Chapter 159: 160

ALAYNA

“You did good back there. Like always,” Drake says calmly, breaking the silence I try to keep for the last few minutes. We’re now traveling to an airport while a piece of pop music is playing on the stereo. “That’s what I love about you. You’re always following directions.”

“Fuck you.”

His finger touches my cheek, and I instantly cringe. “You are breaking my heart, Laynie.”

I shove his hand away. “You threatened to kill my family and fiancé, and you expect me to submit to you? You can do whatever you want with me, but my heart will never be yours.” I tighten my arms around my body and sink deep into the seat.

He sighs. “Enough of your nonsense, and stop crying. In the future, you’ll forget all about him.”

I finally look at him. “Why are you taking me to Kansas? You are a mayor here. So you’re just going to leave everything behind?”

He clicks his tongue. He pulls out a napkin from the backseat and tosses it into my lap. “Wipe your face.”

I draw out a wad of tissue and wipe my face and mouth. My eyes feel swollen from crying nonstop. Brandon must be dead worried by now, looking for me everywhere, but he won’t be able to find me. He would assume I left him. He protected me from any kidnapping several times, which turned out to be my fate. How ironic.

“Yes, I was born in Kansas—we both were, but what am I going to do there, huh? Sit at home while I wait for you, just like what you did to me before?” I snivel. Or maybe I will finally die in his hands.

No, no. I can’t die now. Maybe I can still escape. There must be a way I can.

“I’m not that crazy, Alayna. I won’t repeat what happened before. I swear.”

“What, no?” I chuckle derisively. “You’re insane, Drake. You’re already kidnapping me. You took me away from my family and fiancé on my engagement night!”

“When did I ever lie to you?” he retorts, turning the volume down on his stereo. “I took you away for a reason, and you wouldn’t listen to me if I spoke to you in a civilized manner, so I needed to use force so you could come with me.”

“Yes, by abducting me! Everything you did has a reason—that’s how you’ve always manipulated me. I was naïve back then. I was foolish, but not anymore.”

He laughs, but the humor never reaches his eyes. “I’ll tell you the reason when we get to Wichita.”

“Why there? Why not now?” I demand.

“Because there, you are safe there.” He looks at me, and his eyes soften.

“Safe? No, I’m not—with you, I am not!”

“Alayna, you don’t always know me,” his tone turns quiet. “You thought you knew, but you didn’t.”

I shift my eyes back to the road.

“It is true when I told you I left because I was ashamed.”

“You told me that already. Because you saw how my dad… died.” A ball of lump blocks my throat. “I know you don’t lie, Drake. But this? This made me realize you haven’t changed.”

“Does it matter? This is the only way I know how to live. I survived this way. I am like this, and you know that from the very start. I told you to get away from me, but you stayed. You said you accept me for who I am!”

“That was before you hurt me!” God, I’m just so tired of explaining. “Physically, emotionally, and mentally!” I cry. “I was too broken when you left. I was too ashamed of myself, but I woke up from that nightmare. All I see now is now a monster.”

He smacks the steering wheel. His jaw clenches, and a muscle in his cheek twists. “I told you. You still don’t know me.”

I whimper. “What else do I have to know, Drake? I am so tired of all of this. Just let me be happy, please…”

“My eyes. There’s something I didn’t tell you before,” he starts. “They were my mother’s.”

I frown. “They were?” What does he mean?

“When she died, Dad gave me her eyes. I have a chronic eye disease. I cannot see with my left eye now, Laynie.” He touches the middle of his left eye and takes something from his eye. “See?”

He shows me a piece of contact lens between his fingers then shows me his left eye. The color is different. It’s all white instead of light green. The contact lenses are only there to conceal his imperfection.

“I’m blind with my left eye. No one knows but you, of course.”

I remain silent.

“Look, I’m not asking for sympathy. I just want you to hear the rest of my story. I mean it, Laynie, but you just can’t keep quiet.”

“Because how can I not? You kidnapped me, and my family and Brandon must be worried—”

“My corneas, they’re not my mother’s anymore,” he suddenly reveals.

I scowl. So what’s his point? Where is he going with this?

“What? Didn’t you already have surgery?”

“Yes, but with my eye, it’s incurable, so even if I get another transplant, the success rate is unlikely because the optic nerves are already damaged. The vision with my right eye is deteriorating as well. I’m going to be blind again, Alayna—maybe for the rest of my life now. But before that, I have to tell you something else.”

My heartbeat speeds up. Why am I even giving this a chance? What if he’s just trying to manipulate me again? “I’m not listening to any more of your—”

“It’s about your dad.”

I grit my teeth. “What about him?”

“These eyes… They’re his. They’re your dad’s.”

I gape at him, and the clock seems to have stopped ticking.

Oh, Daddy…

I hold on to the handlebar to brace myself. My chest starts to feel cloudy again. “But how can I believe you after everything you did to me?”

“Laynie, you know me better than anyone. I. Don’t. Lie. Not ever.”

I swallow dryly. “But you said your father murdered him… This is a completely different story.”

His expression turns darker. “That’s why I’ll tell you the rest of it—your dad’s and mine, but only if you behave and come with me quietly.”

“Or what?”

He grimaces. “There’s no bargaining here. If you defy me, you know the consequences. I have plans I need to fulfill, and I don’t have much time. Only then, I’ll set you free.”