+25 BONUS
Chapter 10 The Trap
Mia’s POV
Time lost all meaning as I waited in the darkened house. Shadows drept across the walls, each hour stretching into eternity. Kyle would have to come back eventually. We could go to John’s clinic together. One simple examination would prove I was telling the truth. The babies were his. He will believe me.
The grandfather clock in the hallway chimed midnight, its deep resonance oddly threatening in the empty house. Each stroke felt like a hammer to my already pounding head.
My eyes grew heavy as exhaustion crept in. The emotional toll of the day weighed on me like lead, pulling me toward unconsciousness. The babies needed rest. Just a few minutes…
The sharp click of heels on hardwood jolted me awake.
The foyer light snapped on, momentarily blinding me. When my vision cleared, I saw her standing there, a vision in red, perfectly coiffed even at this hour. “Look what we have here. The perfect little wife, caught in her own web of lies.” Taylor’s voice dripped honey–coated poison.
I struggled to my feet, one hand braced against the wall for support, the other instinctively shielding my stomach. “What are you doing here?” My voice sounded weak, even to my own ears.
Π
“Checking on my favorite stepsister, of course.” Her red lips curved in a cruel smile as she took in my disheveled appearance.” You look awful, by the way. Pregnancy doesn’t suit you at all.” She ran a perfectly manicured hand through her glossy hair. Though I suppose that’s the least of your worries right now.”
“Get out,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. My fingers pressed against the cool wall, seeking some kind of anchor. “This is my house.”
Taylor’s laugh echoed off the walls, high and mocking. “Your house? Oh, honey.” She moved closer, her designer perfume overwhelming my sensitive nose. “This was never your house. Just like Kyle was never really your husband. You’re just keeping things warm until he comes back where he belongs.”
Something in her tone made my blood run cold. The calculated pleasure in her eyes, the slight tilt of her head – she knew something. “What did you do?”
“Me? I didn’t do anything. You’re the one who got pregnant, remember? Three whole months ago.” She emphasized the words, savoring them like fine wine.
The realization hit me like a physical blow, stealing my breath. “The reports… you switched them?”
“Catching on finally.” She clapped her hands slowly, the sound echoing in the vast space. “I was beginning to think you’d never figure it out. You always were the slow one in the family. Just like your mother. All heart, no brains.”
“Why?” My voice cracked, tears threatening again. “Why would you do this?”
Taylor’s smile turned predatory as she moved closer, backing me toward the staircase. Her heels clicked ominously with each step. “Because I could. Because watching you try to play happy families with Kyle was getting boring. Because you needed to learn your place.” Her voice hardened. “And your place, dear sister, has always been beneath me.”
She was close now, too close. I tried to step back but found myself against the stair railing. The polished wood pressed into my spine, cold and unyielding.
“You want to know the best part?” She whispered, her breath hot against my ear. Her perfume was suffocating. “Kyle believed it so easily. One doctored report, one little suggestion that his precious wife had been unfaithful, and he crumbled.” She pulled back just enough to watch my face. “He never trusted you at all.”
“You’re lying,” I said, but my voice shook. The words felt hollow, even as I said them.
“Am I? Then why isn’t he here?” Her eyes glittered with malice in the dim light. “Why did he leave you locked up like a criminal? Face it, Mia. You lost. Just like your mother lost when she tried to keep Daddy from his true love.”
Chapter 10 The trap
+25 BONUS
“Don’t talk about my mother!”
‘Why not? She was just like you desperately clinging to things that didn’t belong to her. And look how that ended.” Taylor traced a finger down my cheek, “Alone. Broken. Replaced.”
I tried to push past her, panic rising in my chest. But she grabbed my arm, her manicured nails digging into my skin like talons.
“Let go of me!” I struggled against her grip, feeling the scratch of her nails breaking skin.
“Make me,” she taunted, her face inches from mine. Then, with a strength I didn’t expect, she shoved me hard.
Time seemed to slow as I felt myself falling. The stairs – I’d forgotten how close we were to the stairs. My body twisted
The world instinctively, trying to protect my stomach as I tumbled down. Each impact sent shockwaves of pain through me
spun
in a kaleidoscope of shadows and sharp edges.
Pain exploded through me as I hit the bottom. Sharp, crushing pain that stole my breath and clouded my vision. The hardwood floor was cold against my cheek. (1)
“No,” I gasped, hands flying to my abdomen. Terror gripped me as I felt warmth seeping through my dress. “Please, no.” Taylor’s heels clicked slowly down the stairs, each step deliberate. The sound echoed in my head like gunshots. Through tears of pain, I watched her approach, unable to move. She looked almost ethereal from this angle, backlit by the foyer light, An angel of death in designer clothes.
“Poor Mia,” she crooned, crouching beside me. Her manicured fingers stroked my hair, the gesture mockingly gentle. “Always falling for things you can’t have. Always reaching for stars that weren’t meant for you.”
“Help,” I tried to call out, but my voice was barely a whisper. The pain was overwhelming now, radiating from my core in brutal
waves.
“Shh,” Taylor continued stroking my hair, her touch making my skin crawl. “Don’t worry. This is for the best, Kyle never wanted these babies anyway. He never wanted you.” She leaned closer, her whisper almost intimate. “He was always mine. You were just a convenient placeholder.”
The pain intensified, and black spots danced at the edges of my vision. My babies. I had to protect my babies. But darkness was creeping in, unstoppable.
“What are you doing?”
Kyle’s voice cut through the fog of pain like a blade. But was he really here, or was my mind playing tricks?
Then nothing but black.
Chapter 11 A Crushing Detect
