All That's Left

Chapter 31 | Vania

Present 

2023

Seventeen years old

The ride to the outskirts of town felt like an eternity. Lucas barely spoke, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly I could see the whiteness of his knuckles. My pulse pounded in my ears, and every breath felt labored, but I forced myself to stay calm. If I panicked, I'd lose all control, and that was exactly what Lucas wanted.

The car pulled up to a house I didn't recognize—large, dark, and isolated, with a "For Sale" sign still hanging crookedly on the lawn. It looked like it hadn't been lived in for years. Whoever had bought it clearly hadn't moved in yet.

"This will do," Lucas muttered to himself, shutting off the engine. He turned to me, his eyes scanning my face with a smug grin. "We'll stay here for a day or two. Then we can leave this goddamn town once I get everything in order."

I clenched my jaw, fighting the rising bile in my throat.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see soon enough," he said casually, stepping out of the car. He walked around and opened my door, yanking me out with too much force. I stumbled but caught myself, the cold morning wind biting at my skin as Lucas dragged me up to the house.

The front door creaked loudly as he pushed it open, and I couldn't stop the shiver that ran through me. The air inside the house was stale, heavy with dust and silence, and every step we took echoed down the empty halls. Lucas led me upstairs, his grip unrelenting.

When we reached a bedroom, he pushed me inside. The room was bare—just an old, plastic covered mattress in the corner, a couple of boxes, and a broken chair. The window was nailed shut, thick planks of wood covering the glass.

"Sit," Lucas ordered, shoving me toward the mattress. I hesitated for a moment, but then sat down.

I had to think. I had to stay calm, figure out what Lucas' next move was.

He pulled a length of rope form one of the boxes, and my stomach twisted in fear. "You don't have to do this," I said, my voice shaking slightly. "I won't try to escape, you know that."

He scoffed. "I know you, Vania. You may not try to escape, but when you see a chance to hurt me, you will."

With quick, practiced movements, he tied my wrists together, looping the rope around the frame of the bed to keep me from moving too far. I winced as the rope bit into my skin, but I bit my lip and forced myself not to cry. Not in front of him.

"How did you get bail?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. "You were sentenced to life in prison."

Lucas laughed—a dark, humorless sound that made my skin crawl. "You pissed off someone in town who has connections. A rich little princess with a lot of power." He leaned in closer, his breath hot against my face. "Guess who?"

Eliana.

Of course it was Eliana. She had warned me, and I had wanted to believe Dorian. He had told me that she wouldn't be able to hurt anyone, but she just got someone to do it for her. 

"Eliana."

Lucas grinned. "Yep. Her father is one hell of a lawyer. Lots of connections. And when Eliana wants something, it seems that daddy dearest make sure it happens."

"So she—she bailed you out? To get back at me?"

"Not just you," Lucas said, standing up straight and looking down at me with cold eyes. "She didn't like the way you and Dorian were spending so much time together. Guess she wanted to get rid of the competition. Once she figured out what happened two year ago, she asked her father to find me."

He chuckled, as if this whole situation was some sort of sick joke. "I like her for that. A girl who knows how to get what she wants."

"You guys are perfect for each other," I laughed, even though I felt like crying. "Neither of you can accept it when their crush doesn't want to be with them. God, is your ego so fragile, Lucas?"

Lucas paused, his expression turning cold.

Two years in prison had changed him. He was colder. Meaner.

And probably capable of more than what he did two years ago.

"This has never been about my ego, Vania. This is about Dorian not leaving my things alone. I told him to stay away from you, told him that you were mine, and he just slithered closer to you. He's the one who started this whole mess. He's the reason everything went to hell. And now, I finally get to make him pay."

My stomach dropped.

"I thought we had an agreement. I come with you, and you leave Dorian alone," I argued, panic setting in.

Lucas tilted his head, studying me with a mocking smile. "You think I don't see right through you? I know you'll always love him, Vania. Even if we leave, you'll always want to be back here, with him. That's why I need to get rid of him, once and for all. Eliana told me not to touch him, but I guess Eliana made a dumb decisions when she got me out of prison."

I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. They slid down my cheeks silently as I stared at the guy in front of me, knowing I was trapped. Knowing that, no matter what I did, Lucas wouldn't stop until he had taken away everything I cared about.

"You want to know why I'll always love him, Lucas? It's because he isn't a narcissistic asshole who always blames me for everything that goes wrong! And you want to know why I'll never be able to love you? Because you killed my father, Lucas! No matter what you do to me, no matter how long you keep me as your prisoner, I will never love you, because even just the sight of you make me nauseous. I'd rather die, then be with you," I seethed, even though I knew it was a terrible mistake.

I felt the pain against my temple before I even saw his hand moving. My head snapped to the side, and I fell onto the mattress as my world turned dark.