Everly and I may be trapped in a terrible situation, but strangely, it's also been a good thing—we've taken this time to get to know one another better.

We talked a lot to pass the time, but she did most of the talking, and I'm glad she did. I learned a lot about her and why she'd given Declan such a hard time over the years. She said she's always loved her father and always hated how her mother talked about him, but what upset her with him was Declan missing out on her life events, which is understandable. But she also said she understood why he's missed attending things because of his job.

She admitted that even though she spent time with him every other weekend, she still felt he was absent from her life and that his job was more important to him than spending time with her. Then she confessed that because of what happened to us, she understands her father's job so much more about what he does and why he has to cancel their time together when something comes up—like this.

I also learned a lot about the letters he wrote me, what was said in them, and when they were returned—after seeing me with Chadwick. He wrote to me practically every week until I got into his care. Everly confirmed, without me telling her our discussions, that everything Declan told me was the truth.

Everly talked so much she talked herself to sleep, and because I feared Chadwick would harm her while she slept, I forced myself to stay awake. So I've used this time to think about everything that's happened in my life since meeting Chadwick, everything said and done to me, my reoccurring dreams, and things Marla had mentioned when she helped me escape. I thought about everything, and the conclusion I came up with scared me. Chadwick set up ending Declan and me from the beginning—and Felicity was purposely planted on Declan.

That's why Chadwick mentioned I was supposed to hate Everly and despise Declan. It was part of the plan to keep us apart. That's why Felicity has done everything she could to get Everly to hate Declan, why she tried so hard to keep them apart, and why she's filled her head with so many lies. She didn't want Everly to discover the truth about how she came about.

Felicity is one of them... or she was paid handsomely to ruin Declan's life. Fuck...

My heart is broken for them both.

The door opened, and I instantly became vigilant. Seeing it was Chadwick, my eyes flickered over to Everly. She was still asleep, so I prayed hard he'd leave her alone.

He walked straight to her and kneeled, checking whether she was sleeping or fake sleeping. He pushed her shoulder, held his finger underneath her nose, and lifted her eyelids. Then he turned and eyed me, his lips evilly curling upward.

Fuck. I'm in trouble. Oh God... Declan. Where are you?

"Finally, the brats asleep," he boasted.

"Leave her alone," I begged. "She's done nothing wrong."

He stood, smiling like the creep he was. "Oh, that's where you're wrong, Seraphine," he said, heading toward me. "She's done plenty wrong." He walked behind me, stopped, and leaned to my ear, giving me the creepy crawlies. "She was supposed to make you hate that slimy piece of shit, Declan. She was supposed to make him never want anything to do with you. She was supposed to do many things. As was her mother."

I thought that might be the case.

My breathing hitched when the corner of my eye caught a flash of silver. In my ear, he laughed while sliding the gun along my chin. "I'll never forget the look on his face when he saw me with you." I gasped. "And when I taunted him by pulling you in for a long fucking kiss, showing that you were mine and who he'd never have again." He laughed again, causing the hairs on my arms to stand. "I thought he was going to lose it and break down right in front of everyone. He stood frozen, watching me make out with his girl with my hands all over you, his face red in anger, and his eyes watery and hurt."

Holding back the tears that welled in my eyes, I swallowed and quietly asked, "When was this?" I tried to remember where we would have been when Declan said he returned home and found the locks to our apartment had been changed.

"Balsley Park. The day you were feeding the pigeons when I brought you there so we could talk. I'd gotten word he finally returned and was on his way home. Knowing he was heading to what used to be your place and how you said you'd sit for hours feeding the pigeons, I brought you there to see the horror on his face when he discovered he had no home anymore or his girl."

I remember that day. I wondered why he was so adamant about taking me there, making me drop everything I was doing to go with him. At the time, Chadwick and I weren't a couple yet, and I had been staying with my sister until I found a place I could afford on my own. I had only met him about three weeks prior, and we were only talking. I had told him about Declan, what happened–what I thought happened, and how I really wasn't interested in being in a relationship.

That day he kissed me was the first kiss we shared, the day he also promised I'd never have to worry about anything ever again, that he'd never leave like Declan had. And that he'd be honored to take care of me and give me the world. He manipulated me... he said so many things that day, saying everything right to fall for his charm.

I was so skeptical about starting a relationship with him because of our fifteen-year age difference, too.

Chadwick took me away from that day when he laughed and shoved the barrel of the gun in my mouth. "You remember, don't you."

"Yes," I cracked, tears slipping from my eyes.

"Then the fucker taunted me when he fucked you in front of the window and ate your pussy like he was eating a Thanksgiving feast," he said, sliding the barrel of the gun in and out of my mouth. "But before he fucked you, you were on your knees with his fucking cock in your mouth."

Tears fell from my eyes even faster. He just confirmed he was at the cabin. He saw everything...

My eyes shot over to Everly when he pulled the gun from my mouth, ensuring she was still asleep. I didn't need her witnessing what he was doing to me with the gun. Especially when he slid it down my chin, neck, and around my breasts. "Chapwick, please. Don't do this. Not in front of a little girl."

"She's asleep," he said nonchalantly like it didn't matter if she was sleeping or not, while sliding the gun further down my body and into my pants, between my thighs.

"Oh, God. Please," I cried, my heart bruising my chest with how hard it was beating against it when he shoved down my pants and began molesting my pussy with the gun. "Chadwick, stop. Please..." I begged, crying harder.

"Tell me, Xena fucking Knight," he groaned. "Was it worth it? Was it worth leaving me for your ex-lover?"

Yes... but I won't tell you that. It's a little hard to say anything, anyway, when I'm fearing for my life with a gun shoved up my pussy.

"You know. I set Felicity up with him. I made the whole fucking thing happen after he killed my fucking brother. I had him followed, and when he flew to Alabama, so did she and my guys. When he went to the bar, she followed him in and worked her beautiful fucking magic. She did just as she was supposed to do," he admitted, thrusting the gun faster and harder inside me. "She got pregnant just like she was paid to do. She did everything right except for one thing. Do you know what that was?"

"No," I whispered after a few beats, trying to calm my breathing while eyeing Everly, wondering if she was pretending to be asleep.

"She couldn't get that brat kid of hers to hate her father or you. So, now you're both going to be punished for going against my orders and hurting that piece of shit Declan even more—all because he couldn't leave me and my family alone—for killing the closest member of my family—my twin brother. It was me he was supposed to kill, you know—"

"Boss," a man said, cutting Chadwick off when he opened the door and shouted. "We've got a problem, we've got company..."

"Son of a bitch!" he shouted, yanking the gun out of my pussy, and slamming my head against the pole. "What kind of company?"

"A whole fucking army is surrounding us."

My heart was still thumping hard and fast and on the verge of giving me a heart attack, but I was also relieved the gun was no longer inside of me and that Chadwick was gone. However, I was still in a panic. My pants were still shoved down my legs, and Everly was a few feet away.

Then I lost it when I heard tears in a small voice whisper, "Are you okay?"

"Uhm-uhm."

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything to stop him from doing that to you. I didn't want him to start opening fire."

"How long were you awake?" I cried, worried she heard and saw everything.

"Since he opened my eyelids. But I kept them closed. I only opened them once, and I quickly squeezed them shut when I saw him shove down your pants... are they still down?"

"Uhm-uhm..."

"I'll keep my eyes closed, then." She sighed, "I hope the army surrounding the boat is my Dad. Do you think it's him?"

"I hope so," I breathed. "God, Everly, I sure hope it's him."

"Seraphine? Do you want some help getting your pants up?"

Oh God... I can't have her do that. I don't need her seeing my lower body. And what if he returns and sees her out of the restraints? He'll kill us both for sure.

"I don't think that's a good idea," I said as gunfire broke out above us.

"I'm getting us out of here. Don't worry, I can do this with my eyes closed," Everly quietly promised, making my heart race more than it was already.

I heard her handcuffs drop and knew she had freed her hands. Then, still with her eyes closed, she freed her ankles from the restraints. She was free and crawling toward me. Once she bumped into my feet, she said, "I'll help you with your pants before I unlock you."

Her hands slid up the sides of my legs until she got to the top of them. She hooked her fingers into the loops and pulled them up. "I can zip them. You can also open your eyes."

"Okay, I'll start freeing you from the chains and handcuffs then."

"Thanks, Everly."

"You're welcome. Now we have to figure out how to get out of here and to my Dad. If that's even him up there."

I hope it is.

Just when Everly freed me, my heart sank when the door opened. We both froze. Then Everly spun on her heel and stood by my side. It was Marina. And she was waving for us to come to her.

We both shook our heads.

"You're not in trouble. But if you want to leave here alive, you'll come with me."

"Where's Chadwick?"

She looked up. "He's busy up there with—"

"Is my dad here?" Everly shouted, taking my hand and pulling me with her.

"I don't know who they are. But there's fifty to a hundred of them. Maybe more," Marina said, hurriedly waving for us to get to her. "I don't know how you two got out of those restraints, but if I were to guess, my sister taught you how to pick locks," she said when we approached, her lips slowly curving into a proud grin. "It's how she escaped this nightmare twenty-five years ago," she told us, surprising me as she pulled our hands, running to the opposite end of the boat.

There was yelling and gunfire all over us. And it was scaring the shit out of me. Then, coming from a distance behind us, I heard, "Sara? Everly? Is that you?"

All three of us stopped and looked at each other. In unison, Everly and I said, "Marla." We spun around, and when she saw it was us, she ran toward us.

We let go of Marina's hand and ran towards her, both of us hugging her when we got to her. "I'm so glad you're okay! Both of you," she happily cried, squeezing us.

Then she let us go and held up her arm, aiming her gun at the woman who was helping us. My eyes widened, and I shoved down her arm. "Stop! Stop! STOP!" I shouted. "Don't you know who that is?"

Marla's eyes widened. She stepped back and blinked.

"Her name is Marina," Everly said. "Do you know her?"

Marla gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth. "Marina," she breathlessly said. "Is that you?" she asked, a tear slipping from her eye.

"Marla? ... Is that you?" Marina quietly said. "Is that really you?"

Everly and I jumped back when the gun fell from Marla's hand, and she ran toward her sister. Thankfully, the gun didn't go off, but Everly quickly picked it up, grabbed my hand, and held the barrel toward the ground as we ran to Marina and Marla.

The gunfire stopped above us, but there was still shouting. As Marla and Marina hugged each other, Everly and I slipped away from them and ran to an opening. Seeing a stairway, we ran up and stopped at the top.

There were bodies everywhere.

Off to the distance, there was shouting.

"That sounds like Dad," Everly whispered. "Come on. Let's go see."

My heart was racing like I had fifty espresso shots, and it only had me imagining how Everly's little heart was doing. My hands also trembled as we slowly tiptoed around the area, trying to head toward the shouting without getting caught.

"Where the fuck is my daughter and Seraphine?" Declan shouted. And I was more than relieved to hear his voice.

Everly looked up and around us as we slowly crept forward, stepping over bodies and around large crates of boxes of whatever they were. Then we got to an opening, and I stopped when I saw Declan holding a gun to Chadwick's head, his hand around his neck, shoved up against the wall.

Looking around us, I panicked when I saw guns drawn everywhere. A few of Chadwick's men were against Declan's large crew, aiming their weapons at each other. I pulled Everly behind me and whispered, "Stay there."

I watched in horror.

"Where are the girls?" Declan seethed.

Chadwick grinned, then laughed. "They're gone. Gone. Gone. Gone..."

"Bullshit," Declan groaned, pressing the gun harder into his temple. "Tell me where they are!"

"They're on their way to being auctioned off," Chadwick taunted, lying through his teeth. Declan whacked him in the head with the gun, and Chadwick taunted him with an evil laugh. "Call Felicity. She'll tell you as she's been waiting for their arrival..." he laughed again. "You might want to call and tell her we're running a little behind schedule."

Everly gasped and squealed, "Mom? My mom's in on this?"

I swallowed—hard. I was hoping Everly didn't hear what was said. And because of what Chadwick admitted to me of what he'd done to Declan and me—and Everly, I wanted to do nothing more than to walk right over to them and end that evil man's life.

Just as I stepped forward, I was pulled back. "Don't you dare," Marla warned.

With my eyes on Declan and Chadwick, I shrugged off her hand and angrily said, "I'm going. I can't take it anymore. I've heard and had enough."

"Sara. Let Declan handle it."

I spun around and glared at her, hissing, "No. Chadwick molested me in front of Everly with a gun earlier. I'm done. If I go to jail. I go to jail. I don't give a shit anymore. It's time he pays for everything he's done. And I'm the one who needs to show him his fate for hurting me all these years. If I die, I die. At least I'll die knowing he can no longer hurt me."

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!!🤞🤞