Chapter 92 Desperation
CAITLYN'S POV
It was the fourth day of being locked in this room when Collin finally came back. I heard his footsteps in the hallway. Different from the guards. More confident. More deliberate.
The lock clicked and the door opened. Collin walked in looking fresh and well rested. Like he had been on vacation instead of planning my murder.
"Good morning Caitlyn," he said. "How are you feeling?"
I did not answer. Just stared at him from where I was lying on the bed.
"Not talking today?" Collin asked. "That is fine. You do not need to talk. You just need to listen."
He walked over and sat down in the chair by the window. Made himself comfortable, as if we were about to have a pleasant conversation.
"I have been busy the past few days," Collin said. "Making arrangements. Tying up loose ends. Getting ready for my departure."
"Departure?" I asked. My voice was hoarse from not using it.
"Yes," Collin said. "I am leaving the country. Tomorrow actually. I have a flight booked. A new identity is waiting. A new life ready to begin."
"They will find you," I said.
"Maybe eventually," Collin said. "But by then it will not matter. I will be settled somewhere safe. Somewhere with no extradition. Living comfortably on the money I have stashed away."
"What about me?" I asked.
"What about you?" Collin asked. He smiled. "You will be dead. Obviously."
"When?" I asked. "When are you going to do it?"
"Tonight," Collin said. "After dark. I am going to take you somewhere quiet. Somewhere remote. And I am going to kill you. You and the baby both."
"Why are you telling me this?" I asked. "Why not just do it?"
"Because I want you to think about it," Collin said. "I want you to spend the next few hours knowing exactly what is coming. Knowing there is no escape. Knowing you are going to die."
"You are a sadist," I said.
"I am thorough," Collin corrected. "I want to make sure you understand the full weight of your choices. You chose to betray me. This is the consequence."
"I did not betray you," I said. "I escaped from you. There is a difference."
"Not to me," Collin said. "To me, they are the same thing."
He stood up and walked over to the bed. Looked down at me with cold eyes.
"You could have had everything," Collin said. "Money. Status. Security. All you had to do was be a good wife. Be obedient. But you could not even do that."
"Being obedient meant being abused," I said. "Being controlled. Being afraid every day. That is not a life."
"It was the life I gave you," Collin said. "And you threw it away."
"I chose freedom," I said. "I chose myself."
"And now you will die for that choice," Collin said. "Was it worth it?"
I thought about Jason. About the weeks we spent together at the cabin. About feeling safe for the first time in years. About being loved.
"Yes," I said. "It was worth it."
Collin looked surprised. "Even knowing you are about to die? Even knowing your baby will die with you? You still think it was worth it?"
"Yes," I said. "Because I got to know what real love feels like. I got to be free even if it was only for a little while. That is worth more than all your money and status."
"You are a fool," Collin said.
"Maybe," I agreed. "But at least I am not a monster."
Collin's face darkened. "You think you are better than me? You think your choices make you noble?"
"I think my choices make me human," I said. "Something you will never be."
He raised his hand like he was going to hit me but then stopped himself. Lowered his hand and took a breath.
"It does not matter," Collin said. "In a few hours, you will be dead and I will be free. Your opinion of me means nothing."
"What about Jason?" I asked. "What happened to him?"
"Your boyfriend?" Collin asked. "He is dead. Bled out in that cabin. Died alone knowing he failed to protect you."
"You are lying," I said. "The guard told me he was found alive."
Collin paused. "The guard told you that?"
"Yes," I said. "He said Jason was alive when the police found him."
"Then the guard was misinformed," Collin said. But I could see something in his eyes. Doubt maybe. Or worry.
"He is alive," I said. "Jason is alive. And he is going to find me."
"He is not going to find you in time," Collin said. "Even if he is alive. Even if he is looking. He does not know where you are. And by the time he figures it out you will be dead."
"You do not know that," I said.
"Yes I do," Collin said. "Because I am always three steps ahead. Always prepared. Cross is not going to save you Caitlyn. No one is."
He walked back to the door. "I will be back tonight. Around midnight. Be ready."
"Ready for what?" I asked.
"Ready to die," Collin said. Then he left and locked the door behind him.
I lay there in the silence trying to process what he had said. Tonight. He was going to kill me tonight. In just a few hours I would be dead.
I put my hands on my stomach and felt the baby moving. "I am sorry little one. I am so sorry I could not save you."
The baby kicked hard like it was protesting. It was telling me not to give up. But what choice did I have? I was locked in this room. Guards everywhere. No way to escape.
Even if Jason were alive he would not find me in time. How could he? He did not know where I was. Had no way of knowing Collin had brought me back to the estate.
I was alone. Completely alone. And in a few hours, I would be dead.
I started crying again. Not just for myself but for my baby. For Jason if he was really alive. For everyone who would miss me. For the life I would never get to live.
Hours passed. The sun set. Night fell. I heard the guards changing shifts outside my door. Heard them talking about nothing important. Just passing the time until Collin came back.
I tried to think of a plan but my mind was blank. There was nothing I could do. No way out. No hope left.
I had given up fighting. Given up hoping. Given up believing anyone would save me.
All I could do was wait for Collin to come back. Wait for midnight. Wait for the end.