Chapter 246 CHAPTER 0246
Chapter 246 CHAPTER 0246
LAUREN'S POV
I squeezed my fist tightly, my whole body bubbling from a mixture of anger, confusion, and this sharp sting of betrayal rising slowly in my chest. It felt like I had been punched but my mind hadn’t caught up enough to understand the pain yet.
“How could you do something like that, why?” I asked, my voice low but trembling. I just needed an answer, something that made sense.
Liz rolled her eyes so dramatically that it almost looked rehearsed. Then she let out this slow, irritated sigh like I was stressing her out by simply asking her why she betrayed me.
“Why do you guys always say the same annoying lines? ‘Why?’ ‘How could you do this?’ They’re seriously a fucking pain in my ears.” Liz said, mocking me with a tone that made my skin crawl. She didn’t even sound sorry. She sounded entertained.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” I said, trying to hold myself together. “I treated you nicely. My whole friends and family welcomed you in. So why would you do something like this?” My voice cracked just slightly at the end. Because it didn’t make sense. None of this made any sense.
She looked at me like I was boring her. “Don’t be so dramatic, Lauren. All this, what I did, it’s not that deep. You’re the one making it look like I committed a crime. Besides, we haven’t known each other for that long, so that connection isn’t even there.” She shrugged and then began walking around me slowly, circling me like she was studying me from all angles. “And as for why I did it… well, I saw Roman, liked him that day, and I wanted him. But he just kept turning me down each time.”
I felt my jaw tighten. She kept circling me, her eyes narrowing just slightly like she was enjoying every second of this. Every step she took made the air around me feel tighter.
“Which made me more and more curious about him each day,” she continued. “I mean, I may look like you, but I know I’m far prettier and hotter than you are. So why did he keep pushing me away?” She tilted her head like she genuinely didn’t understand the concept of boundaries. “Anyway, I tried my luck with him one more time and that was it. I left because I knew he was going to tell you everything that happened so there was no point in staying. Then this idea entered my head, why don’t I have a little fun?”
She finally stopped in front of me.
“Fun? What fun are you talking about?” I asked, feeling my stomach twist.
“Well, news flash,” she said, dragging the words slowly. “I wasn’t owing anyone. I’m sure you’ve put that together by now.” She smiled like she had just told a joke. “How could you even believe that though? When we first met, I told you I’ve never been to this country before. And then I text you and tell you that I’m here with someone I’ve been owing for a while… and you don’t think something is up?” She tapped her index finger on her lip thoughtfully. “A normal person would have thought — how is she owing someone here when she’s never been to this country before?”
I clenched my jaw, embarrassment and shock hitting me at the same time. So she played me completely and she was standing here bragging about it like it made her smarter.
“I believed you,” I said, swallowing hard. “That’s why I didn’t doubt anything you said. You told me to trust you.”
She raised her brows and scoffed. “So because we have the same blood, we’re supposed to trust, love, and protect each other? Wake up, Lauren. This is the real world. No one always gets what they want. And secondly…” She leaned closer, her breath brushing my cheek. “ like I said a few seconds ago, I don’t like the fact that you’re running around with my face. So there’s going to be a price paid. And it’s not with that money you’re holding.”
She pointed at my purse with the cash inside.
My fingers tightened around it. “What price are you talking about?” I asked, glancing between her and the men behind me.
That was when I noticed it, those men had quietly started removing their shirts. One by one, like they were preparing for something they had done many times. Their expressions didn’t show surprise or hesitation. Just… readiness.
I took a step back without even thinking. My throat tightened painfully. Something cold crawled down my spine.
I hoped, prayed that this wasn’t what I was thinking.
“Well, you see…” Elizabeth smiled cruelly. “When I told you to come here, the fun I was talking about is that you’re going to get raped by those four men and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. That’s the price you’re going to pay.”
My heart stopped for a second. Literally stopped. Then it started pounding so hard it hurt my ribs.
She didn’t look human anymore. She didn’t sound human. She felt like a stranger wearing my face, twisting it into something sick and evil. I couldn’t understand how someone could say something like that so casually.
“I…” I swallowed. The lump in my throat almost choked me. “I’m a mother. I’m someone’s fiancée. I can’t… I won’t allow this to happen.”
She laughed, actually laughed. “You keep saying what you will or won’t allow. Have you looked around?” She gestured around the room with an amused smirk. “There’s nothing you can do as you are. You can’t scream, because this is literally a sex hotel. No one would pay attention. And why do you think it’s called rape? Obviously, you’re not going to be on board with it. But those men over there?” She pointed at them without even looking “They don’t care.”
I stared at the men. Their eyes were dark, empty, almost bored. Like this was a job. Like I wasn’t even a person.
Elizabeth continued, “I would have loved to video this and post it, but you have my face. So that’s a no.”
Before I could reply, before I even fully processed her words, I noticed movement behind me.
The men were walking toward me now.
Slow, heavy steps. The kind of steps that made the floor vibrate just slightly.
My eyes darted around the room, desperate for something, anything I could grab. A lamp. A bottle. A chair. But this was a cheap small hotel room. There was absolutely nothing I could use to defend myself.
I was outnumbered. Cornered. And worst of all… helpless.