Bonds

Chapter Izo

-Maya’s POV-

My head felt like a hollow shell, devoid of any thoughts or memories. The very concept of death, something I’d always pushed to the back of my mind, was now a terrifying reality I couldn’t escape.

Would it be like this?

My soul leaving my body, a helpless observer as my physical form grew cold and lifeless?

The inside of my skull was a vast emptiness, yet a searing pain pulsed through my body, so intense it threatened to consume me whole.

Was this it?

Was this what death felt like?

Had I finally received the answer to a question I hadn’t dared to ask myself before?

Then, a noxious stench, sharp and acrid, invaded my senses, snapping me back to a semblance of awareness. It filled the void in my mind, forcing reality back into focus. The hospital. The drive to the airport. The sickening crunch of metal as our car collided with another. The concrete wall looming impossibly close… and then, darkness.

My eyes flew open, a scream tearing from my throat. “Ivy! Nate!

Panic surged through me as I tried to sit up, but my body wouldn’t obey. I was strapped tightly to a rickety wooden chair, my arms and legs secured with rough rope that bit into my skin. Fear, cold and primal, clawed at my throat.

Where was I?

What was happening?

I renewed my struggles, desperate to break free. But with each strained movement, a wave of weakness washed over me. My breath hitched in my throat, and I screamed again, my voice hoarse and raw. “Ivy! Nate! Someone please! Who’s there? Where are my children? Let me go!”

decay. Rough, damp stone formed the walls, and the floor was slick with a layer of grime. A single, flickering

and unsettling. Exposed pipes snaked along the walls, dripping with condensation that pattered onto the floor in a rhythmic counterpoint

hooks embedded in the walls, some dangling ominously empty, others bearing the weight of heavy shackles. The room was an absolute nightmare, a place reeking of dampness, despair, and something far

for answers. Where was I? Who had taken me? Most importantly, where were the

to get out of here, I reached out with my mind. But the familiar presence was numb. She was there, trapped within my own head, unable to respond, just like she

voice echoing off the stone walls, a pathetic sound swallowed by the

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Chapter 128

no answer, no sound except for the dripping water and the frantic hammering of my own

jump. “Will you please shut up?

the flickering light and I saw Adrian standing in the shadows, his

through me, momentarily eclipsing the fear that had me paralyzed. “You fucking bastard! Let me go right now! Where are my children? I swear on the Moon Goddess,

of his hand. “Stop the shouting. You’re getting on

get back at Alex, leave

finally gets a mention. How’s

my mind. “It was you! You sent the footage!

to the world. You were too busy chasing after him to see anything else. Seems you lean more towards the ‘stupid‘ side than

mixture of fear and fury. “Were you the one sending the messages? All of

for me to blackmail. Alex

this? Why kidnap me? Where are the twins?” My mind raced, desperately searching for an escape plan, anything to get out of

he was studying some fascinating specimen. “I can’t believe you still love

and let me go! If you have some sick revenge plot with Alex, take it

Adrian’s lips as he took a step back. “I didn’t bring you here, Amaya. I’m just here to enjoy the show,” he added with a theatrical flourish,

the hell are you talking about?” I snapped, my voice raw with a mixture of terror and fury. “Screw you and screw whatever this is all

wasn’t a friendly smile, it was a smile filled with a chilling amusement, a promise of something dark and twisted. He held my gaze for a moment,