Chapter 23
Elizabeth's POV
My breath was choked off, and Aiden's eyes were scarlet.
The air in my chest dwindled, squeezed out by the tightening pressure around my throat.
I clawed at his wrist, a futile attempt to break his grip, a hoarse, desperate sound tearing from my throat. "No..."
He was going to hurt me. Truly hurt me.
The realization was a jolt of ice in my veins, and I began to struggle in earnest, kicking out with my legs, fighting against the crushing force.
Just then, a sharp voice cut through the tension.
"Stop it!" Uma burst into the room, shoving us apart with a force that sent me stumbling backward.
The pressure on my neck vanished instantly, and I gasped, greedily sucking in air.
"Mr. Smith! How could you do this to Mrs. Elizabeth Smith! She's pregnant!" Uma planted herself in front of me, a protective barrier as she confronted him.
With my freedom restored, I immediately scrambled behind her, clinging to this unexpected lifeline. If Uma hadn't appeared when she did, I had no doubt Aiden would have followed through on the murderous intent clouding his features.
"Mr. Smith! Mrs. Bella Smith is already quite displeased that you left the party without a word. And now you're trying to harm Mrs. Elizabeth Smith? You will come back with me this instant!"
I lowered my head, hiding the loathing that flickered in my eyes, and adopted a tone of manufactured concern. "Uma, it's just a misunderstanding. Aiden didn't mean it."
"Mrs. Elizabeth Smith..." Uma looked back at me, her expression a mixture of shock and profound pity.
I lifted my gaze to Aiden, catching the flicker of hesitation in his eyes before it was gone. "I know you were just worried about Ms. Johnson, that's why you brought her to the hospital," I continued, my voice soft and placating. "I didn't think anything of it. I only came here because I wasn't feeling well myself. You really misunderstood."
Uma's presence had been enough to pull him back from the brink, and my explanation seemed to penetrate the haze of his anger.
Aiden stared at me, the hard lines of his face slowly softening as he scrutinized my words, searching for any hint of a lie.
"Elizabeth, you're not feeling well?" His gaze dropped to my stomach.
I furrowed my brow, feigning discomfort. "Yes, a little."
To anyone else, it would appear I had come to the hospital on my own. I had no choice but to go along with that narrative; I couldn't very well admit Alex had brought me.
"Uma, please take me back," I said, turning to her.
Aiden was too dangerous. I couldn't be alone with him a moment longer.
Just as we were about to leave, a figure moved slowly past us down the hallway. I had barely registered who it was before Aiden was already moving, striding quickly to meet her.
"Bianca, how are you feeling?" He immediately steadied her, his voice saturated with a concern and tenderness that was utterly undisguised.
Beside me, Uma's brow tightened, and she shot me a worried glance. "Mrs. Elizabeth Smith, let's go back now."
Leaning against Aiden, Bianca's gaze drifted to me. "Ms. Spencer," she said, her voice deceptively frail, "Aiden was just worried about me, saw that I was weak. You don't mind, do you?"
"Why would she mind?" Aiden answered for me, his tone dismissive. "Come on, Bianca, I'll take you back to your room to rest."
His choice had been made, stark and clear.
The moment he was gone, Uma turned to me, her expression urgent. "Mrs. Elizabeth Smith, please don't be upset. I will report this to Mrs. Bella Smith. She will stand up for you."
Seeing the undisguised sympathy in her eyes, I just shook my head gently. I didn't care about any of this. In fact, Aiden's growing recklessness was a good thing.
Back at the Smith Manor, Uma recounted the entire incident at the hospital to Grandma Bella. I remained silent beside her, head bowed, playing the part of the heartbroken wife.
Grandma clutched my hand, sighing repeatedly. "No wonder you wanted to stay here to recuperate. It's all Aiden's foolishness. Don't you worry, Grandma has your back."
I seized the opportunity, my voice laced with practiced vulnerability. "Grandma, I just want to have this baby in peace. Aiden has been overly attentive to Ms. Johnson lately. I'm a little afraid to be alone with him."
"Then you'll stay right here with me and get your strength back. What's so special about that Bianca anyway? Her family is a mess, and she has all the charm of a snake. What on earth does Aiden see in her?"
I kept my head down, maintaining my demure silence.
Bianca was, indeed, not a favorite among the older generation. Her family had once done well for themselves, owning several factories, but her father had let the money go to his head. He'd kept several mistresses, one of whom had eventually shown up on their doorstep, causing a humiliating public scandal.
The Smith family, as a top-tier dynasty, valued their reputation sometimes even more than a comparable fortune. Bianca's family's sordid affairs were nothing but a mark against her.
From what I knew, however, Aiden's pity for her only deepened because of the turmoil in her home life.
A small, knowing smile touched my lips as I recalled the scene at the hospital.
It seemed Aiden's trust in Bianca wasn't quite as unbreakable as he believed.
I settled into a quiet routine at the manor. After the incident at the party, Grandma Bella would have flatly refused any attempt by Aiden to take me back, and he knew it. His daily visits dwindled, first becoming sporadic, and then stopping altogether under the convenient excuse of being swamped with work.
Until tonight.
I had just finished my nightly routine and was settling into bed when my door creaked open, so quietly I almost missed it.
By the time I sensed movement, a dark shadow was already in the room. I froze, a scream catching in my throat.
The figure lunged, a hand clamping brutally over my mouth.
"Behave," a strange man's voice growled from above me.
Before I could process what was happening, a rope was being cinched tightly around my wrists.
"Who are you? Do you know who I am? How dare you break in here and kidnap me?" The words tumbled out, but even as I spoke them, I knew something was terribly wrong.
This was the Smith Manor, its security was ironclad. An outsider could never have gotten in unless someone on the inside allowed it. And this man's purpose was clear; he was here for me, and he was taking me away.
Only one person would want that. Aiden.
Had he finally lost all restraint, deciding to take matters into his own hands?
"Less talk," the man grunted, his grip on my arm like a vise. He began to drag me out of the room, his movements rough and careless, with no regard for whether I was injured.
"Help! Someone, help me!" I screamed the instant he pulled me into the hallway.
My room was surrounded by staff quarters; the slightest noise should have brought someone running. But my cries echoed into an unnerving silence. There was no response.
The stranger shot me a cold, menacing glance and pulled a dagger from his pocket.
The blade glinted under the dim hallway light, a sliver of deadly steel.
I immediately fell silent, survival instinct overriding any thought of resistance. This man, Aiden, was clearly prepared to use lethal force.
The main door leading out of the wing was just ahead. If he got me outside, my chances of getting help would plummet to zero. The last time Aiden had taken me, he had wanted me to pay for Bianca's life with my own. What did he want this time? Was this it?
I was shoved into the back of a car. As I watched the scenery blur past the window, a sickening certainty settled in my stomach. We were heading toward the hospital.
This time, I might not make it out alive.
I swallowed hard, my eyes darting between the driver and the road ahead. My hands, still bound, fumbled for the phone in my pocket. With trembling fingers, I opened my chat with Alex.
Without a second's hesitation, I shared my live location. Then, I typed the desperate plea: [I'm going to die. Come save me.]