\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
87\u00a0<\/p>\n
ISABELLA\u2019S POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
I woke up thinking I was dead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was the first thought. Because everything was too clean. Too quiet. White ceiling. White walls. White sheets tucked around me like I was already laid out for burial.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But the smell was wrong.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not death. Not hospital either.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It smelled like metal and salt and something expensive I could not name.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tried to move and my body answered slowly, like it had been underwater for a long time. My throat burned. My chest felt tight, not pain, just heavy, like something had pressed me down for weeks and only just let go.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I whispered, \u201cHello?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The door slid open.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And my heart forgot how to beat properly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Colt Blackwood walked in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not a dream. Not a memory. Him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tall, dressed in black like he always owned the darkness. Broad shoulders. Sharp jaw. Eyes so cold they could slice through lies. He looked older. Harder. Like the world had taken a knife to him and he let it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sucked in a breath and my voice came out small. \u201cColt?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stopped by the door. Did not rush me. Did not smile. Just watched me like he was making sure I was real.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re awake.\u201d His voice was deep, calm, dangerous. The same voice that used to whisper my name at night. \u201cGood.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hands shook as I pushed myself up a little. \u201cAm I\u2026 am I alive?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d My chest rose too fast. \u201cI remember the water. I couldn\u2019t breathe. I thought I was dying.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou almost did,\u201d he said simply. \u201cMy men found you floating in the sea.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My eyes widened. \u201cFloating?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou and your son,\u201d Colt added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Everything inside me snapped upright. Panic exploded in my chest. \u201cRyle. Where is\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/4 54.0%\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:08 Wed, Jan 28\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ryle? Where\u2019s my baby? Is he okay? Please tell me he\u2019s okay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
87\u00a0<\/p>\n
Colt moved fast then. One step, two. He was beside my bed before I could fall apart. \u201cHe\u2019s alive,\u201d he said firmly. \u201cHe\u2019s fine. Scared, but breathing, eating, talking. He woke up before you did.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tears poured out of me before I could stop them. \u201cCan I see him? Please. I need to see him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou will,\u201d Colt said. \u201cHe\u2019s outside with the doctor and one of my men. He knows you\u2019re here. He\u2019s been asking for you every day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery day?\u201d I whispered. \u201cHow long was I asleep?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFour weeks,\u201d Colt answered. \u201cYou were in a deep coma.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I pressed my hand to my mouth, sobbing quietly. \u201cI thought I lost him. I thought I lost everything.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Colt\u2019s jaw tightened. \u201cYou didn\u2019t. Not anymore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked up at him through tears. \u201cWhere are we?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy facility,\u201d he said. \u201cPrivate. Off the grid.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fear crept in, slow and uncertain. \u201cWhy?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He met my eyes, unblinking. \u201cBecause the world you came from is gone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I frowned. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo more David,\u201d Colt said coldly. \u201cNo more Westley. No more people who sold you and your child like trash. The world knew you were already dead.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My breath hitched. \u201cDavid\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs dead to you,\u201d Colt cut in. \u201cAnd when you\u2019re ready, he\u2019ll be buried for real. Along with anyone else who touched you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at him, heart pounding. \u201cColt, this isn\u2019t you talking. This is\u2026 this is dangerous.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He let out a quiet laugh, humorless. \u201cThis has always been me. You just didn\u2019t want to see it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Memories rushed back without permission.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Colt years ago. Younger. Still dangerous, but softer around the edges. The night I followed him. The alley. The man on the ground. Blood everywhere. Colt standing over him, knuckles red, eyes empty.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I remembered screaming his name. Remembered crying.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease don\u2019t,\u201d I whispered then.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI had to,\u201d he told me that night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/4 54.0%\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:08 Wed, Jan 28\u00a0<\/p>\n
I remembered shaking my head. Packing my bags. Running.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u0e41\u0e25\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t leave me,\u201d Colt begged, voice breaking in a way I had never heard. \u201cYou don\u2019t understand this world, Bella. I\u2019m trying to survive it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I did leave.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I ran far. Ran straight into David\u2019s arms. Believed his gentle voice. Married him. Got pregnant. Built a family.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Until Roxanne came back. The golden girl. The educated one. The one everyone loved.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And David handed me to hell.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked back at Colt now, my voice trembling. \u201cYou and David\u2026 you became enemies because of me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Colt\u2019s eyes darkened. \u201cBecause he took what was mine and thought I wouldn\u2019t collect.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shook my head weakly. \u201cI thought you were a bad man.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI am,\u201d Colt said without hesitation. \u201cBut I would have burned the world to keep you safe.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silence fell between us. Heavy. Loaded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I whispered, \u201cWhy save me now?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Colt leaned closer, his voice dropping. \u201cBecause you\u2019re not dying again. Not on my watch. Not you. Not your son.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My tears fell harder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Bella,\u201d he added quietly, dangerously calm. \u201cWhen you\u2019re ready to stop being innocent, I\u2019ll teach you how to bury monsters.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou and that kid,\u201d he went on, voice flat, cruelly honest, \u201cyou\u2019re proof my methods work. That\u2019s the price. You live, I win. You fail, you die. Simple.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I swallowed. My throat hurt. Everything hurt. \u201cSo I\u2019m just\u2026 useful.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re breathing,\u201d he replied. \u201cYesterday you weren\u2019t. Be smart. Don\u2019t push yourself. You break, there\u2019s no second miracle.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes. Tears slipped out anyway. I whispered, \u201cI won\u2019t waste it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I did not say anything else.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But inside, something ugly and sharp woke up. Something that remembered David\u2019s smile when he betrayed me. Roxanne\u2019s soft voice when she destroyed my son.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t done with them. Not even close.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Colt took me outside the next day. The air hit my lungs sharp and clean, nothing like\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
55.0%\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:09 Wed, Jan 28\u00a0<\/p>\n
D\u00a0<\/p>\n
the darkness I woke up from. The place was quiet, guarded, safe in a way I had never\u00a0<\/p>\n
known.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then I saw him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ryle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was on the grass with a boy about his age, tossing a ball back and forth. His hair was shorter. His body thinner. There were shadows under his eyes that should never belong to a child.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRyle,\u201d I whispered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He turned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For half a second, he just stared at me. Like he was scared I was a dream that would disappear if he blinked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then he screamed, \u201cMama!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He ran.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not fast. Careful. Like his body was still learning how to trust itself again. He slammed into me, arms wrapping around my waist, face buried in my stomach.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Mama,\u201d he sobbed. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I\u2019m sorry, I\u2019m sorry.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:09 Wed, Jan 28\u00a0<\/p>\n
87\u00a0<\/p>\n
Prepare the divorce and ruin your husband by Mark Twain 14 \u00a0 Chapter 14\u00a0 87\u00a0 ISABELLA\u2019S POV\u00a0 I woke up […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-his-regret-my-victory-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23545\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}