Alex paused, the tension settling between them like a weight. After a beat, he nodded. “Very well, just get some sleep then.”
Alex stood up, his footsteps light as he made his way to the door. He paused for a moment, his hand resting on the doorknob, as if on the verge of saying something. But whatever words lingered on his tongue, he swallowed them, slipping out silently and closing the door softly behind him.
Left alone, Sadie let out a shaky breath and gently placed her hand on her flat abdomen. Beneath her fingertips, she imagined the fragile pulse of life growing inside her, a warmth blooming in her chest despite the lingering fear.
If that black sedan had swerved just a few more centimeters…
The thought clawed at her mind. She could’ve been lying in a morgue right now, her body cold and lifeless. The tiny life within her would’ve been snuffed out before it even had a chance to begin.
A tremor ran through her, the fear crashing over her in waves. But mingled with that fear was an overwhelming sense of relief-a fierce, bittersweet joy that she had survived. They had survived.
A single tear escaped, sliding down her cheek and soaking into the crisp white sheets, leaving a faint mark of everything she was feeling but couldn’t say out loud.
Sadie closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath, steadying the whirlwind of fear and sadness swirling inside her.
Tomorrow… tomorrow would be a new beginning.
Ryder was thrown onto the cold concrete floor, the impact jarring through his bound limbs. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, a stark contrast against his pale skin, pooling beneath him like a dark stain.
Noah stood over him, his eyes cold and sharp, a predator circling its prey.
“Who ordered you to do this?” His voice was low, steady, but laced with a dangerous edge.
Ryder let out a guttural chuckle, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the floor, the crimson splatter vivid in the dim light. “Do whatever you want,” he said, defiance burning in his eyes.
Without a word, Noah reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a photograph. He tossed it onto the floor in front of Ryder, the glossy image landing with a soft slap.
In the photo, a woman leaned intimately against a man, their faces obscured, but their closeness undeniable.
“Who’s the man with her?” Noah’s voice dropped, the words slicing through the tense air like a blade.
Ryder’s gaze flicked to the photo. A twisted grin curled the edges of his bloodied lips, and a hoarse, almost manic laugh escaped his throat. “Care to make a guess?” he taunted, his voice dripping with mockery.
Noah’s patience snapped. He drove his foot into Ryder’s chest with brutal force, the thud of impact echoing off the walls.
“Answer me!”
Ryder doubled over, groaning in pain, coughing up more blood as his face drained of what little color it had left.
“I’d rather die than tell you,” he hissed, his voice raw. His gaze bored into Noah’s, filled with a dark, unrelenting hatred.
“You’ll never be loved,” Ryder spat, his words like poison-tipped daggers. “Just like me.”
The curse lodged itself deep in Noah’s chest, an unexpected thorn that pricked something raw and unspoken within him. He frowned, a wave of irritation and something darker rising beneath his composed exterior.
“What grudge do you have against me?” Noah demanded, his voice a low growl.
Ryder’s lips curled into a bitter sneer. He spat out two words, each syllable dripping with hatred. “Johnson Group.”
Noah’s eyes narrowed.
“Years ago,” Ryder continued, his voice seething with resentment, “Johnson Group got caught in a corporate war.”
“It went bankrupt.” Ryder’s voice was ragged, each word forced through clenched teeth, saturated with pure, unfiltered hatred. “My parents couldn’t handle the pressure. They jumped to their deaths. All of this-every bit of it-is thanks to you, Noah Wall.”
Ryder had hidden his true identity, letting his anger fester like an open wound. And now, his moment had come.
“And as for your wife… I already killed her.” His laugh was guttural, like something torn from the depths of hell.
“Serves you right!” he spat, his voice dripping with venom, each word laced with a satisfaction that cut deeper than any blade.
Noah felt as though the ground had been ripped out from beneath him. Ryder’s words slammed into him like a thunderclap, reverberating in his skull.
His pupils shrank sharply, and a wave of icy fear surged through his chest, suffocating and relentless.
Without thinking, Noah lunged forward, seizing Ryder by the collar. His grip tightened with brutal force, his knuckles whitening as if he could crush Ryder’s bones through sheer rage.
“What did you just say?” Noah’s voice trembled, a mixture of disbelief and fury. “Sadie… is she… really gone?” His voice was barely a whisper, each word feeling like shards of glass in his throat, slicing deeper with every syllable.
Ryder let out a wild, guttural laugh, the sound echoing like a twisted melody in the air. His eyes gleamed with wicked satisfaction, as he savored Noah’s agony as if it were a prize he’d long waited to claim. That laughter shattered whatever fragile thread of control Noah had left.
Without thinking, Noah’s fist lashed out, slamming into Ryder’s face with bone-cracking force.
The sickening crack of the punch was followed by a low groan as Ryder crumpled to the floor, unconscious.
Noah’s hand trembled as he let go. His knees buckled beneath him, and he sank to the cold floor. His eyes stared into nothing, hollow and glassy, as though the soul had been ripped from his body, leaving behind only an empty shell.
At the same time, Kyla’s days in the hospital ward stretched into a slow, torturous blur. She wore the mask of a fragile patient, but beneath the surface, anxiety gnawed at her like a relentless parasite. The fear that Ryder might be caught-that he’d expose everything-hung over her like a noose tightening around her neck. It was suffocating. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore.
“Doctor,” she said, her voice heavy with exhaustion, “I need to be discharged.”
The doctor gave her a cursory examination and, seeing no medical reason to keep her, nodded in agreement. The moment the paperwork was signed, Kyla bolted from the hospital, her heart hammering against her ribs as she sped toward Myrtlewood Estate. She had to find Noah.
Bursting through the study door, Kyla froze. Noah sat slumped at his desk, his figure barely recognizable. The sharp, commanding presence of Wall Group CEO was gone. In its place was a man swallowed by grief, his eyes void of light, his face pale and gaunt, with stubble shadowing his jaw. The sight of him-so broken, so hollow-sent a chill down Kyla’s spine.
She stepped forward carefully, her voice soft, almost hesitant. “Noah… are you okay?”
“Pack up your things. I want you out of here as soon as possible.” Noah’s voice was like ice-sharp, cold, and utterly devoid of emotion.
Kyla felt her stomach twist, a wave of dread rising in her chest.
“What… what are you talking about, Noah?” she asked, her tone light, feigning confusion as if she hadn’t heard him clearly.
Noah slowly lifted his head. “Let me be clear-I want you out of my life.” His words were deliberate, each syllable dropping like a hammer. “It’s over between us.” His voice was final, leaving no room for negotiation, no space for hope.
Kyla’s face drained of color. She had anticipated many things, but Noah’s sheer ruthlessness wasn’t one of them.
“Noah, you can’t do this to me! I saved your life, remember? Back then-I risked everything for you.” She clung to the only leverage she had left, but Noah’s expression didn’t waver. If anything, his eyes grew colder, his jaw tightening.
“If it hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t have been in danger at all.” His voice sharpened with anger as he suddenly stood, towering over her. “If you hadn’t insisted on following me into that dangerous place, I never would’ve crossed paths with those people.” His eyes blazed with disgust and something even deeper-hatred.
Kyla’s body trembled, a slight but undeniable shiver running through her. She hadn’t expected Noah to speak with such cutting finality. “Noah, I…” she began, her voice fragile, but Noah didn’t let her finish.
“Enough!” he snapped, his voice like a whip cracking through the tension. “I don’t want to hear another word from you.”
Without missing a beat, he barked an order toward the door, his tone ice-cold and authoritative. “Keep searching for Sadie. I want her found-dead or alive.”
Kyla stood frozen, her face drained of color, her entire body trembling. She felt the ground shift beneath her, realizing with a hollow ache that Noah’s disappointment wasn’t fleeting-it was absolute.
But as she quietly observed him, a flicker of realization sparked in her mind. He didn’t know. He hadn’t learned the truth about her from Ryder-not yet.
Still, Kyla knew better than to relax. Ryder was a ticking time bomb. As long as he was alive, he could destroy everything she’d built. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she forced herself to push the fear down.
The priority now was survival.
With Noah’s thoughts fully consumed by Sadie, his guard over Ryder had slipped. This was her chance.
Seizing the opportunity, Kyla sent some people to infiltrate the place where Ryder was being held. The operation was swift, silent-no one noticed his disappearance.
“You…” Ryder’s voice cracked, thick with shock. He instinctively struggled against the ropes binding him, his body tense with confusion and suspicion.
Kyla’s gaze swept over his disheveled, broken figure, a brief flicker of disdain crossing her eyes. “Don’t be afraid,” she said smoothly, her tone gentle but laced with hidden intentions. “I’m here to set you free.”
Ryder clung to a sliver of hope, his eyes lighting up with renewed life. “You mean… you’ll actually let me go?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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