Chapter 5

Amelia POV:

Blake froze mid-lunge, his eyes instantly abandoning me for Chyna' s crumpled form. "Chyna! What' s wrong?" he cried, his voice laced with a genuine panic that stung me more than any blow. He scooped her up, his gaze never once returning to me, leaving me alone with the sickening realization of his true priorities. He didn't care about my pain, my broken body, or the truth. He only cared about his "destined partner" and his heirs.

"Guards!" he roared, already carrying Chyna out the door. "Secure this room! Do not let her leave or contact anyone!"

Two hulking figures in dark suits immediately materialized, blocking the doorway. My heart sank. They were Blake' s private security, loyal only to him. My phone, still clutched in my hand, was yanked away, tossed against the wall, shattering into a dozen pieces. The tiny SIM card, my only evidence, was probably ruined. All my proof, all my leverage, gone.

"You can' t do this!" I yelled, my voice hoarse. "This is illegal confinement! I have rights!"

The guards remained stoic, their faces impassive. They simply stood there, silent sentinels of my captivity. My protests faded into the sterile silence of the room. I was utterly alone, imprisoned, my voice unheard, my truth obliterated.

A week later, the door creaked open again. Not Blake, not Chyna, but a stern-faced man in a tailored suit, one of Blake's senior assistants. He held a tablet in his hand, his eyes cold and devoid of emotion.

"Mrs. Hodge," he began, his voice formal, "Mr. Hodge requests your presence for a spiritual cleansing ritual. It is for Ms. Hatfield's recovery and the continued well-being of the twins. The guru believes your participation is essential to purify the household's energies."

A spiritual cleansing. For their well-being. Not a word about me, about my injuries, about my shattered life. The sheer arrogance, the unrelenting cruelty, was breathtaking. I refused, of course, but my refusal was met with a grim silence. Without another word, two new guards entered, lifted me from the bed, and half-carried, half-dragged me out of the hospital, ignoring my cries of pain.

They drove for hours, the city lights fading into the endless stretch of highway, then a winding, unpaved road. We stopped at the base of a towering mountain, shrouded in mist. My body, still healing, screamed with every jolt of the suspension. The guards pulled me out, my legs buckling beneath me.

"What is this place?" I demanded, my voice weak.

My question was answered by a jarring ringtone. One of the guards answered, holding the phone to his ear, then grimacing. He held it out to me. Blake.

"Amelia," his voice, distorted by the poor reception, was chillingly calm. "The guru has instructed that you are to ascend this sacred mountain. Each step, a kowtow. A cleansing of your spirit, a penance for the discord you have brought into our home. For Chyna's recovery, and for the health of my sons."

My blood boiled. "I won't do it, Blake! I won't debase myself for your twisted guru and your lies!"

His voice hardened. "Think of your mother's roses, Amelia. The seeds you cherish. The last vestige of her memory. They are quite vulnerable, aren't they, out in the open? A sudden frost, an unfortunate accident..."

My breath hitched. He wouldn't. But I knew he would. He had destroyed my garden once; he wouldn' t hesitate to destroy the very last link to my past. "You monster," I whispered, tears blurring my vision.

The line went dead.

My heart felt numb, replaced by a cold, leaden weight. The guards released me, gesturing towards the steep, rocky path. Each step was agony, each kowtow a searing pain as my bruised body scraped against the rough stone. My injuries, still raw, tore open with every genuflection, blood seeping through my thin clothes. I moved mechanically, a puppet on strings, my mind disconnected from the brutal reality of my physical torment.

When I faltered, one of the guards, without a word, would grab my head and slam it against the stone steps, a sickening crack echoing in the silence. "The master's instructions," he would grunt, his face impassive. "No shortcuts in penance."

Hours later, the sun already dipping below the horizon, I reached the summit. My body was a mass of raw, bleeding wounds, my face streaked with dirt and tears. My clothes were torn, my skin abraded. I stood there, swaying, a broken, empty vessel.

Blake and Chyna were waiting, flanked by the guru, who watched me with an unsettling, knowing smile. Blake, seeing me, frowned, a flicker of something, perhaps concern, in his eyes. He took a hesitant step forward.

"Blake," I said, my voice raspy, unfamiliar even to me. I had used his full name, a stark departure from the intimate endearment I once reserved for him. "What more do you want?"

He winced, a subtle shift in his otherwise composed demeanor. Chyna, seeing her opportunity, rushed forward, a picture of fragile gratitude. "Oh, Amelia, thank you," she simpered, clutching Blake's arm. "I feel so much better already. The guru says your efforts have purified the air."

I wanted to hit her again, to wipe that smug, fake gratitude off her face. But I was utterly spent, too tired to even lift my hand. I simply turned to leave, needing to escape the suffocating hypocrisy of their presence.

Just then, a shrill, piercing alarm blared from a nearby monitor. A voice crackled through a loudspeaker: "Warning! Unstable rockfall detected! Seek immediate shelter!"

A massive boulder, dislodged by the vibrations, came hurtling down the mountainside, directly towards us. Chaos erupted. People screamed, scattering in every direction.

Blake, without a second thought, shoved Chyna behind him, shielding her with his body. He was her protector, her hero. But as he lunged to save her, his arm swung wide, slamming into my chest. The impact sent me flying backwards, off balance, directly into the path of the oncoming projectile. My head hit the ground with a sickening thud, and then, everything went black. The last thing I heard was the thunderous crash of the boulder, and Blake's distant shout, not of my name, but of Chyna's.