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The hum of Wayne’s motor.

My eyes snapped open.

No.

No, no, no, no, no.

The hope that had carried me all morning turned on me without warning, collapsing in on itself until it left nothing but a thick, suffocating dread pooling in my stomach. This was it. This was how our story ended. We were never meant to make it out. We were never meant to have that life we wanted. It felt cruel now—how close we got to something real, only for it to be ripped away before we could grasp it properly.

I held my breath as the front door opened. “Forgot my wallet,” Wayne called out casually, like the world hadn’t just ended in the space of a heartbeat as the front door slammed shut. “What’s all this mess, darl? Lose an earring or something?” I felt his heavy footsteps as he passed by, the basement door creaking open as he searched for me.

My lips trembled as I felt the invisible tether to Jackson snap. Because as soon as he walked down that staircase and found Jackson gone, I was dead.

”Evelyn!”

I flinched hard, a sob ripping out of me before I could stop it. My eyes darted to the window, locking onto it like it was a lifeline, like Jackson might come crashing through it any second and pull me out of this.

“What the fuck have you done?!” Wayne roared from below. He sounded furious, so angry that he would probably tear me to pieces. Panic surged through me as I scrambled to my feet, backing away from the bathroom door just as his footsteps thundered down the hallway. Then the door slammed open so violently, it cracked against the wall.

I gasped, stumbling back as he filled the doorway.

“Where is he, Evelyn?” he snarled, his chest heaving, nostrils flaring. Spit gathered at the corners of his mouth as his eyes tore over me. “Don’t you fucking play games with me.” I couldn’t move. It was like my blood had turned to ice in my veins, locking me in place as the truth settled over me with terrifying clarity.

This was it.

My time was up.

My heart stuttered painfully as I pressed myself harder against the cold tiles, like I could sink into them and disappear into the wall behind me. “I couldn’t…I couldn't let you hurt him anymore,” I whimpered, my voice trembling uncontrollably.

“What did you just say?” he muttered as he took a step forward, close enough now that I could see the tension in his jaw, the way his fingers flexed at his sides like he was holding something back.

“I let him go,” I said, my voice breaking. My chest felt like it had been torn open, my heart somewhere far below me, but something else pushed through the fear—something stronger. “And he’s going to stop you,” I added, the sob catching in my throat, but not silencing me.

Wayne took a step closer.

“So do whatever you want to me,” I said. “It doesn’t matter anymore.” I lifted my chin, even as my lips trembled. “It’s over,” I whispered, meeting his eyes. “Do you hear me? It’s over, Wayne.”

“I took you in,” he hissed. “Fed you. Fucking kept you alive!” He lunged before I could react, his hand fisting my hair so hard, it yanked a scream from my throat. “And this is how you repay me?” I cried out as he dragged me down, my body hitting the floor hard. His grip shifted, fingers clamping around the back of my neck before he slammed my face into the tiles.

Pain exploded through me. Then warmth, blood rushing over my lips, into my mouth. “Look at you,” he snarled, yanking my head back. “You think you get to decide anything in this house?” He shoved me away and drove his foot into my stomach. I curled instinctively, arms wrapping around myself as I gasped, trying to breathe, trying to hold myself together.

“You don’t get to hide from me.” He grabbed my legs suddenly, dragging me across the floor into the hall, the friction burning against my skin as I cried out weakly. “After everything I’ve done!” he continued. “After everything I’ve given you!” He straddled my waist, pinning me down, his weight crushing. I whimpered, barely able to move as his hands found the chain at my ankle.

“No one leaves,” he said, his voice low and certain as he looped the chain around my neck. “No one takes what’s mine.” The metal bit into my skin as he pulled it tight. I clawed at his face, my nails dragging down his cheeks, leaving streaks of red in their wake. My eyes strained, bulging as I fought for air, my chest heaving uselessly against the pressure crushing my throat. I wheezed, a broken, hollow sound scraping out of me as I scrambled at his forearms, my nails digging into his skin. My legs kicked uselessly against the floor as I tried to suck in anything—anything.

But I couldn’t.

“Fucking die!” he snarled, spit hitting my cheek as his grip tightened again. I grabbed at his shirt, my fingers twisting into the fabric as my mouth opened, but nothing came out. Just airless, choked gasps, before his grip faltered for half a second, his breathing uneven now, chest heaving above me.

“You think this is about him?” he said, his voice cracking. “You think this is about that boy?” The pressure eased just enough for me to drag in a shredded breath. He laughed. “I’m dying,” he said suddenly. “But I wasn’t just going to go out like that.” His gaze snapped back to mine, something frantic burning in it now.

“I needed them to know,” he said, gripping the chain again and pulling tighter. “To finally understand what I am.” My lungs screamed as I clawed at the chain. “You think he mattered?” he spat, shaking his head. “He was just another piece. But you…” He swallowed hard, something shifting again, something almost…hurt. “You chose him over everything I gave you!”

My head lolled back as darkness crept in at the edges of my vision, swallowing the room in slow, greedy waves. “You don’t get to do that to me!” he roared. A tear slid down my cheek as a blurry figure stood behind Wayne, its movements slow and distorted. I stopped fighting at the sight. It had to be Jackson.

The thought hit so hard, it drowned out everything else. The fear, the pain, even the burning in my throat. I barely felt my body anymore. Barely felt anything at all. A sharp bang cracked through the air somewhere beyond me. Wayne’s eyes widened before his grip loosened as he collapsed sideways, dragging away from me as if something had finally cut the cord between us.

Air rushed back into my lungs in a brutal, tearing gasp. I coughed hard, choking on it, my hands scrambling weakly at the chains as I tried to remember how to breathe properly again. “Jackson…” I tried to say, but nothing came out—only a broken rasp trapped in my throat.