Page 26 of Zenith
“You have lied to me, Jane. Lied and led me on, making me believe there was hope where there was none.”
“I have always been truthful with you,” I declared. “I have—”
“No, you have not!” he roared, kicking out at the table and knocking the glasses and bottle of wine to the floor. Red liquid spilled across the rug and the concrete floor, looking awfully like blood.
I flinched as shards of glass splintered across the studio floor, my heart beating painfully. I had to escape before he harmed me. I glanced toward the apartment knowing I had to retrieve my bag before I could disappear. It held all of my earthly belongings and the truth to my identity. If I left it behind Rivers would have access toeverything.
“What are you looking for, Jane?” he asked, his expression turning malicious. “Jane Doe…or should I say, JaneEyre.”
“How…” I felt the blood drain from my face.
“I was too proud to pry into your affairs, but it appears I should have. Blanche Ingram was very enlightening this evening,” he declared. “If you have all of that money, then why are you staying here pretending you are poor? I do not know what game you are playing, but it is a callous one, Jane. It is manipulative and cruel.”
“Blanche…” I parroted, struck dumb by his declaration.
She’d manipulated him, striking him down with her poisonous words, using his misplaced affection against him. Edward had cast her away, but I was not rid of her. Her hatred of me was absolute, and she would not rest until I was destroyed. But how did she know of my fortune?
Rivers stepped toward me, his nostrils flaring in pure anger. “I’ve fallen in love with you, and this is how you repay me? With lies and manipulation?”
“I never—”
“Stop your lying!” he shouted, then pushed me back against the wall with his strong hands. “I would have given you everything had you allowed it, but you never needed me. Do you know what I will do now, Jane?I will take it all from you.”
His hands closed around my neck, his strength too much for me to bear as he began to crush my windpipe. Desperately, I clawed at his flesh, attempting to pry him away, and when I could not dislodge him, I thrashed.
He was going to kill me! Blanche had manipulated him so thoroughly he could not see through his rage. Even as the life bled from my limbs, I knew I had played a larger part in this than I’d ever realized. I’d lied about my intentions. I’d lied about how I’d left Thornfield. I’d lied about my attack at the hands of Bertha. I’d lied about everything. Blanche had only twisted what was already there and magnified it.This was my fault.
Spots pricked my vision as my lungs burned for oxygen, but I could not fight anymore. I did not want to die, but Rivers was too strong and too blinded by anger to allow me to escape. He could kill me on the spot and take me for everything I was worth. He had all he needed to clear out my fortune, and no one would come looking for me for a long time. I didn’t want to be found. I was the perfect target.
No matter where I went or who I placed my trust in, I was still poor little plain Jane Doe. Changing one’s name did not change who they were, and neither did the acquisition of money. I am who I always was, and I would be until the day I died—which was likely today.
Jane Doe and her common tale of woe.
The truth hurt, and it had been revealed to me in the most horrific way.I was no better than those I hated.The truth shattered my resolve, broke my spirit and destroyed the last shred of hope I would ever find happiness. I did not deserve love, the emotion I longed for the most. I did not deserve it, so I stopped fighting.
Oh, Edward, I thought to myself.I’m sorry.
I saw his apparition standing before me, hovering just behind the demonic presence of John Rivers, and my heart soared. I was on the precipice of death and still he came to me, never letting go. His handsome face twisted, and I swore I heard him cry out in anguish, but I could not tell. My body consumed the last of my breath, and I slackened, but something curious happened. Instead of darkness, the pressure on my neck eased, and then it was gone entirely.
I fell to the concrete floor, and my head cracked against the cabinet on the way down, causing my head to spin even more. It was like a merry-go-round that had been spun faster and faster until it was so out of control nothing could stop it but disaster.
I heaved in a deep breath of oxygen into my starving lungs and coughed uncontrollably as I attempted to crawl away, but I did not get very far before a pair of rough hands grasped my shoulders, and darkness took me.
Everything just…ended.
