The Hide and Seek Game That Lasted a Lifetime novel Chapter 15

Chapter 5

A sudden rush of icy water invaded Nora’s nostrils, making her gasp uncontrollably. She thrashed wildly, struggling to keep her head above the surface, but the cold liquid pulled her down relentlessly.

Chase stood calmly at the pool’s edge, his arm casually draped around Camila’s shoulders, watching the scene unfold with an unsettling ease.

“You splashed water on Camila’s face—now you’ll have to drink as much as you want,” he said with a cold smirk.

“Nora, I warned you: every action has its price,” his voice echoed sharply in her mind.

A sharp ringing filled Nora’s ears, drowning out all other sounds until their voices became nothing more than a distant, static hum. All she could feel was an overwhelming wave of regret—a deep, wrenching sorrow that twisted inside her chest.

Why had she held on so desperately to someone who never truly cared for her? What had she hoped to gain?

This was the bitter consequence she faced now: disgrace, humiliation, and the crushing weight of unrequited love.

From the very start, loving Chase had been a tragic mistake.

She lost track of time as she floated, disoriented and helpless, until the guards finally pulled her from the water. By then, the sky had turned a deep, inky black.

Still coughing and sputtering, Nora stumbled up the stairs to the second floor. But as she neared the master bedroom, muffled laughter and low moans spilled out into the hallway.

“Chase, this is your new home with your wife… Are you really okay with sleeping in her bed with me?” Camila’s voice teased, light and provocative.

“Don’t worry about her,” Chase replied smoothly. “Like I said, every bed I own should carry your scent.”

“Oh, you’re terrible,” Camila giggled.

The sounds grew more intimate, more sordid, slicing through Nora’s heart like shards of glass. The last flicker of warmth inside her burned away, leaving only cold ash.

Sliding down against the wall, Nora pulled out her phone with trembling hands and dialed.

“Lena,” she whispered, voice barely audible. “Can the clerk’s office at the county courthouse move our divorce hearing up? I… I can’t bear this anymore.”

Her voice cracked as silent tears streamed down her face.

“There’s nothing available tomorrow,” Lena responded quickly, sensing the urgency. “But I can get you in three days. We’ll make it happen.”

“Okay. Three days, then,” Nora said softly.

She hung up, her body going limp as she collapsed against the cold, hard floor. Exhaustion weighed on her like a heavy shroud.

She had been so wrong—so terribly wrong—to believe that love could be reclaimed by love.

That hope was the cruelest lie of all.

Leaning back into the corner, dazed and numb, she was jolted by a sudden, piercing scream from upstairs. Moments later, the bedroom door slammed open with a harsh bang.

“Nora!” Chase stormed out, eyes blazing with fury. “Why was there a needle in Camila’s nightgown? Did you put it there?!”

Camila stood behind him, visibly shaken. Faint hickeys marked her neck, and the silky nightgown she wore was unmistakably Nora’s.

“Take her away.”

Nora was roughly shoved into a burlap sack, treated like nothing more than garbage.

Inside the sack, she felt the scurry of five rats, the slither of three snakes, and the crawl of over a dozen cockroaches.

Chase gave the order, and one guard slammed the sack down hard on the floor.

The terrified creatures inside scattered wildly, biting and clawing at her skin in a frenzy of panic.

“Ah… ahhhh…!” Her screams turned guttural, animalistic, as the pain overwhelmed her.

Chase watched with cold satisfaction.

Then he leaned down and kissed Camila’s cheek softly.

“There you go. She used a needle—you get rats and snakes. That’s justice.”

His eyes were ice as he glanced back at the writhing sack.

“Let this be a lesson. Next time you touch Camila, you won’t get off so easy.”

With that, he threw an arm around Camila’s shoulders and walked away without a single glance back.