Chapter 217: The Mysterious Enemy Appears

Chapter 217: The Mysterious Enemy Appears

Tara’s POV

Lucy—Luke's beloved sister—was now in danger because of me. Just as I had feared all along.

Luke's anxious voice cut through my thoughts. "Tara, what's wrong? Who was that?"

I couldn't bring myself to meet his eyes. If I did, he would see right through me, would read the truth in my expression before I could mask it. Instead, I focused on slipping my phone back into my pocket.

"Nothing important," I said, keeping my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. "Just someone trying to get information about one of my patients."

Luke's eyes narrowed with suspicion. Even in his wheelchair, he commanded the room with his presence, his gaze sharp and penetrating. "You're lying. Your face went completely pale."

"I said it was nothing!" I snapped, more harshly than I intended. The fear for Lucy was making me lash out. I softened my tone, knowing I needed him to stay behind. "Gloria needs you here. You need to make sure she's safe."

"What about Lucy?" he pressed, wheeling closer to me. "That call had something to do with her, didn't it?"

I turned away, unwilling to let him see how close to the truth he was. "Gloria this side, you take good care of her. Make sure nothing happens to her!"

I moved toward the door, heart pounding. I needed to leave now, before he could stop me, before I lost my nerve. But Luke was faster than I expected, his wheelchair surprisingly agile as he blocked my path.

"Where are you going?" His voice was low but intense, his eyes searching mine.

I forced myself to meet his gaze. "I'm going home! I'll rescue Lucy, but you need to stay here. Do nothing except look after Gloria, understand?"

"I'm coming with you—" he began, already reaching for his phone.

"No!" I cut him off sharply. The mere thought of him putting himself in danger made my chest constrict painfully. "Luke, I've said this before and I'll say it again—stay away from me! Lucy has already become a victim. Gloria could be next. Do you really want all your loved ones to pay the price for your stubbornness?"

The words were cruel, deliberately so. I needed him to stay behind, needed him to be safe. Even if it meant hurting him now.

Pain flashed across his face, raw and unfiltered. In that moment, I saw the truth—he couldn't let me go. The thought of a life without me was tearing him apart, like a knife slowly carving away at his heart until he could barely breathe.

I softened, unable to bear his suffering. Bending down, I pressed my lips gently against his—a kiss as light as a butterfly's touch, yet heavy with meaning. It was barely a taste, over almost before it began, but it left both our hearts aching. Luke's eyes held mine, filled with a desperate certainty that this goodbye might be our last.

I straightened, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Luke, life isn't perfect. Everyone has regrets. We can't be selfish."

His resistance crumbled, shoulders sagging as he finally acquiesced. "I understand."

Tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them, my voice turned hoarse with emotion. "Take care of Gloria."

Luke's eyes were rimmed with red, exhaustion and worry etched into every line of his face. "I will."

I turned quickly, unable to bear looking at him any longer. Each step away from him felt like I was tearing a part of myself away. Behind me, I heard the soft whir of his wheelchair as he moved to the window.

As I reached the door, his soft words followed me. "Tara, I just want to be with you. Why is that so difficult?"

I pretended not to hear, but his words echoed in my mind as I hurried down the hall, my vision blurred with unshed tears.

---

The road stretched before me, dark and winding as I drove toward the coordinates the kidnapper had sent. The journey would take roughly ninety minutes—ninety minutes to plan, to prepare myself for whatever awaited me. The digital clock on the dashboard seemed to mock me with each passing minute.

I drove alone, following the kidnapper's explicit instructions. No backup, no support, not even a tracking device. I had checked my car thoroughly before leaving, removing the standard tracker that Luke had installed years ago. I couldn't risk Lucy's safety by trying to be clever.

The memory of Lucy's previous accident flashed in my mind—her broken body on the operating table, life slipping away as I fought to save her. I had almost lost her then. I wouldn't lose her now, not when I could prevent it. Not when the price was simply my own life.

The road began to climb, winding upward into the mountains. I recognized the path—it led to a spot I often visited when my mind was troubled. The same place where the fake Sophia had once tried to push me to my death. The irony wasn't lost on me.

As I drove higher, the temperature dropped dramatically. Winter had wrapped the mountain in its harsh embrace. By the time I parked and stepped out of the car, the cold air hit my lungs like shards of glass, the wind whipping my hair around my face with vicious glee.

I made my way to the summit, each step deliberate. The path was familiar, but the circumstances were not. Around me, darkness had settled completely, the sparse trees creating sinister shadows under the moonlight. The howling wind was the only sound, like a hungry beast waiting to devour me.

No one else was visible when I reached the top. Just me and the endless sky, the distant lights of the city twinkling far below. The wind grew stronger here, unobstructed, its mournful howling nearly drowning out my thoughts.

"I'm here..." I called out, my voice carried away by the wind.

Silence answered me. I waited, the minutes stretching painfully as the cold seeped through my coat, chilling me to the bone. Ten minutes. Fifteen. My patience began to wear thin.

"If you're not going to show up, I'm leaving!" I finally called, turning back toward the path.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Taylor." A cold voice suddenly emerged from the darkness. "I had some business to attend to."

I turned slowly, keeping my expression neutral despite the adrenaline surging through my veins. "So, even now you won't show your face?"

A soft chuckle drifted through the air. "You seem eager to see me, Miss Taylor. Perhaps you want to confirm whether I am who you suspect?"

"You refuse to show yourself because you're afraid your lie will be exposed," I said boldly. "Because you are not Howard Harrison."

"Why couldn't I be?" The voice grew closer, though I still couldn't locate its source. "You seem quite confident about Howard. I don't understand—after everything he did to hurt you, why do you still believe in him?"

"It's not belief," I corrected. "No matter how well you imitate him, you can't fool me. You think by pretending to be him, you can blame everything on a dead man? Too cowardly to take responsibility for your own actions?"

A figure finally emerged from the shadows. My breath caught despite myself. The resemblance to Howard was uncanny—the same tall frame, the same posture, even the distinctive way he tilted his head slightly to the right when speaking.

"It seems you won't believe Howard is truly alive unless you see with your own eyes," he said, stepping closer.

I studied him carefully, noting the perfect replication of Howard's features. "I must say, your disguise is impressive..."

"Tara," he interrupted, his voice a perfect imitation of Howard's distinct timbre. "You see me with your own eyes and still don't believe I'm alive? Come closer, see for yourself whether this is a disguise."

He began to approach me, his expression shifting to one of longing. "Tara, it's been months since we've seen each other. Do you know how much I've missed you? When eating, when sleeping—you're constantly in my thoughts, like you're etched into my brain. Though I've watched you from afar, nothing compares to standing face to face with you like this. Thinking of you day and night, and finally seeing you today! You seem thinner than a few months ago. Haven't you been eating properly?"

As he reached to embrace me, I stepped back immediately, revulsion rising in my throat. "Keep your distance. We're not familiar with each other."

He smiled, an expression that didn't reach his eyes. "Tara, you’re still as adorable as before."

"Who hired you to look like Howard?" I demanded.