Page 61 of Love Under Siege

“Jacob,” Connor says quietly, pulling me out of my thoughts. “We’re getting close.”

I nod, my pulse quickening as we turn onto a narrow, tree-lined road. The cabin is out there, hidden somewhere in the thick of the woods. It could be our last hope. I pull the car to a stop a little way off from the cabin’s coordinates, not wanting to alert anyone to our presence.

Connor looks at me, his eyes hard. “What’s the plan?”

I take a deep breath, steadying myself. “We go in quiet, see what we’re dealing with. If they’re there, we move fast.”

Connor gives a tight nod, then reaches for his gun. "Let’s end this."

The weight of the task ahead presses down on me. Whatever’s waiting for us inside that cabin, I’m ready for it. I’ve waited too long, and whoever’s responsible for taking Anya and Lana will pay.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Anya

Sitting here in isolation, I have no idea when he will return. I am constantly afraid, and Lana is still unconscious. I’ve lost count of the days we’ve been held captive and each day I fear it could be our last. If only I hadn’t involved Lana in this mess if I had just handled it on my own. Now, I don’t even know if she’s alive or dead. Sometimes I think I see her chest rise and fall, but it could all just be wishful thinking. We have both endured beatings, and I have been raped more times than I care to admit.

Suddenly, the door bursts open, snapping me out of my thoughts as Adam barges in. His face holds no empathy or emotion towards me anymore. Instead, he looks at me as if he wants to kill me – and he might just do it. “I don’t understand why you want to do this,” I plead.

He glares at me with intense anger burning in his eyes. “Because ANYA,” he emphasizes my name, “you are supposed to belong to me! You are mine! First Paul stole you from me, and now this Jacob guy thinks he can take what’s rightfully mine!” He says menacingly.

“Are you serious? Can you hear yourself?” I muster up some bravery, “You can’t own someone! Paul never owned me, and neither does Jacob!” Struggling to sit up while still being bound by ropes, “I chose to put up with Paul’s abuse because I thought that if I was compliant enough, he would change! And then Jacob came into my life and showed me time and time again that he would never hurt me! So once again, I chose to be with him!” Taking a deep breath to calm the fear inside of me, “No one owns me except for myself!”

In that moment, he looks at me with eyes that already see me as dead. Before I can stop him, he is on top of me. He pins me against a wooden post and just when I think he’s going to kiss me, he slaps me across the face. “That’s right, you like getting hit, don’t you?” He says before hitting me again.

But I refuse to cry in front of this monster! He punches me in the side, causing me to double over in pain. But still, I refuse to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry.I WILL NOT CRY IN FRONT OF HIM!

When he realizes he’s not getting a rise out of me, his face twists with fury. Without warning, he grabs my neck with one hand and slams my head against the post, the impact sending shockwaves of pain through my skull.

“You. Are.Mine,” he growls, his voice full of possessive rage. “I don’t care what it takes or who I have to kill, but you are mine now!” His grip tightens, and I can feel the bruising pressure around my throat, his fingers digging in like claws.

“And if I can’t have you, then no one will!” he shouts, his voice wild as he presses his knee down, pinning me. My vision blurs as my airway closes up—I can’t breathe. His hand crushes my throat like a vise, each second a struggle for air. The edges of my world are closing in, suffocating me in darkness.

As Adam’s blows land one after another, my mind drifts away, finding refuge in a place far from here. I picture myself sitting on the dock, overlooking the endless ocean. The rhythmic crash of waves calms me, their soothing sound drowning out the pain. I imagine the warmth of the sand between my toes, the salty breeze carrying the scent of fried food from the boardwalk. Children are laughing, splashing in the water, their joy untainted by the harshness of the world.

In this peaceful escape, I see Jacob walking beside me, our hands entwined as we stroll along the shore. His voice is soft in my ear, full of love and reassurance, reminding me of my strength. “You can get through this,” he whispers. “I’m with you, always.”

I manage a small smile, even as my body takes hit after hit. The pain feels distant, muted by the vivid scene in my mind. But then, a sharp, stabbing sensation rips me back to reality. I look down, my breath hitching as I see Adam plunging a broken piece of glass into my skin, the jagged edges tearing through flesh. The beach fades. The waves disappear. And all that’s left is the excruciating pain of this moment.

Panic grips me as I lie there, bloodied and broken. The thought claws at my mind—I could die here. I might never get the chance to marry Jacob, never hold our future children. A surge of terror overwhelms me, but then something else breaks through: Jacob. I remember a self-defense technique he once showed me, meant for situations just like this.

As Adam moves to strike again, I summon every ounce of strength, dodge his blow, and slam my head into his, knocking him to the ground. His face twists in shock, but that smug sneer still lingers. “I didn’t teach you that,” he spits, trying to regain his composure.

I meet his gaze with a smirk, defiance rising in me like a fire. “No, you didn’t,” I say, “Jacob did.”

His face contorts with rage at the mention of Jacob, and before I can react, he lunges at me, stabbing me again. Pain explodes through my body, but I refuse to cry out. He stands over me, laughing darkly, his voice dripping with cruelty. “No one’s coming for you, Anya,” he says before walking out of the room, leaving me to bleed.

As his footsteps fade, I’m left alone in a world of pain. My body screams for relief, and I can feel the cold creep of hopelessness threatening to take over. But even through the agony, Jacob’s voice lingers in my mind, soothing and strong. I can’t die here. I won’t.

I think of him—his smile, his laughter, the way he looked at me like I was the most important person in the world. The memories pull me back from the edge. I see us, walking hand-in-hand along the boardwalk, the salty air mixing with the sound of waves, the warmth of his presence beside me. It was a simpler time, filled with love and possibility, and that memory is the lifeline I need.

As the days blur together in pain and fear, I hold onto those moments. I think of Lana too. Our bond may be strained, but it’s there, keeping me tethered to reality. Even though I’m trapped, I’m not alone. I refuse to let Adam break me.

Each day, I endure. I survive. The wounds throb, the fear gnaws at my sanity, but I keep fighting. I hold onto Jacob’s voice, his touch, the way he believes in me even when I’m at my weakest. I know he would want me to fight, to hold on, to believe in the strength he always saw in me.

“I am strong,” I whisper to myself, through the tears and the pain. “I am loved. I will survive.”

Because this isn’t the end. It’s just another battle. And I’ll get through it. For Jacob, for Lana, and for myself. Love, hope, and resilience—these are the things that keep me going. They are the things that will lead me back to Jacob, back to the life I deserve, even if I have to fight my way through the darkest moments to get there.

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