My Dad's Bestfriend

Chapter 228

Evelyn

My eyes blinked open to darkness. Well, a room barely deserving the name. Crumbling walls, shattered water pipes, and the constant drip of water hitting the damp floor surrounded me. The cold wetness had seeped through my boots, and sweat slicked my skin-not from heat, but from the suffocating gag biting into my mouth.

"Well, well." His voice slithered through the room, echoing off the broken walls and scraping against my nerves. "Someone's finally awake, huh?"

Through the haze of drowsiness, I saw him. Tyler. He stood before me, a knife glinting in his hand, the blade catching what little light filtered through the cracks. The silence wrapped around us, broken only by the distant chirping of crickets. No passing cars, no sign of life—just isolation. Wherever I was, it was a place no one with good intentions would tread.

He moved closer, his eyes as dark as his twisted heart. He crouched before me, his knife still in hand, his presence suffocating.

I pressed back against the chair, every inch of me recoiling. He'd positioned me against the wall-had he been afraid I might tip over and ruin his sick little game?

"Don't be scared, Belladonna." His voice dropped to a whisper, a cruel smile curling his lips. "We haven't even started yet."

The blade's cold edge traced over my jean-clad thigh, and a whimper slipped through my gag. My eyes followed the metal's path, but fear kept my lids pinned open. I couldn't look away. I couldn't risk not seeing what came next.

Tyler terrified me. He unraveled me down to my bones.

But then my gaze snagged on the bandage around my hand-the very hand he'd cut before. Confusion clawed its way through my fear. He'd patched me up, but why? Why tend to a wound if he planned worse?

The thought vanished as he pressed the knife's tip under my chin, tilting my head until our eyes met.

"Speaking of starting the game..." His tone was almost playful, but a sharp undercurrent of malice twisted every word. "Tell me, how should we begin?"

He leaned closer, his breath brushing against my skin. "You've got options, sweetheart, but every one of them ends with that cute little-what do you call it? Oh, Sienna." His tongue curled around the name, drawing it out. "Every path leads to your sweet Sienna being ripped right out of your belly. So, why not pick the quickest route? The sooner it's over, the better for you."

violent. The chair rattled beneath me, my body betraying the terror I couldn't hide. Even if someone were miles away, they'd know how badly

tried to speak, but the gag turned

to talk." Tyler chuckled, and with a casual cruelty, he yanked the gag free. Air rushed into my lungs, burning, sharp. My chest heaved as I sucked in breath

He feigned sympathy, a mocking tilt to his head. "I wondered if

My voice trembled, tears clouding my vision. "Whatever happened between us-my baby has nothing to do

against my lips,

okay," he whispered, his voice a silk-covered blade. "Don't rush. Breathe properly. If that baby dies in your womb, how will

but the words dripped with venom. They burrowed under my skin, embedding themselves

me in waves. His words, the cruelty in his eyes, the venom dripping from every syllable-this wasn't the Tyler

happened

question slipped past my lips, a whisper in the damp, rotting air. For a split second, something flickered in

but it was gone before I could

and

were

me. It changes things, you know? Teaches

introduces you to

convicts w

skin crawl. And when you've got nothing left to lose, well, you get to be your

presence. "The real Tyler Ricci. You're about to meet him, but what a shame-you'll die before you really get to know him." His head tilted, a mask

lungs fighting against the lingering fog of whatever sedative he'd used. My vision swam, the room twisting at the edges, but I forced my

selfish, and depraved person I've ever known I'll carry that hate to my graved

sharp moved through his expression,

want, but this this