Their Princess

Chapter 94

Eli's Pov

[2 years later]

“ You will be fine, baby. I love you so much. You know I missed you a lot today. It was a hectic day, but somehow, I survived. You know why? Because I knew you would be home waiting for me with that adorable smile of yours and…”

Leaning against the wall, I sank down to the ground. It has become a ritual now, coming here in the middle of the night, sitting outside her door, and listening to Alerix talking to the empty walls of her room.

Walls that once belonged to our precious heart, where she lived, breathed, and laughed. Now, it's like she never existed. There's some weird coldness settled in our hearts that doesn't go away, no matter what we do. 

So, every night I come here to live an illusion. An illusion that has kept us moving for the last two years. Two years of complete agony and pain. Two years of madness and fear. 

I really have no idea how we are going to continue living the rest of our lives. Sometimes, the pain gets so unbearable that I feel like clawing my heart out open. I don't want to live like this. Neither do I want my brothers to feel this utter hopelessness. 

The bitter reality of this whole mess is that the one who raised us has cursed us with this pain. It didn't take us long to figure out who was involved in her kidnapping. Within three days, we had the culprit pinned to the wall by his throat.

Father, dearest. 

He trapped us by sending Alerix and Rey to mother's house, which, by the way, he burnt to create distraction. Then, poisoned our guards at the castle, and before any backup could arrive, her kidnappers were long gone.

“ WHERE IS SHE?” Alerix roared in his face, which had turned white now. Rufus tried to claw his hand away from his throat but couldn't.

“ I SWEAR ON THE NAME OF GODDESS, FATHER. IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO HER I SWEAR, I WILL BRING HELL TO YOU MYSELF!!!” Rey’s voice boomed in the office.

“ I think he wants to talk.” I said, hoping he would give us her address. My baby. How is she right now? What is she doing? Has she eaten anything? Is she okay? I can't believe my own father betrayed us in the most heinous way. He stabbed us in the back, where it hurts the most.

“ He better tell the truth.” Alerix says with gritted teeth.

Father coughed, kneeling on the floor, then glared at all of us. Pretending that we were at fault here.

“ How could you? I'm your Fa..”

“ Save it! Just tell us where she is. Then we are parting ways with you anyway.” I snap. 

His jaw works in anger, but he finally starts speaking. “ I don't know where she is.”

“ WHAT THE HECK DO YOU MEAN? YOU KIDNAPPED HER. STOP LYING!!” Rey yells.

“ I know. I know. I kidnapped her. But something went wrong, and we lost her.”

My heart stopped then and there. I hope I heard him wrong. I beg to the Goddess that he doesn't mean what he is saying right now.

“ What?” Alerix breathes out in a whisper. 

“ I was planning on sending her away to ‘Nat’ but then your Uncle Harlin said he would send her where she came from. He assured me that she would never come back to your life, so I handed her over to him.”

Silence.

“ What did he do?” Alerix asks in horror. My heart is beating so fast in my chest that I'm afraid it will stop if I don't have her in my arms soon.