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!”

becoming horrifyingly clear. I was in a cramped,dimly lit room, the air thick with the stench of sewage and decay. Rough, damp stone formed the walls, and the floor was slick with a layer of grime. A

movements jerky and unsettling. Exposed pipes snaked along the

some dangling ominously empty, others bearing the weight of heavy shackles.

raced, desperate for answers. Where was I? Who had taken me? Most

wolf 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 had been for the

screamed again, my voice echoing off the stone walls, a pathetic sound swallowed by the oppressive silence

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Chapter 128

dripping water and the frantic

through the oppressive silence, making me jump. “Will

saw Adrian standing in the shadows, his face contorted in a look of

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

a dismissive wave of his hand. “Stop the shouting.

get back

is. The good old Alex finally gets a mention. How’s my dear old friend doing these days? Public enemy number

buried by fear and desperation, flickered to life in my mind. “It

as ever, aren’t we?” he mocked. “I told you I’d expose Alex to the world. You were too busy chasing after him to see anything else. Seems you lean more towards the ‘stupid‘ side

on, my voice trembling with a mixture of fear and fury. “Were you the one sending the

for me to blackmail. Alex is

twins?” My mind raced, desperately searching for an escape

fixed on me as if he was studying some fascinating specimen. “I can’t believe

let me go! If you have some sick revenge plot

didn’t bring you here, Amaya. I’m just here to enjoy the show,” he added with a theatrical flourish,

voice raw with a mixture of terror and fury. “Screw you and screw whatever this is all about! Let me go right now! I’m supposed to be at the airport with my children!

a smile that sent shivers down my spine. It wasn’t a friendly smile, it was a smile filled with a chilling amusement, a promise of something dark and twisted. He held my