Chapter 54

▫️STELLA'S  POV...

I swallowed the lump in my throat, forcing my tears back as the saleslady approached. She looked concerned, eyes scanning my face like she already knew something was wrong.

"Are you okay?" she asked gently.

No. I wasn’t.

"My detective just told me my husband cheated on me, again," I lied, my voice shaking. "And now he wants to lock me inside his penthouse so I don’t ruin his public reputation by divorcing him."

Her eyes widened in shock. She gasped, hand flying to her mouth. "Oh my God, that’s horrible! Can I help you in some way?"

I nodded frantically. "Yes! Just stop the guards from catching me. I need to run away—I can’t let him trap me again. He’ll kill me."

The saleslady hesitated, then nodded. "I’ll help you. Hurry!"

She led me toward the back of the shop, pushing open a hidden exit door. Without wasting another second, I bolted.

The cold air hit my face as I sprinted through the parking alley. My heart hammered against my ribs as I reached my car, yanked the door open, and threw myself inside. Hands trembling, I started the engine and sped the fuck out of there.

I didn’t care about traffic rules. Didn’t care if I crashed. The only thing that mattered was getting away.

My parents’ house was four hours away. I just needed to make it there.

Soon I pulled on the highway, less traffic and atleast peace.

My phone rang.

Chris.

I almost ignored it, but if I didn’t pick up, he’d know something was wrong. With a shaky breath, I pressed accept.

"Where the fuck are you, Stella?" Chris’s voice boomed through the speaker. "Why did you trick the guards?"

I gritted my teeth. "I’m leaving."

Silence.

Then, calmer, he asked, "Where are you going?" His voice was different now—controlled. "At least tell me that. I’ll take you wherever you want. But it’s not safe for you to roam without security. Tell me I'm coming."

I let out a bitter laugh. "Oh, so you can hurt me like my family?"

Pause.

Chris sighed. "Stella, I can explain—"

"Explain?" My grip on the steering wheel tightened. "Explain how you fucking ruined my mother’s life? How you made her handicapped?!"

He stayed silent.

"Chris, you chopped her fucking hands off!" My voice cracked, my entire body shaking in rage. "You destroyed her life!"

Chris inhaled sharply. "Stella—"

"Stay the fuck away from me!" I screamed. "I don’t want to see your face ever again. Forget you even had a wife named Stella."

"Don’t you fucking dare say that," he growled. "You’re not going anywhere."

"As if I’ll listen to a mentally unstable sadistic bastard like you! Fuckkk offff you asshole." I shot back.

His voice turned deadly. "You’re mine, Stella. And I'll decide if I had a wife named Stella or not. Just wait baby, I'm coming. Love you sweetheart."

I ended the call and threw my phone onto the passenger seat, wiping my tears away angrily.

His silence proved he did this to my mom. That means he'll take revenge and will surely kill me. That means his love is a fake act. He just hate me.

I hate you Christian fucking Knight.

Two more hours. Just two more hours, and I’d reach my parents. I’d get my answers of why. I’d make sure they were safe.

As I turned on the road—I saw it.

A fucking helicopter.

Right there, blocking the road in the middle of forest.

And leaning against it like a goddamn villain was Chris. Dominating bastard. Too desperate to kill me.

His suit was slightly undone, his sleeves rolled up, and that fucking smirk played on his lips like he’d won. Like he knew this would happen. Like he had planned every single step of my downfall.

What he thinks of himself, can't he do something normally. Why he have to act all heroic all the times?

My stomach dropped.

But there's a way, I'll take u-turn.

I glanced at the rearview mirror.

Four black cars.

Trapping me.

No. No. NO. Fuck.

I get out of the car. Chris took a step forward.

Slow. Confident. Deadly.

Fuck.

But I'm not going to surrender. I ran, straight into the forest.

Branches scratched against my skin as I sprinted, my breath coming out in ragged gasps. The uneven ground made me stumble, but I didn’t stop.

I risked a glance back, Chris was chasing me.

And he wasn’t running.

He was stalking like a psychopath.

His movements were smooth, controlled, like a predator closing in on its prey. He didn’t need to rush. He knew I’d break before he did.

"Stella," his voice was deep, teasing, amused. "You can run all you want, baby. But you know how this ends. So you better don't strain your fragile muscles."

"FUCK OFF, CHRIS!" I gasped, pushing myself harder.

I was running on pure fear now.

But I wasn’t fast enough.

I could have run faster, but my lazy ass didn’t allow me.

My legs were moving, but damn, I could feel every ounce of regret in my bones. Why didn’t I hit the gym? Why did I eat that extra slice of cake everytime? Why was Christian Knight built like an athlete while I was out here like a hippopotamus?

My foot caught on a tree root, and I fell hard, hitting the ground with a painful thud.

Pain shot up my leg, but I scrambled up and kept running. I couldn’t stop.

"Leave me alone!" I screamed, my voice cracking.

Chris’s dark laugh sent shivers down my spine. "You’re not deciding that, love." His voice was taunting, arrogant. "I keep my loved ones close. And you are my heart. How can one survive without his heart?"

I choked on a sob. "I know you’re going to kill me!"

Chris let out a low chuckle. "Even if you were at fault, even if you committed an unforgivable crime and thousands of murder..." his voice dropped into something dangerous, something almost soft—"I wouldn’t lay a fucking finger on you sweetheart."

Bloody liar.

But I couldn’t stop to argue.

Then, I saw it—a fucking house.

In the middle of the goddamn forest.

It didn’t make sense, but I didn’t care. I just needed to get there.

But Chris was too close now.

My eyes flicked back, and my stomach dropped.

He had a knife.

FUCK.

Terror shot through me like a bullet. My legs nearly gave out beneath me.

"Chris, please! Don’t kill me!" I sobbed.

He rolled his eyes. "It’s to mark the way back, dumbass."

I exhaled sharply. Relief.

But then—what if he was lying?

My body was trembling, my lungs burning, but I pushed myself forward.

And then—I lost.

My body collapsed, hitting the cold ground.

The day was too quiet now. The deep, eerie sounds of the forest mixed with my heavy breathing.

And then, he was there.

Standing over me.

His eyes were dark, unreadable. His breath steady. His body radiating control.

Chris crouched, his fingers brushing against my cheek, pushing strands of hair away. Too soft.

"Let’s go, baby," he murmured.

I let out a strangled sob. "At least let me breathe," I whispered.

Chris smirked. "Then take your breath in my arms."

Tears slipped down my cheeks. "I hate you," I whimpered.

"I love you baby" he smirked.

And then—I tried.

I aimed a kick straight for his balls.

But he caught my leg effortlessly, shaking his head in amusement.

"Nice try, sweetheart."

Before I could react, he lifted me, throwing me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing.

I screamed, kicked, fought—but it was fucking useless.

We reached the road. The cars. The chopper.

He throw me in the chopper.

And then—sharp pain.

A needle.

My vision blurred. My body went numb.

The last thing I saw was Chris’s face, his smirk fading into something unreadable, before everything went dark.