Brenna Mann POV:
The car was a cage, hurtling down the highway, taking me further and further from the fragile new life I was trying to build. Davis' s words, his possessive claims, clawed at me. "You' re my wife! You belong to me!" They were words from a nightmare I couldn' t wake from.
I looked out the window, the city lights blurring into streaks of color. My injured hand throbbed, a constant reminder of his cruelty. My heart was a stone in my chest.
He sped up, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. "You' re mine, Brenna. You always have been. And you always will be."
I turned to him, my eyes burning with a cold fury. "I am not yours, Davis. I am no one' s. And if you force me to go back, you will regret it."
He scoffed, a humorless sound. "Regret? You think I regret anything when it comes to you? I' m protecting what' s mine."
Just then, his phone rang again. It was Kiley. His face softened, a stark contrast to the hard lines that had been etched there moments before.
"Kiley, baby, what' s wrong?" he murmured into the phone, his voice laced with a concern he had never shown me.
He listened for a moment, his face paling. "What? No! That' s impossible!"
He looked at me, his eyes blazing with renewed accusation. "It' s your fault, Brenna! Kiley says her mother' s condition has worsened. They' re saying… organ failure. It' s because of you!"
I met his gaze, my voice flat. "I saved her life, Davis. The rest is beyond my control. Or yours. Perhaps it' s karma."
He snarled, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. "Karma? Don' t you dare talk about karma! You' re the one who inflicted this! You poisoned her!"
"I performed the surgery flawlessly," I stated, my voice unwavering. "And you know it. Perhaps the problem isn' t with my skills, but with your choices."
He pulled the car over abruptly, slamming on the brakes. The sudden stop threw me forward, my head hitting the dashboard with a dull thud. Pain flared, but I ignored it.
"Get out!" he roared, his face contorted in a mask of pure rage. "Get out, Brenna! I never want to see your poisonous face again!"
He unlocked the door, his eyes blazing. "You' re nothing but a curse! A black cloud over my life! Get out!"
I looked at him, a dawning realization washing over me. This wasn't love. It was obsession, control. And now, pure hatred. His love was a twisted, dangerous thing.
I opened the door, stepping out onto the deserted street. The night air was cold, biting. He sped away, leaving me alone in the oppressive darkness, his taillights disappearing into the distance.
I stood there for a long moment, the chill seeping into my bones, my heart feeling as hollow as the abandoned street. Then, a shiver ran down my spine. The rustle of movement in the shadows.
A group of figures emerged from the darkness, their faces obscured by the dim light. Men. Large, menacing men.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" one of them leered, his voice coarse, dripping with malice. "Lost little lamb, are we?"
My heart pounded, a frantic drum in my chest. My injured hand throbbed, useless. I was vulnerable. Completely.
"Leave me alone," I said, my voice trembling, but I tried to project an air of defiance.
They laughed, a chorus of mocking, predatory sounds. "Looks like someone' s got a feisty one, boys."
One of them reached out, his greasy fingers brushing my hair. I flinched, repulsed.
"Don' t touch me!" I hissed, recoiling.
He laughed louder, his eyes glinting. "Oh, she' s really feisty! I like that."
I tried to back away, but they surrounded me, cutting off all escape routes. My mind raced, desperate for a plan, any plan. But my body was still weak, my hand useless.
"You don' t want to do this," I warned, my voice stronger now, trying to channel the defiance that had once scared even Davis. "You have no idea who I am."
They scoffed, unimpressed. "Oh, we know who you are, doc. The one who got thrown out by her rich husband. The one who' s all alone now."
My heart sank. Davis. He must have sent them. Another layer of his cruelty.
"What do you want?" I demanded, my voice tight.
"Just a little… fun," the leader said, his smile widening, revealing rotten teeth. "And maybe a message for your ex-husband. A little reminder of what he threw away."
My stomach churned. I knew what they meant. I hated Davis, but I wouldn't let them desecrate me in this way. Not now. Not when I was finally free of him.
I thought of Fabiola, of my mother. Their memory fueled a desperate surge of adrenaline.
I would not go down without a fight.
I feigned a stumble, then, with a sudden burst of energy, I lunged, aiming for the leader' s groin. He grunted in pain, doubling over. I pushed past him, sprinting into the darkness.
They shouted, giving chase. My injured hand screamed in protest, but I ignored it, pushing my body to its limits. I ran blind, desperate, the sounds of their heavy footsteps pounding behind me.
I saw it then-a glimmer of dark water in the distance. A lake. My only chance.
I didn' t hesitate. I ran towards it, their shouts growing louder, closer. I heard a splash, then another. They were entering the water.
With a desperate leap, I plunged into the freezing depths, the shock of the cold water taking my breath away. I resurfaced, gasping, my clothes heavy with water.
I heard their voices, muffled by the water, but still clear enough to send a fresh wave of terror through me.
"She' s in the water!" one of them yelled.
"Don' t let her get away!" another one shouted.
Then, a voice I didn' t recognize, low and menacing. "Get her. And make sure she knows who sent you. Tell her it' s a gift from Kiley."
Kiley.
A cold, hard realization settled in my chest. This wasn' t just Davis. This was Kiley. The woman who had killed my mother. The woman Davis had covered for.
My body was numb from the cold, but my mind was clearer than it had ever been. This wasn' t just about survival. It was about revenge. A cold, calculated, unforgiving revenge.
I would make them all pay.
