Chapter 99: Chapter 99

ALICIA

It takes me a while to open my eyes because they're heavy, but when I do, I'm rewarded with darkness.

My heart hammers in my chest as I try to sit up but there seems to be a log of wood lying on my stomach. I blink repeatedly, trying to clear away the cobwebs from my head as I look around. Indiscernible shapes loom in the darkness and my heart beats even harder. I take measured breaths and squint into the darkness.

Yes - I can see a couch and floor-to-ceiling curtains.

My eyes continue to scan the length and breadth of the room trying to understand why I'm not in my own room. It all comes flooding back into my consciousness like an electrical jolt.

Clarissa tricked me.

The lying bitch said she wanted to take me somewhere special, just us two for a girl's night out. I dressed up. I even bought a dress for crying out loud. She did my makeup, the treacherous wench, and then I was ushered- more like- bustled, into a cab, and can you believe that I was also blindfolded? She said it was a surprise and didn't want me to ruin it, that I'd love the place when we get there.

So I went along with it. To shut me up, she handed me my favorite chocolate drink, and I latched onto the straw like my life depended on it until every last drop was inside my system. I remember feeling drowsy shortly after and I needed help in coming out of the cab. Actually, someone other than her - someone stronger had helped me out of it.

And then I was being led inside somewhere, but it seemed too quiet to be a club or a restaurant but I just waited. The blindfold was removed after some time and there I stood looking around, rage simmering on the surface ready to blow a gasket. As I'd turned to Clarissa who was cowering beside Night eyes, I slumped.

So, here I am in Ash's room and hating every minute of it. As I try to stand, the log around my stomach tightens and a voice - a husky one - speaks out.

"Where are you going?"

"Ash? The thump thump of my heart is like a loud drum in my ears. "That you?"

"In the flesh, baby."

A light is put on, flooding the room. That's when I see his smirking face as the words he spoke earlier, flood my mind. Don't you for once think that what we have is over. I swear, I'll find a way to get us together once more.

He planned this whole thing, with Clarissa no doubt. I want to be angry at him, but that emotion refuses to well up. Instead, joy and happiness flood me as I fully turn to look at him.

"You told Clarissa to drug me."

The asshole doesn't even try to deny it as he shrugs. "It was the only way I could get you to come here."

"Ha! What makes you think I can't leave now?" I arch a brow daring him to say what I think he will.

I'm bowled over when a smirk appears on his face and he jets up from the bed, throwing over his shoulder. "Go for it."

I ponder on his words because he can't possibly give in that easily. It took him some planning with Clarissa to get her to be convinced to kidnap me so yeah, I'm positive he won't allow me to leave so easily.

"Where's my baby?" I follow him into the bathroom and he turns around to face me, palming his dick in the process.

"Our baby is safe with Clarissa's parents. Don't worry, this arrangement is only for a while until things cool down."

"What did you do?" My heart once more begins to hammer inside my chest as a palpable fear takes root.

"Something I should have done a long time ago." He walks to the urinal and drags down his sweatpants. I'm frozen as I watch him bring out his dick and pee. "Now, unless you plan to stand there and watch me, which I don't mind, but I gotta tell you something. Watching you watching me pee is turning me on, so if you know you don't want my hands on you. . . yet, I suggest you be a good girl and wait in the room."

He looks at me over his shoulder and sucks on his lower lip. My face heats up and I make a quick getaway with the sounds of his chuckles egging me on as I practically sprint out. While he does his business in the toilet, I walk to the adjoining room and stop short when I see that all the clothes I have are still intact. Many still with tags on them. They're all bagged to avoid dust. Even at that, the bags are devoid of dust leading me to the realization that someone has been coming in here to clean it. Hilda, maybe.

My hands hover on top of the clothes as memories spill, unbidden, inside my mind. Fond memories and not-so-fond ones. If things had been different, I would probably be married to Ash now and we'd be a happy family. Me, him, and Lily. Yes, I know I might even been pregnant again with our second child.

"All your things are still intact and waiting for you." I hear from behind me. I don't bother turning around because I'm too emotional right now and wouldn't want to cry in his presence. "You never left my heart, Amore Mio."

"But you did, mine." I whip around, tension curling inside my stomach light a tight knot. "You can't just wish away the last year like it didn't happen. I almost lost my life, Ash." I shake my head as the usual distraught feeling slips into me. "I didn't even remember I had a daughter. . . and it's all because of you."

My chest hitches and the tears I've been keeping at bay threaten to spill over, but I close my eyes and force myself to breathe through the pain threatening to tear me to pieces. When I open my eyes again, I notice a pained expression on Ash's face which he does nothing to hide from me. He tries to speak but I put up a hand to stop him.

"The least you can do is stop the threat looming over my head and my baby's. Stop it, Ash, or I promise you there won't be anywhere in this world you'll be able to hide from me." My tone is ominous and brooks no-nonsense as I walk out of the room.

*

This house is like a maze.

No! A mausoleum.

I have wandered into rooms I never cared to notice before because Ash took all of my time when we were dating. Now, I don't want him near me and he doesn't let me leave. That has almost driven me crazy with not knowing what to do all day, so I've wandered around and I'm still wandering. There's a complete building underground the main house encased separately from the main building.

I've seen panic rooms before on Tv, but this is like a whole panic building, one where you can stay and no one will even know you exist. It has ten rooms with affixed bathrooms, a ginormous kitchen stocked with groceries, canned food, fridges, freezers, and guess what - I bumped into a room filled with guns and weapons.

Turns out I never really knew Ash after all. Speaking of Ash, he disappears every day like clockwork and I don't get to see him until it's nighttime. He comes back looking spent, with red eyes and dark bags underneath them. I know he's not using drugs, but something else is going on. Something to do with handling his scorned woman.

My heart goes out to him but I steel myself but I shake it off because it's his fault I'm in this mess in the first place. Although, if I'm to be honest, I can't blame anyone but myself. Yes, he made the first move toward me, but I fell for him and pursued him relentlessly. Look where it got me. And now, I'm a prisoner in the same house I used to cherish so much. Guards are everywhere I turn and I can't even go out into the garden without eyes trailing my every move. It's exactly like how it was when his twin was alive, except multiplied times two.

My phone rings in my hand and I sigh when I see Dan's name. I haven't heard from him in a week, and now out of the blue, he just calls. At first, I don't want to answer, but I'm bored out of my mind so on the third ring, I pick up his call and quicken my steps out of the panic building.

"Alicia, how are you doing?"

Typical Dan asking right off the bat how I'm feeling. Always a gentleman. Unfortunately, my taste has been tainted by an enigmatic man prone to getting me into trouble. I force myself to concentrate on what he's saying.

"Would you like to hang out with me tonight? I know this cute restaurant that just opened."

I exhale a sigh because I would have loved to go if only to get away from here but I can't. I'm under lock and key.

"I'm sorry, Dan, I truly wish I could but I can't."

"Is it work? School? Or Lily? Is she alright?"

My heart tightens in my chest at the mention of my baby's name.

"No, it's not work and Lily is fine. It's just. . . I can't, okay, I'm sorry, but we'll just have to talk some other time." And I cut the call immediately.

It doesn't take long before my phone is beeping once again. I huff in annoyance and pick it. "I already told you-"

"Hey, Lis."

I'm quiet for a while as shock lines my insides. She doesn't wait for me to reply, just blunders ahead.

"I know I'm not your favorite person now, but you have to understand that I did it so you could be free and be safe to have a better life with-"

"Ash? A better life hiding away? I don't even go to work anymore, neither am I able to see my daughter and you call that a life?" My voice cracks a bit at the end.

"Ash is going to make things alright at the end, although it may take a while but just rest assured and take comfort in the fact that he's working on it. I just need you to please forgive me, please, you're my best friend and we've got lots of shared memories together, I don't wanna be without you."

An idea forms in my mind as I listen to her. "You say you don't wanna lose me, yeah?"

"A hundred percent."

"Okay, cool, now if you want me to forgive you - listen up."