“I don’t know if I can face him right now.” I twist my ring, and nibble on my lip, something I tend to do when I’m anxious.
"The sooner we do this, the closer we are to finding Willow. If it makes you feel any better, I don't believe that Willow is in any danger if her biological parents are involved. It's why you're being sent these messages. Whoever it is wants to be found."
"I wish I had your confidence. Gracie asked me where Willow was, I made up something about a school trip, but she's receptive and knows there's something up. The longer Willow is out there, the farther away she could be. I just - I just want my baby." I clench my fist at my sides. "I think I'm ready to talk to Cohen."
Chapter 29
Anonymous
Sin, I wanted your life. Past tense. I thought it was perfect, everything that a woman could want and desire. I was so close to killing you off and impersonating you. It would have been hard to do, yes, near impossible, but I would have done a bloody good job of it. I'd end up being the ultimate hero in the story. But now, Chelsea has gone and messed everything up. She's been the reason you kept looking over your shoulder. Instead, it was me, and I was made to feel like I was doing something wrong. And here I am watching over you and your little girl. I've watched your house, and she's stayed far away from it since you moved in with your parents.Our parents.I'd planned this great reveal, and now it's gone to shit because I caught that bitch snooping around your parent's house. And now I'm tailing her car to god knows where. I stay a few cars behind her, so she doesn't see me, doesn't suspect she's been seen. How odd is it when the pursuer becomes the pursued. I really want to know her story. What does she hope to achieve by this? Willow is a teenager, and she's grown up with a family. Taking her away from that family isn't going to score Chelsea any brownie points.
She takes the exit that leads to the docks. Has she been hiding out here all along? I turn my headlights off and park. Climbing out of the car, I make my way down to the boathouses, making sure to stay in the shadows. She climbs out of the car and looks around her. Happy that she isn't being followed, she starts toward the old warehouses on the far end. Those have been out of use for years now. She walks briskly, and I keep up with her stalking behind the boathouses, making sure to move without a sound. She stops at a yacht,Freedomsure is a beauty. She's one of those luxury private yachts wealthy parents buy for their kids. Chelsea climbs on board, and for a moment I wonder if she is going to helm the boat. She disappears for a few minutes, then reappears with a bag on her shoulder. Could it be this easy? Does she have Willow somewhere in those abandoned warehouses?
An average person would call the cops with an anonymous tip-off. I mean, a child's life could be in danger. It would be easy to set it up, get them to the warehouses when she leaves to play her stupid charades with Sin. Anyone but me because I know that Chelsea would never hurt Willow. Chelsea is smart. I’ve gotta hand it to her. I never expected her to think about hiding out here. It's genius. Hide in plain sight and slip away when the trail goes cold. Nobody suspects a thing. They're convinced that she is dead. I mean, that is what law enforcement believes when someone goes missing. The worst-case scenario is always the easiest. Because they're lazy and they don't want to put in the work. It is easier to wait it out and let the body of the victim wash up somewhere. Women and children go missing every couple of seconds. Do you think one life matters any more than another?
I can almost feel sorry for Chelsea after what Dr. Finch told me. He was very forthcoming. I respect that. A part of me feels terrible about not keeping my side of the deal. But in truth, it could have been far worse for him. What he did to Chelsea Morgan was despicable. It went against everything his profession stood for.
I slow jog behind her, making sure to stay in the shadows. When I reach the warehouses, I hear the distinct sound of a small aircraft. It can't be. We are miles from the nearest airstrip. And then I recall the open area behind those warehouses. It wouldn't be the first time someone landed there. I creep inside one of the rundown structures, and sure enough, a small chopper is getting ready to take off.
"Damn it," I hiss. This changes things. How am I ever going to follow her? And then it hits me that I may need to reconsider bringing the cops into this. That, or stow away the next time she's here, which could be days. I can wait. It's the right thing to do. I'll restore your family, Sin, and then we can decide how I can be a part of it.
Chapter 30
Chelsea
Ibought this place when I believed that Cohen and I had a chance. I believed he'd come clean with Sin about his infidelity, and we'd start over. I bought all his lies, and this is where it's led me, holding my own daughter hostage. I am not his dirty little secret anymore, and still, he has this much control over my life.
Willow is a fighter. She gets that from me I like to think. She pounds and scratches at the door of the room she's locked in until her knuckles are bust and bloodied. She won't let me near her. I have to dose her food to tend to her wounds. She's wild and unpredictable, ready for a fight. I never thought she'd come with me, but one call, telling her that hermotherwas in danger was enough to have her lying to her friends and getting in the car with me. The fact that she loves that woman and not me makes me want to hurt Sin.
I hated having to knock her out to get her here, but I had no choice, and now she is here with me, finally. This is where she belongs, with me. Fifteen years ago, I was a young, naive girl. I let myself be used. I let a man lie to me and tell me that my child was dead.
They stole Willow from me. Cohen, that doctor, Sinclair. They raised my child while I continued to be his mistress, fulfilling the needs Sinclair never could. He was angry when I moved next door. I'd been at the receiving end of his fury for months before I brought up the courage to befriend his wife. And then he realized how easy I'd made it for him. He could have us both close without her knowing anything.We had a good thing, Cohen, a fucking good idea until I realized how truly evil you are.He’d would never leave Sin, so I would have to get her out of the way.
Fifteen yearsago
He paces the room, running his hands through his hair.
“How is she?” I ask.
“What?” He spins around, his eyes unfocused as if he only just realized he wasn’t alone.
"She doesn't remember anything." He looks rattled like he hasn't been sleeping. Maybe it was a bad idea letting him come here.
“The baby?”
He looks at me in irritation like I'm unworthy to ask him that. I look down at my own belly. Would he love my child as much as he would hers? This child we created together. I place a hand on my stomach.
“You did this?” he hisses, closing the distance between us. He grips my wrist.
“You’re hurting me,” I squeal.
"You'll never be her," He taunts. He's irrational, and I know I should get away from him. For me, and this child.
“I should go to bed.” I hear a tremor in my voice. He lets go of my hand, and I rub the wrist, backing away. He’s been angry since she found out. He doesn’t want to lose her. I should be okay with that. I am not her.
I walk away, hoping he does stay the night. I got a job at his company, and it started as a fling. Strictly sex, but I fell for him. I was convinced that he just had to have a reason to choose me, and so I got pregnant. He tried to convince me to get rid of my baby, but it was already too late. I played it that way on purpose.
If he wasn't so obsessed with Sinclair, he'd see what we have. I'd never seen her till one morning in his office, and I must admit she was stunning. But it is more than that. She's the kind of woman that will never be a second choice.
