Revenge amnesia upgraded to his brother novel Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Norah’s Perspective

Damian stood firmly in the narrow alleyway, his presence blocking any chance of escape. His gaze locked onto my face with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat before shifting sharply to the panting Serena who was just behind me.

“Norah!” His voice was low, strained, thick with emotion that seemed to choke the air between us.

“Don’t trust her. Stay away from her,” he warned, jerking his head toward Serena. She flinched, shrinking back as if trying to disappear.

“She’s been consumed by jealousy ever since you outshone her in the design review,” Damian hissed, his eyes darkening with anger. “Every single time you succeed, she does everything she can to ruin it. She plays the victim, but the moment you turn your back, she stabs you in it.”

I tried to pull my arm free from his grip, my shoes scraping against the grimy pavement beneath us.

“Damian, please! Let go! You’re hurting me!” I pleaded, my voice trembling.

But he only tightened his hold. His knuckles turned stark white from the force.

“I didn’t… I wouldn’t…” Serena’s voice was barely a whisper, trembling with raw fear.

“Shut up, Serena!” Damian’s shout echoed off the close, narrow walls of the alley. “If you’ve been poisoning her mind with lies, you’ll regret ever being born!”

Serena cowered deeper into the shadows, looking like a frightened mouse caught in a trap.

“Are you out of your mind?” I glared up at him, my heart pounding fiercely against my ribs.

My resistance seemed to amuse him. A twisted, almost cruel smirk played across his lips. He squeezed my wrist tighter, and a sharp, bone-deep pain shot up my arm.

“Yes, I’m insane!” he declared, his eyes blazing with a wild fire. “Norah, I’m madly, desperately in love with you! The thought of losing you drives me crazy!”

He leaned in close, his breath hot against my cheek. “Look around you. Lucien isn’t here to save you this time, is he? You don’t need him. You need me.”

Before I could even respond, a soft engine hum caught my attention.

A sleek black van slid silently into the mouth of the alley, blocking any chance of escape.

Its windows were tinted deep black, reflecting the fading light like the glossy shell of a beetle.

A cold wave of dread washed over me, sharper and more piercing than the pain in my wrist.

“Let go! What are you doing?!” Panic rose in my voice.

His eyes suddenly went cold and flat—empty, lifeless.

In one swift, brutal movement, his free hand shot up.

The edge of his palm struck the base of my neck with shocking precision and force.

A lightning bolt of pain exploded in my head, followed by dizziness that spun the world into a nauseating blur of colors and sounds.

The last images I saw were Damian’s crazed, determined eyes and Serena’s terrified face before everything faded to black.

***

When consciousness slowly returned, it felt like I was being dragged up from a dark, bottomless well.

My head throbbed painfully in rhythm with my heartbeat.

The first thing I realized was that I couldn’t move.

Rough, coarse ropes bound my wrists and ankles, biting into my skin with every tiny movement.

I was stretched out on a firm, narrow bed, spread-eagled and helpless.

A single dim yellow bulb hung from a wire in the ceiling, casting long, flickering shadows that danced across the bare walls.

I turned my head slowly, muscles stiff and sore from the strain.

Serena was tied to a worn velvet armchair a few feet away, her head lolled to the side, eyes closed, utterly still.

Where on earth were we?

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify