Chapter 156 156

Chapter 156 156
ROBYN

“Mrs. Kolby?” I felt hands gripping my arms, shaking me, pulling me back to reality. I was still here, blabbering with my body in tremors.
I jolted, flinching in horror, gasping for air because I knew that voice. 
“Mom, I’m so sorry. I hope you can forgive me. Please, don’t cry.” I wouldn’t see Mom again and ask for forgiveness for the pain I’d caused. “Mom, I hope you won’t cry on my grave. I hope you will continue living without me. I hope you will start listening to the Linkin Park with Emily Armstrong. I hope you start a feminist movement and go out and fight for women’s rights because that’s who you are. You’re a force to be reckoned with. Please, tell Piper. I’m sorry, and I love her. She’s my forever sister.” I wouldn’t see my best friend walk down the aisle anymore. 
He was going to finish his job. He was going to kill me now.
“No, no, no. I’m not done,” I muttered, shaking my head frantically. “This is just a nightmare, another nightmare, another nightmare. I want the ocean. I’m swimming in the ocean,” I talked so fast with the same words repeatedly until I ran out of breath.
“Baby, it’s over now,” said the sweet, soft voice in my head.
“You’re not real. My husband is compelled, and he kissed the bitch. He said he wouldn’t betray me, he wouldn’t cheat on me. He said he liked me, and I’m beautiful. But I guess he prefers older bitches. I think I’m gonna throw up. He can’t kiss me with that mouth.” I babbled, but I couldn’t stop. Words poured out of my mouth until I felt soft lips pressed on my forehead.
“Baby, princess, it’s over now. It’s me. Listen to my voice.” I felt warm hands cupping my face, with the familiar sensation of its pleasant touch always brought me a smile. 
“That’s exactly what the bitch said. You’re not you. You’re a bad guy now. You chose her. You’re not mine anymore.”
I felt my wrists were freed from the restraints, and I could move my legs. And then I was lifted off the chair and felt a soft kiss on my forehead. But maybe it wasn’t a dream anymore. Maybe it was real. 
“You’re going to sell me, aren’t you?” 
“Baby, it’s still me, and I’m not going to sell you. You’re mine and mine alone. You still owe me three million kisses.”
“I’m scared to open my eyes, and this is but another nightmare.” My hands were still trembling.
“I know you’re scared. I’m scared, too. I know you’re in shock right now. Just take a deep breath. You’re safe now.”
“You kept saying that, but you know it’s not true.” Were all these risks worth it for this relationship? Or everything I felt for him would fade away. Maybe this was just another chapter in my story. How many more near-death experiences was I going to face before I realized I was in a toxic, unhealthy relationship?
Slowly, I snapped my eyes open. Through my blurry vision, I saw the most handsome face who always took my breath away with the warmest icy blue eyes I’d ever seen, looking down at me, still filled with guilt and pain.
Maybe this relationship was worth fighting for after all.
“It’s really you.” Tears overflowed in my eyes. “I thought I lost you forever. I thought I wouldn’t see again. I was so terrified. I thought I was going to die before I could even tell you how I felt about you.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tight. “Spade.”
“You’ll never lose me, Robyn. It was all me. A couple of days ago, I received a text from Terzo telling me to study Hanna’s behavior, and he thought we might be wrong and made mistakes in letting her go, that she might be a part of something bigger. So I talked to my therapist, and she helped me study Hanna’s behavior.”
“But you were screaming at the table.” I lifted my hand to pat the cut on his hairline with dried blood around it.
“Yes. That was real.”
My chin trembled, realizing he was also terrified as I was. “I believe you, asshole.”
“I’m so sorry, baby.”
“Oh, Hanna. I wish you hadn’t done what you did.” The familiar voice came from behind me. It was Terzo. Why was I not even surprised? He was indeed resourceful and could find a person who didn’t want to be found. “How does it feel to be helpless? Where’s your fucking army, huh?”
“Put me down.”
“Why?” Worried, Spade asked me. “You need to get checked. Your wrists are bleeding.”
“So do you. You have a cut on your head.” I completely forgot about it. I raised my hands and saw cuts and bruises around my wrists, another constant reminder of another traumatic experience. When was this going to end?
“Who’s hurt? Who died?” I asked back as he put me on my feet. My knees buckled, but I was glad Spade was there to catch me every time I fell. 
“We don’t have to talk about it right now,” said the man who had still side effect of whatever they put on that VR. I could see the trauma, the fear, and the horror in those eyes as bright as day. Yet, he was still trying to be strong for me, for us.
Hanna was still on the floor, bleeding to death, but missed the artery in her thigh. Otherwise, she would be dead by now. She was paler, and nobody came to help him.
I remembered what he did as I stared at him. The only thing I could guarantee was that he was not under the influence of Hanna was shooting her instead of me. “How did you learn how to shoot?” 
“I don’t. I wasn’t even sure it was loaded, but Hanna’s personality is that she enjoys dehumanizing people.”
I sucked in a long, deep breath. He trusted his instinct. If he were wrong, he could be dead by now. I threw myself at him and hugged him tight again. “God, this is too much. I can’t take any more risk, Spade.”
“I know there’d be no enough apology for the trauma and pain I’ve caused you. I would understand if you choose to leave.” He hugged me tight, the same strength I did, like he didn’t want to let me go.
I pulled away and looked right into his eyes. “Too bad. After what I’ve been through, there’s no way I’m walking away.”
He smiled even if he still looked sad. Then I looked around to see Gant standing beside Terzo, in a serious conversation.
“Babe, what’s going on?” Confused, I asked Spade. Before he could answer me, Sean was still alive, sitting on the chair, breathing hard. I dragged my feet towards him. “Oh, my God. Are you okay?”
“Not even close. Are you okay?” Sean was still terrified. So did I. I thought I wouldn’t see the light of day. “I think my stitches opened. They punched me and jabbed my wounds. Who are these people?”
“I’m so sorry.” I swallowed hard and shook my head. I didn’t realize I hugged him until he hugged me back.
Then there were more footsteps thudding behind us. When I pulled away from Sean, terrified that maybe they were Hanna’s reinforcements. Thankfully, those were Moses and Lex, and an army of Osmium men, including Max.
“Son!” Lex’s face lit up as he ran towards his still shirtless son. The image of them brought tears to my eyes. I wiped them away as I went to them. 
Lex pulled me in his arms, too. “Honey, I’m glad you’re okay.”
“I thought we were going to die.” I cried in his arms.
“I’m so sorry, Rob. It took us a while to find you,” Max said, gripping me on the shoulder. 
“Brother.” Spade gave Max a big brotherly hug.
“I thought I was going to lose you, bro. I’m so terrified.” Max blinked off the tears in his eyes. “When I couldn’t contact you after visiting Sean’s apartment, I knew something was wrong.”
“Me, too. Thanks for being there for Lex while I’m gone.”
I had no words, but beyond grateful as I watched them three, alive and happy to be reunited.
Max came to me to hug me. “It’s over now. I thought I lost both of you.”
“Yeah. Your brother needs your help, Max. They did something to him.”
“I’m fine, baby. Nothing that I haven’t already faced,” said Spade, that I didn’t know he was listening.
“Next time, pin your panic button to your dick, brother,” Max said, his voice breaking. “And don’t ever fucking do this to us again.”
“Like I planned on getting kidnapped.” He hugged Max again, eyes misting.
“So, this is the cult of Abraham?” Moses asked humorously, catching my attention, pulling me away from Lex.
“Only a fraction of them, but you got the Abraham, their cult leader,” I proudly said as I watched helpless Hanna. “How did you find us?”