Chapter 21
Elizabeth's POV
The moment Alex left, a doctor entered, his manner brisk and professional as he began his examination.
I submitted to his probing hands and questions like a marionette whose strings had been cut, a hollowed-out puppet with no choice but to comply.
Now that I was back in Alex's grasp, I knew he wouldn't release me easily. Worse, he had found Finn—the one person who had promised to keep my secret—and confirmed that the child I carried was his.
He would never let me go now.
"Ms. Spencer, your physical condition is quite poor," the doctor murmured, "Recovery isn't just about proper nutrition. Your emotional distress is a significant contributing factor."
I pushed myself into a sitting position, forcing a smile I hoped appeared guileless and naive. "Doctor, could I possibly use the restroom?"
He didn't seem to suspect anything, which made me secretly breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed that Alex just wanted to check on my health and didn't say anything more.
I could not, under any circumstances, allow myself to be taken back to that villa. I had to seize any opportunity, no matter how small, to put as much distance as possible between myself and Alex Windsor.
"I'll have a nurse accompany you."
"Of course. I'll just head over, then," I replied, my agreeable tone designed to disarm him. Without another word, I slid off the examination table and walked out of the room.
The instant I was in the hallway, I identified the opposite direction from where I assumed Alex might be and broke into a run. My eyes scanned the corridor, a frantic search for any sign of him or his imposing assistant. The coast was clear. My feet pounded against the polished linoleum, each step a prayer for escape.
It was then that a familiar voice drifted from a propped-open fire escape door just ahead.
"Dad! Of course, I know what you mean!"
Bianca. I skidded to a halt, my gaze fixed on the narrow gap in the doorway, my body frozen.
"Aiden is head over heels for me right now; he'd give me anything I ask for. That Elizabeth girl is no threat at all. Aiden already promised he'd trade her life for mine in a heartbeat! As soon as she disappears, my marriage into the Smith family is a done deal."
I clenched my fists, and a chill rose from the bottom of my heart. Bianca's tone was so casual, talking about my life and death as if she were talking about an insignificant object.
"Oh, and could you forge a few more medical reports for me? We can't have Aiden finding out I'm faking this. Make this set look even more severe. It'll be the perfect way to pressure him into finally getting rid of Elizabeth."
An invisible hand clamped around my heart, squeezing until I could barely draw a breath. It all clicked into place with sickening clarity. Bianca wasn't sick. She had never been sick. The entire thing was an elaborate, cruel deception. She had feigned a terminal illness not only to win Aiden's sympathy but to manipulate him into becoming her executioner—to eliminate me, the thorn in her side.
Her delighted laughter echoed from behind the door, the sound of someone who had just won a particularly satisfying prize.
"Aiden is just so gullible. All I have to do is act a little pathetic, and he's wrapped around my finger. But honestly, Dad, the Smiths are nothing compared to the Windsors. You should see if you can work your magic and get me an in with them. I'm confident I could handle a Windsor man just as easily."
A strange calm settled over me. I took a deliberate, silent step back, then pivoted and sprinted away again, the sound of her voice fading behind me.
So that was it. Bianca didn't love Aiden at all; she only coveted the wealth and status that came with the Smith name. And Aiden believed she was the love of his life, willing to detonate his entire world for her at his own birthday celebration. A bitter, triumphant smile twisted my lips.
Aiden had betrayed me, and he, in turn, would be betrayed by Bianca. One day, he would taste the full measure of the agony he had inflicted upon me.
A liar and a cheat. They were a match made in heaven.
My sprint faltered, however, when I saw the tall, imposing figure waiting for me at the end of the corridor. The smile vanished from my face, and the cold grip on my heart tightened once more.
Alex stood there, leaning languidly against the wall in a perfectly tailored suit, his gaze calm and steady as he watched me approach.
"Ms. Spencer! What are you doing all the way over here?"
Behind me, the doctor I'd just left was hurrying to catch up.
Alex in front, the doctor behind. I was trapped, with nowhere to run.
Taking a deep breath, I forced a semblance of composure and chose the only path available. I walked forward until I stood before Alex, pulling my lips into a smile that felt brittle and fake. "Mr. Windsor," I said, my voice straining for a lightness I didn't feel. "If I said I was just out for a stroll, would you believe me?"
The words sounded hollow even to my own ears. I maintained a careful, safe distance, but he closed the gap in a single stride, his hand shooting out to clamp around my wrist.
His voice was a blade of ice from above. "Trying to run?"
His intent was unmistakable. He was taking me back.
Just then, a woman's voice—one I knew all too well—called out from down the hall. "Aiden! I'm over here!"
My mind went blank. Acting on pure instinct, I stared at Alex, then launched myself forward, shoving him into the adjacent room and slamming the door shut behind us.
A flicker of genuine surprise crossed Alex's face as I collided with his chest. The force of my momentum sent him stumbling back several steps. We were in an empty lounge, dim and quiet. I let out a shaky breath of relief.
He began, but I slapped my hand over his mouth, my eyes wide as I pleaded with him for silence.
Outside, the sound of Bianca and Aiden's conversation drew nearer, then receded, their voices finally disappearing down the hall. Only when the silence was absolute did I finally feel safe enough to move. Alex seized my wrist, pulling my hand away from his face. A cold smirk played on his lips. "So afraid of them? You're Aiden's rightful fiancée, are you not?"
"Yes. The rightful fiancée hiding from the other woman. Isn't it ironic?" I shot back, stepping away from him as a wave of self-loathing washed over me.
My reaction had been instinctual, a desperate need to remain unseen.
Aiden's heart belonged to Bianca, but he still needed me to save her, which meant he had to keep up the pretense of caring.
This time at the banquet, he accidentally pushed me, and he would definitely keep putting on an act in front of me to ask for forgiveness for this matter.
An encounter right now would have been disastrously complicated for him. And since I now planned to play along with his little game, I had done him the favor of hiding.
My gaze fell on Alex, and a frown creased my brow as I found myself caught between two impossible situations.
If he dragged me away now, my plans for revenge against Aiden and Bianca would be ruined.
I bit my lip, forcing myself to meet his unreadable gaze. "Mr. Windsor," I began, my voice earnest. "You brought me here, but you don't actually want to hurt me. You just care about the baby I'm carrying. Am I right?"
His expression remained a carefully guarded mask; looking into his eyes was like staring into a deep, still lake with no hint of what lay beneath.
My stomach churned with uncertainty, but I pressed on. "I can promise you, I will never do anything to harm this child. Please, don't take away my freedom. There are things I have to do, things I must finish myself."
A flicker of something—amusement, perhaps—danced in his eyes, too quick for me to catch. "Things you must finish?"
I clenched my hands into fists at my sides. "Yes," I said, enunciating each word with fierce precision. "I'm going to get back at the people who hurt me. I won't let them get away with it."
He was a Windsor, after all. Openly defying him again after my last escape would be foolish; it would be a direct assault on his pride and could provoke him beyond reason.
When he didn't immediately refuse, I softened my tone, my voice dropping to an almost pleading register. "Mr. Windsor, I know you're not a bad person. Just agree to this. We can exchange contact information. I promise I won't disappear. You can schedule a check-up for me whenever you want. I swear, I will protect this baby with my life. I won't let anything happen to him. Please?"
Alex remained impassive, his silence an unnerving void. I made a silent vow: as soon as I was done with Bianca and Aiden, my next objective would be to break free from this volatile, unpredictable man for good.