Chapter 38 Up
“Where is Nyla?”
Clark’s voice was hoarse, yet sharp. He stood at the doorway of the bedroom, his body still weak after collapsing a few days ago, but something in his eyes had changed—more alert, more aware.
Selena, who was pouring warm water into a glass, stiffened instantly.
“What do you mean?” she asked, forcing calm into her tone. “Why are you suddenly asking about her?”
Clark stepped inside. Each step was heavy, but filled with determination. “I dreamed about her. And when I woke up, she was gone. You said she left on her own, but…” His gaze narrowed. “Something feels wrong.”
The glass in Selena’s hand trembled slightly.
“It was just a dream,” she said quickly. “You were exhausted. You drank too much before.”
Clark stared at her.
Too long.
“Why do you look nervous?” he asked quietly.
Selena turned away, pretending to adjust the blanket. “I’m pregnant, Clark. My emotions are unstable. That’s normal.”
Clark didn’t respond. He simply turned and walked out of the room, leaving Selena behind with her heart pounding violently in her chest.
The moment the door closed, Selena collapsed into the chair.
Her hands shook uncontrollably.
“No… no… this can’t happen,” she murmured.
She pressed a hand to her stomach, her breathing uneven. The fear she had buried for so long began crawling upward, tightening around her throat. Clark was waking up. And if Clark was waking up, he would start searching.
And if Clark started searching…
Nyla’s name would become a threat again.
Selena grabbed her phone with trembling fingers and began pacing the room.
“She can’t come back,” she whispered over and over. “She can’t be part of Clark’s life again.”
She stopped walking.
Her eyes hardened.
Selena opened a contact she had saved under a fake name—a number she only used when subtle methods were no longer enough.
The call connected after the third ring.
“I need help,” Selena said without preamble.
The man’s voice on the other end was low and cold. “What kind of help?”
Selena swallowed. “I want someone… to disappear. Temporarily.”
There was a brief silence.
“You want her dead?”
“No!” Selena almost shouted, then lowered her voice. “No. Don’t kill her.”
“Then what?”
“Make her afraid,” Selena said, her voice turning icy. “Traumatize her. Make her believe that staying away from Clark is the only way she can survive.”
The man chuckled softly. “Who’s the target?”
Selena clenched her fist. “A woman named Nyla.”
She spat the name like poison.
“I want her gone for a while. Don’t let Clark find her. Don’t let her come back.”
“For how long?”
Selena hesitated, then said quietly but firmly, “Until she’s broken. Until she’s too scared to come near him again.”
“And if she resists?”
“Do whatever you have to,” Selena replied quickly, then added in a pressured whisper, “as long as she stays alive.”
The call ended.
Selena dropped the phone onto the bed.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
She knew it—once the order was given, there was no turning back.
She walked to the mirror and stared at her reflection. The face she had always maintained with gentle smiles now looked unfamiliar. Her eyes were dark, filled with fear and ambition twisted together.
“Why do you always come back, Nyla?” she murmured. “Why don’t you know when to stay away?”
Tears streamed down her cheeks, but there was no regret in them. Only anger and panic.
“I’ve come this far,” she told her reflection. “I won’t lose.”
Outside the room, Clark sat alone in the living room.
His phone was clenched tightly in his hand as he stared at the empty screen.
He tried calling Nyla again.
No signal.
His chest tightened.
Something was wrong. He could feel it. Too many coincidences. Too many holes in Selena’s story.
Before he could think further, footsteps approached.
Selena appeared, her face pale, eyes red.
“I feel dizzy,” she said weakly. “The doctor said I need to rest. For our baby.”
Clark looked at her, hesitation flickering across his face, then nodded. “Get some rest.”
Selena offered a faint smile and turned away.
But the moment Clark looked away, that smile vanished.
She walked back into the bedroom, locked the door, and leaned against it.
Her hand pressed against her stomach again.
“Forgive Mommy,” she whispered to the unborn child. “I’m doing this for us.”
She lifted her head, staring at the ceiling.
“I won’t lose everything,” she said softly, filled with resolve.
“Not because of one woman.”