.”