Chapter 53: Chapter Fifty-two

“So…” Aria said as soon as Mirabella entered the living room.

Mirabella paused at Rena's doorway, blinking at her friend, confusion sitting clearly on her face. “What… so…” she asked, her brows knitting together.

Aria crossed her arms, eyes narrowing a little as she tilted her head. “I mean, what would you do about Daniel? He has been all over you for the longest time, and you can’t tell me you haven't noticed.”

Mirabella sighed softly, her lips tugging down. “Oh… how can I even pretend not to know when you girls are always talking about it?” She walked over and dropped herself on the sofa beside Aria, leaning back tiredly.

Aria leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees as she looked at her friend pointedly. “Oh, we do talk about it. But you always brush it off. You always avoid the topic anytime we bring it up.”

Mirabella shook her head, holding up her hands in weak protest. “Aria, I’m not avoiding anything. For real.” She leaned her head against the sofa’s cushion, her voice low, almost defensive.

“Or do you still have feelings for your abductor?” Aria asked casually.

“You always ask me this question and you know my answer has always been the same. I have gotten over the feelings I had for him." Mirabella answered defensively. That was a lie but she wouldn't let Aria know that. No matter how she tried, she always dreamt of him. Most times she wakes up wet and craving him. She had tried to fuck other men, but it didn't work so she resolve to her dildo and her fingers.

Aria’s gaze sharpened. “So?” she asked again, stretching the word out like she was daring her friend to give the truth this time.

Mirabella let out a long, heavy breath. “I really don’t know what to do about Daniel’s feelings.”

Aria arched her brow. “You don’t have any feelings for him? It’s been, what, three years? He’s been around you, showing you how he feels all this time. You don’t feel anything? At all?” She spoke carefully, as though she didn’t want her words to push too hard but still needed the truth.

Mirabella’s chest rose and fell with another sigh. “My heart flutters sometimes around him, yes, but it’s just out of gratitude. He has done a lot for me and Rena. I feel thankful to him.”

Aria sat back, crossing her arms again. “Well, I think you should give yourself a chance to love again. Only…” She trailed off, her voice dropping.

“Only what?” Mirabella asked, frowning, curiosity flashing in her eyes.

Aria looked straight at her. “I don’t know. I just feel… his life would be threatened if you let him in.”

Mirabella blinked fast, confused. “By who?”

“You know who,” Aria returned firmly, her voice quiet but strong.

And Mirabella did know. Oh, she did. His name was like a ghost haunting every thought she tried to bury. The one person who still made her heart clench with both fear, rage and need.

Her lips parted as the thoughts rushed in. What if Hunter found them? What if she gave Daniel a chance and Hunter showed up? Would Daniel be safe? Could she even protect him from that devil?

But it’s been three years already, she told herself. Maybe Hunter wasn’t even looking for her anymore. Maybe he had finally given up.

Her memory drifted back to the call she received three days after she left Atlanta. Hilda had called her in panic, her voice trembling through the phone. She said Hunter had come, asking if Mirabella was with her. And then he had threatened to destroy her if Mirabella didn’t appear before him in three days.

The fear that had seized her then was something that still lingered.

But after those three days passed, Hilda had called again, relief in her tone. Hunter had stopped threatening her. He had said nothing more. And Hilda had begged Mirabella never to use her old line again. She warned that Hunter could track her easily.

Maybe that was the moment she had started clinging to false hope. “I don’t think he is still interested in finding me, Aria. Which is good for me,” she told her friend now, trying to sound strong.

Aria gave her a look, the kind of look that cut through false walls. “That guy is a psycho. He has obviously fallen for you since forever. It is possible he already knows where you are—just like he always did during university days.”

Mirabella shook her head. “I don’t think so. He must have lost interest and decided to let me go…” She trailed off, though even she could hear the doubt in her words.

“You know that is not true, Mira. You know.” Aria’s voice hardened, low but clear. “He was too obsessed. Like a demon. It is not possible he would ever let go.”

Mirabella’s throat tightened. Silence hung heavy between them.

Aria spoke again, softer now. “Have you even asked yourself why he hasn’t gone back to Hilda to carry out his threat? With the kind of person he is, with his reputation, that would have been the easiest thing for him to do.”

Mirabella’s breath hitched, chest rising and falling faster. Aria was right. She had just been feeding herself lies. Giving herself false comfort. Either Hunter had already found her and was watching her… or he was still out there, searching for her.

And that realization left a deep hole in her heart.

Hunter was standing on the wide staircase of his mansion. He leaned against the polished rail, a crystal glass of amber liquid swirling lazily in his hand. The grand hall below him was alive with quiet activity; the maids moved around, arranging flowers, dusting the furniture, cleaning corners. Their presence didn’t matter to him. He wasn’t even looking at them.

He raised the glass and took a slow sip, the burn of the liquor sliding down his throat. His head lowered for a moment, eyes fixed on the floor below him. When he finally raised his head again, a dangerous, cold smirk spread across his lips.

On the outside, he looked calm—calm enough for anyone glancing at him to actually think he was calm. But inside, his blood was boiling. His chest was heavy with an anger that had only grown sharper each passing day.

It had been three years.

Three damn years.

Three fucking years since she ran.

She was smart. He gave her that. She had hidden herself well. Perfectly, even. She had found a place he wouldn’t have guessed immediately. Somewhere that was difficult for even his men to sniff out until now.

But she hadn’t just left. No. She had left with something equally important.

His smirk widened dangerously as he took another gulp of his drink, almost emptying the glass this time.

She had left with his child.

The word pounded inside him like a drum, dark and consuming. His fingers clenched tight around the glass, almost shattering it.

She had the audacity—the sheer audacity to run away from him?

“Oh, just you wait, my little witch.” His voice was low, muttered under his breath. A promise and a curse at once. “You will regret ever leaving my side… and with my child.”

He tilted his head back slightly, his eyes sharp and gleaming with an unholy light.

“My child,” he repeated slowly, tasting the word on his tongue. Testing it. Possessing it.

A dark laugh rumbled out of his throat again as he whispered , “My child.”