Chapter 13
Victoria’s breath hitched at Damian’s words, the intensity in his voice and the raw emotion in his eyes nearly undoing her resolve.
“I would never hurt the mother of my child,” he had said, his voice trembling with something close to desperation.
For a moment, she wanted to believe him. To believe that there was still some shred of humanity in the man who had once promised her the world. But that moment was fleeting. A shadow passed over her face, and reality came crashing back.
She snapped her arm away from his grip, her eyes blazing with fury. “Get away from me,” she hissed, her voice low and venomous.
“Victoria,” Damian said, his voice pleading now. “I—”
“Don’t,” she cut him off, her voice shaking but resolute. “Don’t you dare say another word to me. Not after what you’ve done.”
He reached out to her again, his expression anguished, but she stepped back sharply, her heels clicking against the cold floor. “Don’t touch me,” she spat. “You don’t get to comfort me, Damian. Not after you—” Her voice broke, and she swallowed hard, forcing herself to stand tall. “Not after you murdered me.”
Damian’s face twisted with pain, but she refused to let it sway her. She turned on her heel and strode toward the door, her hands trembling as she pushed it open with more force than necessary.
“Victoria!” Damian called after her, his voice echoing in the empty hallway.
She didn’t stop. She couldn’t. The walls seemed to close in around her as she walked briskly toward the exit, her breathing shallow, her heart pounding. She needed to get out. She needed to escape the suffocating toxicity of Damian and Selena, of this entire nightmare she had walked back into.
Her mind raced as she descended the stairs, her hand trailing along the railing to steady herself. Maybe she had been wrong to come back. Maybe revenge wasn’t worth the toll it was taking on her soul. What kind of life could she give her child if she stayed here, surrounded by snakes?
When she finally reached the parking lot, the cold night air hit her like a slap. She exhaled shakily, her breath visible in the chill as she hurried toward her car. She fumbled in her bag for her keys, her thoughts a tangled mess of anger, regret, and exhaustion.
But then she stopped in her tracks.
Her car was barely recognizable.
The windows were smashed, the tires slashed, and the once-pristine black paint was defaced with jagged, blood-red letters that screamed at her:
DISAPPEAR OR DIE.
Victoria froze, her blood running cold as the words seemed to glow menacingly under the harsh parking lot lights. For a moment, she couldn’t move, couldn’t think. Her mind replayed the earlier threats—Selena’s crazed warning, the note left on her pillow.
Her stomach twisted, and she instinctively placed a protective hand over it, shielding the life growing inside her.
“Not now,” she whispered to herself, her voice trembling. “Don’t fall apart now.”
But her body betrayed her. Her knees buckled, and she caught herself against the side of the car, her hand smearing against the painted threat. The red streak on her palm made her stomach churn.
Footsteps echoed in the distance, and she whipped her head around, her heart racing. The parking lot was empty except for the flickering light above and the faint hum of the city beyond.
She straightened, her jaw tightening as adrenaline began to course through her veins. “Who’s there?” she demanded, her voice sharp despite the fear gnawing at her insides.
Silence.
She clenched her fists, her knuckles white. “I’m not scared of you!” she shouted, her voice echoing in the stillness.
But she was.
She was terrified.
For the first time since her return, doubt crept into her mind. Maybe she wasn’t as in control as she had thought. Maybe she had underestimated the lengths her enemies would go to.
She forced herself to step back from the car, her breaths coming in sharp, uneven gasps. She couldn’t stay here. She couldn’t trust this place, these people. Damian’s words, Selena’s threats, and now this—all of it was proof that this was a battlefield, and she was walking on landmines.
She reached into her bag, her fingers fumbling over her phone as she dialed Elena’s number.
“Victoria?” Elena’s voice answered almost immediately, tinged with concern. “What’s wrong?”
“They know,” Victoria said, her voice shaking as she stared at the red letters. “Whoever it is, they know I’m alive. It’s not just Selena and Damian. My car—” She broke off, swallowing hard. “It’s vandalized. They left a message.”
“What message?” Elena asked, her tone sharp now.
Victoria hesitated, her voice barely above a whisper as she read the words aloud. “Disappear or die.”
There was a beat of silence on the other end of the line before Elena spoke again, her voice low and urgent. “Get somewhere safe. Now. Don’t go home. Don’t go anywhere predictable. I’ll meet you—”
“No,” Victoria interrupted, her voice firm despite the fear clawing at her throat. “I can handle this.”
“Victoria, this isn’t—”
“I said I can handle it!” she snapped, her anger flaring. She couldn’t let herself crumble, not now. Not when she was so close.
She hung up before Elena could argue and stood there for a moment, her chest heaving as she stared at the vandalized car.
This was a warning. But it wasn’t just for her. It was for her child.
Her hand drifted to her stomach again, and a wave of determination washed over her. She wouldn’t run. She wouldn’t disappear. Not this time.
But as she turned to leave the parking lot, her phone buzzed in her hand. It was a text from an unknown number:
“You were warned. Next time, it’s not just your car.”
