Chapter 56

🥀Betty’s POV...

I shouldn't have trusted that man to handle Chris. I should have known better.

With shaky hands, Tom quickly sent him a message. His reply came almost instantly:

"Do you remember Stella’s dad?"

A chill ran down my spine. How does he know about that?

"How do you know about him?" Tom typed back.

"I know everything."

I hesitated before replying. "What’s with him?"

"If Christian tries to hurt you, just tell him the name. He will kill her before he kills you."

I sighed in frustration. That’s not going to save us.

"Just trust me," he said.

Trust him? The hell I would. I should have told Christian the truth from the beginning. God knows what he’s going to do now.

And that Stella bitch, instead of helping us after seeing us in this mess, she ran straight to her husband and told him everything. Useless brat.

A sudden knock on the door snapped me out of my thoughts. Probably a neighbor or a delivery.

Tom threw a shawl over my shoulders to make me look less miserable and went to open the door. I followed to do the talking.

The moment Tom pulled the door open, guns were pointed at us.

Christian’s guards.

Before we could even think of running, they grabbed us, tied our hands, and threw us into a car. Again.

I knew where we were going. Back to hell.

The Hell Room.

The moment we were shoved inside, I saw him.

Christian Knight. That motherfucker.

Sitting there, waiting. His cold eyes locked onto me like a predator eyeing its prey.

I swallowed hard and spoke quickly, "Mr. Knight, I’ll tell you everything honestly. Just don’t hurt us."

He smirked.

That son of a bitch.

I swear, one day, I’ll destroy him. One day.

Christian leaned back. "You could have spoken honestly on the phone, but you chose to trick me. And I hate liars."

I clenched my fists. "What if Stella lies to you? Will you hate her too?"

His laugh sent shivers down my spine. A cruel, mocking laugh.

"She gets a free pass in everything." His smirk widened. "You’re only alive because you gave birth to her. So don’t compare yourself to her, okay? She’s mine and you are nothing."

I nodded quickly. No point in arguing.

"But please, don’t hurt us. I’ll tell you everything."

He tilted his head. "I’ll decide after I hear you."

I wasted no time. I knew his twisted mind well enough—if I hesitated, he’d take it the wrong way.

"I got a message. They offered me money, any amount I wanted if I sent them our picture. They said they’d use it to create differences between you and Stella. I got greedy and said yes. That’s the truth. I swear."

Silence.

Then Christian laughed.

A deep, amused, dangerous laugh.

Did he read the messages?

No. I had deleted them before they dragged us here. So how does he know?

Is he bluffing?

I forced myself to stay calm. Confidence. If I act guilty, I’m dead.

"That’s the only truth," I repeated firmly.

Christian suddenly pulled out his gun and pointed it straight at me.

"You jerks." His voice was ice-cold. "What do you think? That I know nothing?"

My breath hitched.

"What about the other part?"

My heart pounded. Other part?

"There’s no other part!" I swore.

But inside, I was terrified.

If he knows...if he really knows...we’re dead.

💍Christian’s POV...

I searched their faces for any sign of fear, guilt, anything. But there was nothing.

Rage boiled inside me. "BLOODY LIARS!" I roared.

Betty and Tom stumbled back, their expressions twisting in panic.

"No, we aren’t!" Betty blurted out.

I scoffed. "What about the plan? Where you were planning to sell your own daughter?"

She didn’t even flinch. Instead, she smirked. "Now that you know, let me tell you something else. They were offering more money than she's even worth."

Worth?

I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my skin.

"Do you even understand what selling her to my enemies means?" I asked, my voice dangerously calm.

Betty spat out her answer without hesitation.

"Yes, we know. They will rape her, kill her, that’s it. Nothing more. We had the chance to get the money and get rid of her."

My body went rigid.

For the first time in my life, I felt true disgust.

"You don’t deserve to be her parents," I growled. "In fact, you don’t even deserve to live. What’s your worth, huh? NOTHING. USELESS."

I took a deep breath, forcing my anger into cold, calculated control.

Stella can cry one more day. That will be for her own good. These bastards will always try to hurt her. They have no remorse, no shame. They don’t even flinch at selling her. But I can't tell her this, she'll be shattered.

"Since you made such a wise decision," I said mockingly, "let me give you two options."

Their eyes widened.

"First, I’ll chop you both to death with my own hands. It’ll be an honor."

I took a step closer, my voice dropping to a whisper.

"Second, I’ll drain out your blood, slow and painful. Let you die in agony. Choose."

For a second, silence.

Then… Betty laughed.

Laughed.

Maybe she lost her mind.

"If you kill us," she said, her voice filled with something dark, "who will tell you about Stella’s past?"

I glared at her. "Not interested."

She smirked. "Don't you want to know who is her real father?"

I froze.

"What?"

Betty’s smirk widened. "Tom is sterile."

Bullshit.

"You’re lying."

"Check the DNA reports if you don’t believe me. Stella isn’t his daughter."

My mind raced, but I refused to show any reaction. "Then whose daughter is she?"

Betty leaned forward. "I’ll tell you on one condition—leave us. Don’t kill us."

I clenched my jaw. Fucking manipulative bitch.

"It doesn’t matter," I said coldly. "Whoever’s daughter she is—I don’t care. I only care about her."

Betty smiled.

"Even if I say she’s Dmitri Mikhailov’s daughter?"

A growl ripped from my throat.

"THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?"

She smirked.

I stormed out of the room, my mind spiraling. No. No fucking way.

The Truth That Shouldn't Exist.

I found MJ and Liam. Nick and Ava were with Stella.

I forced the words out. "Betty said Stella's real father is Dmitri Mikhailov."

They both shocked. Genuine reaction. Out of all the people on earth, him , only him.

Liam was the first to speak. "I think she is lying.

MJ said"Are you going to do the DNA test?"

I ran a hand through my hair. "I don’t want to. What if it’s true?"

Liam’s voice was calm. "Will it change anything?"

I didn’t hesitate. "No. Never. I love her. I don’t care if she’s that bastard’s daughter. But if it’s true… it will put her in danger."

MJ crossed his arms. "Then let’s confirm it first. If it's true, it stays between us only. And just kill that bitch Betty."

I nodded.

We took the doctor to the hell room. Blood samples were taken from Betty and Tom. Then, we went to Stella’s room.

She was still unconscious.

The doctor carefully took her sample and left.

I stayed behind.

I sat beside her, watching her fragile body.

For the first time in a long time, I felt helpless.

"What the hell is happening, baby?" I whispered.

She didn’t answer. She couldn’t.

"Why is your life always at stake? Is it because you’re with me?"

I took her cold hand in mine, holding on like she was the only thing keeping me sane.

Because she was.

And if it's about her, it's me against the world.