Page 75 of Twisted Love

There’s a long pause before she whispers, almost to herself, “Nanny’s old house.”

“What?” I ask, leaning forward as if it will bring her answer closer.

“Our Nanny’s house,” she repeats, louder this time. “Our family gave it to her, but when she died and there was no money to fix it up it has been abandoned for years. It’s out on the edge of town. Charles said he was fixing it up or something—just to get away from everything.”

“Send me the address,” I demand, already feeling a flicker of relief. This feels plausible. It feels right.

“Okay,” she says quickly, and within moments my phone buzzes with the location.

“Thank you, Annabelle. Thank you,” I say gratefully and cut the call short. I barely take the time to save the address before dialing the police. My voice is urgent and direct as I report the suspected abduction, providing them with the address and all the details I can think of.

As soon as the call ends, I ram my foot on the gas pedal, the car roaring as I speed toward the outskirts of town. My heart is pounding so hard it’s like a drumbeat in my ears. All I can think about is Raven, pregnant and terrified.

Her face flashes in my mind—her laughter, her smile, her warmth. And then the fear. I picture her scared, alone, wondering if I’m coming for her. The thought twists my stomach, and I grit my teeth against the rising panic.

“Hold on, baby,” I whisper into the silence of the car. “Just hold on, I’ll be right there. I’m coming for both of you.”

The roads thin out as I drive further, the town’s lights fading behind me. The address Annabelle sent is in a remote, overgrown area, and I can already feel the isolation. Every second feels like an eternity as I race towards my love.

When I finally see the faint outline of the small farmhouse in the distance, my breath catches. It’s shrouded in shadows, the surrounding trees casting long, eerie shapes across the property. There are no cars, and no signs of movement, but my gut tells me this is the place.

I kill the engine some distance away, not wanting to alert anyone inside the building of my presence. My pulse is hammering as I step out and every muscle in my body is taut with anticipation. When I get close enough, I hear faint sounds—muffled voices, Raven’s voice. My heart clenches, and all my focus sharpens on getting her out of there. My hands curl into fists.

“Hold on, baby Raven” I mutter quietly. “Just hold on.”

CHAPTER46

RAVEN

The basement is suffocating, every breath I take is heavy with fear and the acrid scent of Charles’s sweat mixed with whiskey. The dim light from the single bulb above flickers slightly, casting ominous shadows on the dank walls. I struggle against the ropes binding my wrists to the chair, the coarse fibers biting into my skin, but they hold firm. My heart pounds erratically in my chest as Charles stands in front of me, his shirt discarded, his chest heaving with labored breaths. He sways slightly, the bottle in his hand nearly slipping through his fingers.

“You think you’re too good for me, don’t you?” he says, his voice slurred but venomous. His eyes are bloodshot, wild, and filled with something dark and dangerous. He takes another swig from the bottle before slamming it onto the small table nearby, the sharp clink making me flinch.

Suddenly, I realize, there is no ‘good news’, no millions arriving in his account. He has reached the end of his tether. In fact, it is he who thinks I’m too good for him, otherwise he wouldn’t have to drink three-quarters of a bottle of whiskey before he tries to rape me.

“Why?” he growls, stepping closer. “Why was I never enough for you?”

I shake my head, desperate to plead with him, to make him understand, but the gag in my mouth stifles my cries. Tears stream down my face, and my chest tightens with the weight of my terror. Charles crouches in front of me, his face mere inches from mine, his breath reeking of alcohol and despair.

“I’ve loved you since high school, Raven,” he says, his tone softening in a way that’s somehow more chilling. “I’ve done everything for you. But no matter what I did, all you ever saw was Earl.”

He reaches out and brushes a strand of hair from my face, the gesture almost tender, and I do my best not to recoil. His hand lingers on my cheek, his touch burning like acid. “I could’ve given you everything,” he whispers, his voice breaking slightly. “But you didn’t even give me a chance. You still won’t.”

He stands abruptly, his sudden movement making me flinch again. He starts pacing, running a hand through his hair as he mutters to himself. Then, as if struck by a thought, he spins around and glares at me.

“You’re going to love me,” he declares, his voice rising with unhinged conviction. “Even if I have to make you.”

Charles has become unhinged. Losing his money, his ancestral home and me has driven him insane. There is no talking logic with him. I have to find a way to convince him that I’m secretly in love with him. Secretly, I struggle harder against the ropes. He steps forward, leaning down so his face is level with mine. “You’re mine now,” he says, his tone dropping into something low and menacing. “We’re going to leave this place, just you and me. Far away from everyone.”

I shake my head violently, muffled protests spilling from behind the gag. His expression darkens, and he grabs my chin roughly, forcing me to look at him. Then he pulls down the gag.

“Don’t fight me, Raven,” he snarls. “You don’t have a choice. You’re mine.”

Gathering every ounce of courage I have left, I look him dead in the eye and say, “I’m yours. I’ve always been yours. I was just playing hard to get because I didn’t know how else to get you.”

It is as if I unknowingly flicked a kill switch inside him. Without warning his expression twists into something monstrous. His hand snaps across my face, the sharp crack of his slap echoing in the room. Pain explodes across my cheek, and I gasp, my vision swimming.

“Stop lying. You think I’m stupid. No, you ungrateful trailer park trash, I’m not stupid,” he hisses, his voice trembling with rage. “You think you can humiliate me? After everything I’ve done for you?”

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