I felt weightless, like I was floating between worlds. My eyelids fluttered, heavy, resisting the urge to open. For a moment, wasn’t sure if I was still trapped in that warehouse, tied to a chair, helpless, surrounded by faceless monsters. The thought made my heart race, but slowly, reality began to settle in. I was on a bed. The sheets were cool against my skin, and I could hear the steady beep of a machine nearby. My eyes finally opened.
The hospital. I blinked, the dim glow of the monitor next to me illuminating the room. A drip was attached to my arm, and my throat felt dry, raw, like I hadn’t spoken in days. Outside, it was dark. The window framed a city skyline, lights blinking far in the distance, as if life had gone on while I was frozen in place. But what caught my attention most wasn’t the machines or the darkness outside it was the man napping in the chair beside my bed,
Alexander Williams Alistair. My ex–husband. The father of my children. The last time I saw him… God. I swallowed hard as the memory surfaced. The morning after we spent together, the feel of his touch still lingered on my skin. I’d walked him out of my room, my heart in turmoil, and now here he was, looking impossibly composed even as he slept. He sat as though he were conducting a business meeting, shoulders squared, his jaw set even in slumber.
I was shocked to see him here, though I shouldn’t have been. This was Alex. He was always there when things went wrong. when chaos ruled, and somehow he would bring order back to everything. But this time was different. This time, I had been the one pulled into the chaos.
Before I could dwell on it any longer, as if sensing my gaze, Alex stirred. His eyes opened, sharp and alert in an instant, locking onto mine. He was out of the chair in a heartbeat, crossing the space between us in long strides.
“Christiana…“. His voice was low, filled with relief, his hands reaching for mine. “You’re awake… thank God.”
I could see the tension in his face, the worry he had been holding back, now barely restrained. He hovered over me, his fingers brushing the back of my hand as if afraid I might disappear. I wanted to say something, to acknowledge his presence, but when I opened my mouth, nothing came out. My throat burned, the words stuck. A hoarse sound escaped, and then-
Tears
It was like a dam had broken inside me, everything I had been holding back during those terrifying hours of captivity flooding out in hot, uncontrollable sobs. The fear of never seeing my children again, of leaving them to grieve a mother they didn’t even get to say goodbye to… it overwhelmed me.
“Hey, hey, shh…” Alex’s voice was gentle, though I could hear the edge of panic in it. He didn’t know why I was crying, but he held me anyway, pulling me into his arms with such care, as if I might break. His hand stroked my back softly, his breath steady in contrast to my ragged sobs. “It’s okay. you’re safe now You’re here, Christiana. I’ve got you.”
But that only made me cry harder. I hadn’t felt safe for what felt like an eternity. The terror I had endured–being tied up, helpless, alone–it clawed at me, suffocating me even now. My body trembled in his arms, my tears soaking his shirt, and still, he didn’t let go.
“Don’t cry, please,” he murmured, his lips brushing my hair. “It’s over. You’re safe. We’ll find who did this. I swear to you.”
I couldn’t tell him that it wasn’t about revenge, not right now. It wasn’t about hunting down the people who had taken me. It was about the simple, raw truth that I had almost died. That I had been so close to never seeing my children again.
I couldn’t stop crying.
Alex pulled back just slightly, just enough to meet my eyes, his thumb brushing away the tears from my cheeks. His expression was torn–conflicted between anger and tenderness. He looked as though he wanted to ask a thousand questions but was holding them back, keeping them locked away because he knew I wasn’t ready.
I was grateful for that, for the way he chose to simply be here, by my side, offering his silent strength
“You don’t have to talk about it now,” he said softly. I’m not going anywhere.”
For the first time since opening my eyes, I believed him.
73
Chapter 92
My breathing began to steady, though my heart still raced with the remnants of fear. The tears slowed, but I could feel their weight behind my eyes, threatening to spill over again. Alex’s presence was both comforting and confusing. The way he held me, so close, as if I meant the world to him, made everything worse because it reminded me of the life I almost lost.
“I don’t know how to… to explain.” I finally croaked, my voice raw. Every word scratched at my throat, but I had to speak. The truth was clawing its way out of me. It was… it was hell, Alex.”
He tensed, his hands stilling on my back, though his gaze never wavered. “What happened, Christiana? Who did this to you?”
I swallowed hard, the memories crashing into me all at once. I saw the cold concrete floor, the ropes cutting into my skin, the cruel faces of the men who had held me captive. My body flinched at the thought of them, of their sneers and threats. but I pushed through it.
“I was tied up… I couldn’t move… They left me alone in that room for hours. I didn’t know if they’d come back to kill me or…. or worse.” I felt Alex’s grip on me tighten, his jaw clenching with barely restrained anger. “I thought I was going to die there. I kept thinking about the kids… wondering if I’d ever see them again.”
A shudder ran through me, and Alex’s hand moved to cradle the back of my head, his touch achingly tender. “You’re here now he whispered, though his voice was thick with emotion. “You made it through.”
I bit my lip, trying to gather the courage to continue. “I don’t know how they let me go, but they did. I got out of there and took a cab back to the hotel. But I was so weak, Alex. I passed out the moment I walked through the door. The bodyguards… they must have found me and brought me here.
Alex’s face darkened, his eyes clouded with fury and something else–guilt, perhaps. “I should’ve been there. I should’ve-”
“Don’t I interrupted, shaking my head weakly. “There was nothing you could’ve done. I was so careful, but they… they found me anyway. They wanted me dead, Alex.”
His eyes bore into mine, searching for answers, for the name of the monster who had put me through this. I hesitated for a moment, knowing that once I said it, everything would change. But he deserved to know. I couldn’t keep it from him, not after everything.
“It was Bianca.” The words felt like acid on my tongue. “She… she’s the one who sent them. She wanted me gone.”
For a second. Alex just stared at me, as if he couldn’t process what I had just said. And then, the rage in his eyes burned brighter than I’d ever seen. His jaw clenched, his fists tightened, and I could feel the barely contained storm within him.
“Bianca,” he repeated, his voice low, dangerous. “She did this to you?”
I nodded, my body trembling again. “She hired them. She wanted me dead. She didn’t care about the kids, about anything. She just wanted me out of the picture.
The silence between us was thick, heavy with the weight of what I had just revealed. Alex’s eyes were blazing with fury, his body rigid with the need for vengeance, but he held it in check for me.
“I’ll make her pay,” he finally said, his voice barely more than a growl. “She’ll never touch you again. I swear it
I closed my eyes, exhaustion pulling me under once more. But even in the haze of my fading consciousness, I knew one thing for certain: Bianca ha
d made a fatal mistake,
And I would make sure she regretted it.
