"Does it?" Zack sneered. "You killed Amy without a second thought. What did she ever do to you? She never wronged you, yet you took her life so easily. And then you held Bella at knifepoint—did you really think you could walk away from that? Do you honestly believe you can escape unscathed after the crimes you’ve committed?"
The sheer venom in his words sent a wave of terror down Ivy’s spine, the reality of her situation finally sinking in. The man before her was not the savior she had hoped for—he was the executioner, and there would be no escape from the fate that awaited her.
Ivy glared at him, her scalp throbbing in pain. "You betrayed me! You are my fiancée, supposed to support me."
Zack’s expression darkened. "I already started working on helping your family business," he hissed. "But you complicated things. You messed with Bella. Even if I do everything in my power to help you, it won’t work. Theodore will not spare you and your family."
The name Theodore ignited a fire of anger within Ivy. If it were not for that man, she would have escaped, keeping Bella as her hostage. But he had appeared out of the blue, turning her carefully laid plans upside down.
What surprised her most was Zack bringing up Theodore’s name at this moment. Ivy was perplexed, unsure what he was trying to convey.
Just as she was about to question him, she heard him ask, "Do you know who Bella is? She is Theodore’s wife."
Ivy’s jaw fell apart, her mind reeling as the shocking revelation took hold. Bella, that bumpkin from the countryside, had somehow married into the powerful Reid family? It seemed impossible—unbelievable, even. How could that be true?
"You must be mistaken," Ivy snarled, refusing to accept the truth. The very idea that Bella could be Theodore’s wife was too absurd to comprehend. "Mr. Reid likes Willow. Bella can’t be his wife!"
Zack snorted, his expression cold and dismissive. "Whether you believe it or not doesn’t change the reality. The truth is the truth. Your family is doomed, and your life will be a living hell in jail. Since you’re my fiancée, I’m here to set you free from all that suffering."
The sinister implication of his words, combined with the dark glint in his eyes, sent a wave of terror through Ivy. She shuddered as she realized Zack’s intentions. "What do you mean?" she stammered in fear.
Zack’s smirk faded into a murderous expression as he reached out and grabbed her jaw with brutal force, his fingers digging into her flesh. The pain was excruciating, and Ivy felt as though her jaw might shatter under the pressure.
"Zack!" she cried out in agony, wincing as tears pricked her eyes. "You’re hurting me!"
"And now you know what pain feels like," he hissed. "Imagine the fear Bella felt when you held that knife to her throat. Can you feel her terror, her pain, when you cut her skin?"
"Why?" Ivy gasped, struggling desperately to break free. The ropes around her wrists had loosened slightly, and a flicker of hope sparked within her. If she could just get her hands free, she might be able to fight back and escape.
"Why are you doing this? She doesn’t even like you! Didn’t you just say she has married to Theodore? What’s the point of hurting me?"
As she twisted her wrists, trying to loosen the ropes further, she kept her eyes on Zack, praying for a chance to break free.
Zack’s grip tightened as his voice rose, seething with rage. "Because she is the woman I love," he spat, his eyes blazing with obsession. "She is mine, and I’ll win her heart no matter what it takes."
His madness for Bella seemed to have increased. The depth of his fixation terrified Ivy even more than the pain he was inflicting.
Ivy had once thought he was merely infatuated with Bella, born out of her resemblance to Rose. But now, under his ferocious glare, she realized the terrifying truth—Zack was obsessed with Bella, consumed by a dark and dangerous desire. In his madness, he could do anything – even kill her.
This notion chilled her to the core.
"Leave me alone!" she cried out with desperation. With a sudden burst of strength, she managed to wrench her hands free from the rope and shoved Zack away. Without wasting a second, she scrambled to her feet and bolted into the darkness, her heart racing as she fled.
Zack watched her with a smirk. "You can’t run away, Ivy!" he shouted after her, his voice echoing ominously in the empty night as he gave chase.
Ivy’s frantic flight was cut short as her foot struck something hard, sending her crashing to the ground. The rough gravel tore at her palms, leaving raw, stinging scratches. Pain shot through her legs, but it was the terror of Zack catching up to her that truly made her tremble. She quickly lifted her head, glancing back in fear.
Zack loomed over her, a sinister smile playing on his lips. He seemed almost pleased by her futile attempt to escape. "I told you—you can’t escape tonight. Look around, Ivy. There is no one here to help you."
Ivy’s eyes darted around, taking in the desolate surroundings. The area was completely deserted—no signs of life, no passing cars, not a single sound except the pounding of her own heartbeat. The realization that she was utterly alone with Zack, far from any help, filled her with a sense of hopelessness.
But then, she remembered the police officers who had taken her into custody. How had she ended up here, alone with Zack? Where were the cops? Her mind raced as she tried to recall what had happened.
Ivy remembered drinking water that one of the officers had offered her, and after that, everything went blank. The next thing she knew, she had awakened to find herself bound and blindfolded, with no memory of how Zack had managed to take her from the police.
It dawned on her that Zack must have orchestrated the entire thing, bribing or manipulating the officers to get her alone.
"What did you do to the policemen?" Ivy’s voice trembled with fear, terrified that Zack might have done something horrific to them.
"Nothing," Zack replied with a meaningful smirk, his eyes gleaming with twisted satisfaction. "All I did was sedate them."
One of the cops was his friend and he had bribed him to sedate everyone in the police van, including the lead officer. "They’re probably waking up by now, confused and groggy. Go ahead, run to them. Maybe they’ll save you from me."
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