Chapter 5

"The first step," Jonathan's voice resonated through the phone, "is to create a plausible reason for you to vanish. Something that can't be easily traced back to Holden, but effectively removes you from his world."

I listened, my hand resting protectively on my belly. The fear was a cold knot in my stomach, but the resolve for my son was a burning fire. I would face any danger, endure any hardship, to protect him.

Just as I ended the call, a sharp knock echoed on my apartment door. My heart leaped into my throat. Who could it be? I hadn't told anyone my new address.

I peered through the peephole. My blood ran cold. It was Anika. She stood there, a vision in a pastel designer dress, clutching a large, ornate gift basket overflowing with baby items. Her smile was saccharine sweet, her eyes darting around the hallway.

I didn't open the door.

She knocked again, more insistently this time. "Elinor? Are you there? Holden told me you'd moved. He's so worried about you, darling. He sent me to check in." Her voice was a syrupy lie, dripping with false concern.

I gripped the doorknob, my knuckles white. The audacity. Holden sent her? To gloat? To mock my desperate escape?

"Elinor, please open up," she continued, her voice rising slightly. "I just want to talk. About the baby. About Holden. We're all so concerned."

"Go away, Anika," I said, my voice muffled but firm through the thick wood.

A beat of silence. Then, her tone shifted, losing its pretense of sweetness. "Don't be childish, Elinor. You can't hide from us forever. Holden is furious. And you know what happens when Holden gets angry."

"I know what happens when you get involved," I shot back, a wave of nausea washing over me. "You poison everything you touch."

She chuckled, a low, unpleasant sound. "Oh, Elinor. Still so dramatic. Don't you understand? Holden and I... we're meant to be. You were just a stepping stone. A temporary solution."

"A temporary solution for seven years?" I scoffed. "You really think I believe that?"

"He never loved you," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper, laced with venom. "He loved the idea of you, the one who saved his life. He felt obligated. But I was always the one he truly desired. The one he waited for."

My stomach churned. The casual cruelty of her words, the way she reveled in my pain, was unbearable.

"You're divorcing him, aren't you?" she pressed, a malicious glee seeping into her voice. "Good. That makes things so much easier. You'll sign the papers, walk away, and we'll raise his child. My child, really."

My breath hitched. "Your child?" The words were a choked whisper.

"Of course," she purred. "I can't carry a baby myself, you know. My heart." She paused, letting the pity-play sink in. "But Holden wants an heir. And he chose you to provide one. A healthy, strong one. And I will be his mother. His true mother."

The room spun. My vision blurred. She wasn't just manipulative; she was depraved. She saw me as nothing more than a breeding animal, and my son as her rightful prize. My stomach muscles clenched violently, a searing pain shooting through my abdomen.

"You disgust me," I spat, the words a raw, guttural sound. "You sick, twisted witch." I threw the door open, my hands shaking.

Anika recoiled, her smile faltering, replaced by a momentary flash of fear. "Elinor! What's wrong with you?"

Without thinking, I grabbed the gift basket from her arms. It was heavier than I expected. My mind was a blur of white-hot rage. I watched as her eyes widened, her carefully crafted facade cracking.

"You want my child, Anika?" I screamed, my voice raw with fury. "You want to raise him as yours?"

Before she could react, I swung the basket, sending baby blankets, rattles, and tiny, expensive outfits flying across the hallway. Then, with a primal roar, I grabbed the large, cream-colored cake from the top of the basket, its frosting smeared with a saccharine "Welcome, Baby Terry!" message.

I shoved it into her face, the soft frosting smearing across her perfect skin, ruining her pristine dress. "There!" I shrieked. "Have your cake, you manipulative bitch! But you will never have my son!"

Anika screamed, a high-pitched, indignant sound. She stumbled back, wiping frosting from her eyes, her face contorted with pure hatred. "You crazy lunatic! Holden will destroy you for this! You'll never see that child again!"

"Try me!" I yelled back, my chest heaving. "Try to take him, Anika! You'll regret it!"

She stared at me, her eyes blazing with malice, no longer disguised by performative fragility. "You Bitch! You think you can escape Holden? He's everywhere! He'll find you! And when he does, he'll make you pay!" She turned, her delicate frame surprisingly agile as she ran down the hallway, her high heels clacking furiously. "You and your bastard child will regret this!"

I stood there, trembling, the empty basket still in my hand. The adrenaline drained from me, leaving me weak and shaking. I slid down the door, collapsing onto the floor, pulling my knees to my chest. The pain in my abdomen intensified, a searing, twisting agony that made me gasp.

Fear, cold and paralyzing, wrapped around me. Anika was right. Holden was everywhere. He had limitless power, limitless resources. And now, I had truly pushed them too far. They wouldn't just take my child. They would annihilate me.

My hand went to my belly, tears streaming down my face. My baby. My innocent, defenseless baby. How could I protect him from such ruthless people? How could I fight a war I was destined to lose?

I'm so sorry, my love, I whispered, pressing my forehead against my knees. I'm so, so sorry.

A terrifying thought, born of desperation and raw terror, solidified in my mind. There was only one way. One final, irreversible act that would sever all ties, that would ensure my son's safety. I would have to become truly, irrevocably, gone. Not just divorced. Not just hidden. Dead.

I looked at my trembling hands, then at the smeared frosting on the floor. Anika's hateful face flashed in my mind. Holden's cold, calculating eyes. They left me no choice.

I had to fake my death. And I had to do it perfectly.