Regrets

Regrets
CHAPTER 103

~ Alex

Maybe this was a terrible idea.

I leaned back against the cold wall of the storage room, trying to calm my racing thoughts. My hands trembled slightly, which I hated. I hated that I was trembling. That I was second-guessing everything we had done. The fluorescent light flickered above, casting shadows across Isabella’s face as she lounged in a corner chair like she owned the place. Her legs crossed, heels clicking lightly against the floor as she sipped her drink, every movement dripping with the kind of spoiled arrogance that made my skin crawl and my blood boil at the same time.

I ran a hand over my face and muttered under my breath, “Maybe… maybe we should just let her go.” The words sounded weak even to me, but I couldn’t stop them from slipping out. “You know? Maybe we shouldn’t do this. We could just let her go. I mean, she would probably forgive us. Camilla… she’s… she’s reasonable. She would probably forgive us.”

Isabella raised one eyebrow, the corner of her mouth curling into a smirk. She looked at me like I had just sprouted two heads. “Are you insane?” she asked, voice sharp but playful, almost amused. “Are you really asking me if we should just let that bitch go? The one who stole him from me? You want me to go down on my knees and apologize and hope she forgives me?” She shook her head, swirling the glass in her hand. “No. No way. I’m not doing that. Forget it. That’s not how this works. That’s not how anything works.”

Her words hit me like a slap across the face, leaving me momentarily frozen. I couldn’t argue with her logic. Not entirely. Because she was right. Camilla had messed with all our lives. She had gotten in between him and everything I had once thought was untouchable, between Isabella and the life she felt entitled to, between me and the path I thought I had chosen. She had ruined all of it just by existing. And now here I was, staring at the consequences of our stupidity, trapped in a room with her, knowing Stephano would come down on us like a hammer if he found out.

I took a deep breath, trying to push the nausea back. “Isabella… I’m serious. I don’t think I want to go through with this. This is insane. If we’re caught, Stephano would destroy us. Absolutely destroy us. Career, life, everything. He would make sure there’s nothing left.”

Isabella rolled her eyes dramatically, leaning back in her chair. “Alex, you’re pathetic. Do you even realize what you’re saying? You’re scared. That’s all this is. Fear. Fear of losing, fear of consequences. But guess what? She’s not scared. You want to be scared? You want to imagine her smirking at us, walking free while we rot? That’s your problem, not mine. I don’t care if Stephano would destroy us. He’s mine. That’s the only thing that matters. And Camilla? She stole him from me. She will never forgive us. Never.”

I swallowed hard, pacing the room now, trying to keep my thoughts in some kind of order. “I… I just… this is too much. Kidnapping a person… a whole human being… it’s illegal. It’s insane. How did I let you talk me into this? I can’t believe I did this. I’m staring at the consequences, Isabella, and I just… I can’t. I can’t live with this. Stephano would come down on me so hard. He’d make my life a living nightmare. He’d make me pay for every second I participated in this madness.”

She scoffed, rolling her eyes and waving a hand dismissively. “Alex, you’re such a child. You’re whining. Grow up. Stop thinking about what could happen and start thinking about what is. We have Camilla. She’s here. And you’re sitting there whining like a little baby instead of dealing with it. I am dealing with it. I am in control. You? You’re useless.”

I ran a hand over my face again, my hair sticking to my palms with sweat. “I’m not useless,” I said, though my voice sounded hollow. “I… I just can’t do this. If Stephano finds out… hell, he would destroy whatever career I have left. My life would be over. Over. Gone. And for what? For this… this plan? It’s… it’s wrong.”

Isabella leaned forward now, her eyes narrowing, and her voice was low, dangerous, dripping with that spoiled, commanding energy I hated so much. “Alex, you’re on your own now. I don’t care what you think. If you’re going to chicken out, fine. Run. Hide. Crawl under a rock and pray. Because I’m not stopping. I’m not apologizing. I’m not negotiating. And I’m certainly not letting that little Camilla waltz back into Stephano’s arms while I do nothing. If you think I’m going to let her walk free while I sit here being reasonable, you’re dumber than I thought.”

I felt a shiver run down my spine. She was terrifying in that moment. Not physically, but with sheer arrogance and entitlement. Every word from her mouth was a whip, every glance a dagger. And I knew I could not oppose her. Not without consequences I wasn’t willing to face.

I pressed my hands to my knees, trying to steady my racing thoughts. “Fine. Fine,” I muttered. “You’re on your own. I’m out. I’m not going through with this. I can’t. I just can’t.” My voice cracked slightly, betraying the panic I was trying to hide. “I… I don’t know how I let you talk me into this. Hell. Hell, I just… kidnapped a whole human being! What the hell was I thinking? What the hell were we thinking?”

Isabella laughed, a sharp, cruel sound, and leaned back, crossing her legs again. “You were thinking you could keep up with me, Alex. You were thinking you could play in the big leagues. You were thinking you mattered. But you don’t. Not really. Not like me. So get used to it. You’re out. You’re soft. You’re weak. And you know it.”

I ran my fingers through my hair again, pacing in a tight circle, trying to calm my mind, trying to separate the fear from the anger from the guilt, trying to decide if I had any choice left. My stomach churned, adrenaline and panic mixing. I had crossed a line I could never uncross. I had made a mistake so big I could feel it like a physical weight pressing against my chest.

Isabella was already moving, straightening her dress, checking her phone, the picture of confidence and entitlement. “You’re done,” she said casually, glancing at me as if I were some minor inconvenience. “You want out? Fine. Don’t screw it up for me. Because I’m not letting you drag me down. Not today. Not ever.”



Isabella’s heels clicked sharply against the concrete floor as she paced in front of me, ranting about Camilla, Stephano, betrayal, and whatever imagined injury she claimed to have suffered. I wasn’t even listening at that point. My heartbeat was too loud. Too fast. I could hear nothing but the thundering echo of what the hell have I done ricocheting inside my skull.

I stayed seated in the corner, elbows on my knees, hands pressed over my face. The cold cinder block wall behind me did nothing to calm my nerves. My body felt jittery, shaky… like my veins were filled with electricity instead of blood. But then Isabella stopped pacing.

And when she turned and saw me sitting there, still, she smirked. A smug, victorious, entitled little smirk that made me feel sick.

“Oh,” she said, voice sugary but sharp. “So you came back to your senses.”

She tossed her hair over her shoulder, rolling her eyes just a little. “Honestly, Alex, I knew you’d break, but I didn’t think you’d break that easily. You’re dramatic for no reason. Look at you… breathing like a dying cat. Calm down. She’s tied to a chair, not a bomb.”

I didn’t respond. I didn’t trust myself to.

She waved a manicured hand dismissively. “Anyway, I’m going to get something to eat. I’m starving and I can’t think with an empty stomach.” She paused, giving me a look filled with condescending amusement. “And for the love of God… do keep an eye on her. And don’t do anything stupid.”

She pointed toward Camilla like Camilla was a broken vase or a pile of trash, something to be watched but not valued. Then she grabbed her purse, checked her lipstick in the reflection of her phone, and strutted out the door.

The heavy metal door slammed shut behind her, rattling the frame.

There was a moment of silence.

Then another.

I waited, breathing slowly, listening for the distinct sound of her heels clacking toward the exit. I waited for the jingle of her keys, the car engine rumbling to life… and finally the fading growl of the black Benz disappearing down the street.

Only then did I move. I shot up from the chair like I’d been shocked. My heart pounding. My legs unsteady.

I hurried across the room to where Camilla sat slumped in the chair, head drooping, hair a tangled mess around her face. She was barely conscious. Her wrists were raw from the zip ties. Her breathing was shallow. She looked like she’d been wrung out and left to dry.

“Camilla,” I whispered harshly, dropping to my knees beside her. “Hey. Hey, Camilla.”

Her head lifted a fraction. “...Alex?” Her voice was so faint I barely heard it. She blinked slowly, like she wasn’t sure if she was hallucinating. “Is… is that you?”

“Yeah,” I said, fingers shaking so badly I almost missed the knot on the rope around her ankles. “It’s me. Jesus, Camilla, I’m sorry. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking. I don’t know why I…God, I shouldn’t have…just…”

My breath was coming too fast. My hands were slick with sweat, slipping on the rope. I kept glancing at the entrance of the warehouse like Isabella would materialize out of thin air and catch me betraying her.

“Alex…” she whispered again, eyes half‑closed. “What… are you doing…?”

“Getting you out,” I hissed. “Before that lunatic gets back. Before Stephano finds us. Before I lose the remaining scraps of my sanity, just stay awake, okay? Stay awake.”

My paranoia was climbing so fast it felt like I couldn’t breathe. Every second felt like a second too long. Every knot I untied, every rope I loosened, every sound made my heart slam against my ribs.

The rope around her ankles finally loosened and fell. I moved to the zip ties around her wrists, digging through my pockets for anything sharp. My hands were clumsy, frantic. I found a small pocket knife, flipped it open, and started sawing.

“Hurry,” Camilla whispered weakly, her voice trembling. “Please… Alex, please hurry.”

“I’m trying,” I snapped before catching myself. “Sorry. Sorry. I’m just…God, Camilla, I’m terrified. I don’t know what Isabella’s capable of. I don’t know what Stephano will do to us. I shouldn’t have listened to her. I shouldn’t have touched you. Any of THIS, none of this should have…”

The zip tie snapped. Her hands fell limply into her lap. I grabbed her under the arms, lifting her to her feet. She let out a soft sound of pain, leaning heavily into me because she couldn’t stand on her own. Her knees buckled twice before I got her steady enough to walk.

“Come on,” I whispered. “Come on, we’ve gotta go. Now. Now, Camilla, right now.”

She tried to nod. Her head fell against my shoulder instead. I half-carried, half-dragged her toward the exit, my heart hammering harder with each step. The warehouse door felt a mile away. Every sound made me whip around, a car passing outside, a faint clang from the rafters, even the creak of the wind.

We made it out into the cold night air.

I scanned the street, nothing.

No Isabella. No witnesses. All I could see was just the dark, quiet road and the hum of the streetlights. I pulled her toward my car, fumbling with the keys like an idiot because my hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

“Alex…” she whispered, barely audible. “Are you… helping me…?”

“Yes,” I breathed, opening the passenger door and guiding her inside. “I’m sure. I’m getting you out. I’m taking you somewhere safe.”

I slammed the door closed, then hurried around to my side. When I slid into the driver’s seat, I caught my own reflection in the window. I could see pale, eyes wide, raw panic dug into every line of my face. I swallowed dryly, turned the ignition, and murmured one last thing under my breath:

“What the hell have I done?”