Whispered Shadows

Chapter Thirty-Six

Unbreakable Bonds

Noa

The cold metal of the chain bites into my skin, each link a reminder of how trapped I am. My wrists ache from struggling against the restraints, but it doesn't matter. Escape feels like a distant dream.

The door creaks open, and I don't even bother looking up at first. I've learned that Paige likes it when I react, and I won't give her the satisfaction.

But then, a voice I haven't heard in years shatters my fragile composure.

"Noa."

I lift my head so fast I feel dizzy, and my breath catches in my throat. Standing in the doorway is Gia.

It's Gia, but it's not.

Her face is thinner, her eyes haunted, but they're still the same eyes I used to know. A storm of emotions crashes over me—relief, anger, heartbreak. I don't know whether to cry or scream.

"You're alive," I whisper, my voice trembling.

I am praying that this isn't all a dream. That my mind isn't playing tricks on me. I know Paige said she was alive, but I couldn't believe it fully. I couldn't get my hopes up without seeing it with my own eyes.

Gia's gaze darts from me to Paige, who's standing behind her with a smug grin. Paige's eyes glint with satisfaction as if Gia's arrival is the final piece of some twisted game she's been playing.

"I knew you would come back to me," Paige's voice is almost sweet.

"Let her go, Paige," Gia says, her voice steady despite the tension radiating off her.

Paige laughs, a high, unsettling sound that makes my stomach churn. "And what? Let you leave again?" She steps closer to Gia, her hand brushing against Gia's arm possessively. "You promised me forever, Gia. But then you ran. You left me."

Paige is delusional. This can't end well. Is this where we both die? In this room with no windows. With no one knowing where we are?

Gia doesn't flinch, her focus locked on me. "I'll stay, Paige. I'll stay with you. Just let Noa go."

My heart stops. "No," I choke out, shaking my head. "Gia, no. Don't do this."

Gia's eyes flicker to mine, her expression a mixture of guilt and resolve. "It's okay, Noa. I'll make this right."

"No," I say again, louder this time, but Paige is already moving.

"Really?" Paige's smile widens, and there's a manic gleam in her eyes. "You'd stay? Just like that?"

Gia nods, her voice unwavering. "If you let her go."

Paige studies Gia for a long moment before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a key. My heart races as she steps toward me, the key dangling from her fingers like a lifeline.

"Fine," Paige says, almost casually. "She can go."

She kneels, and I feel the tension in the air shift as she unlocks the cuffs around my wrists. The moment the chains fall away, my blood roars to life, and adrenaline floods my system.

I don't think.

I don't hesitate.

Grabbing the steel tray that Paige brought my untouched food on, I swing it with all the strength I can muster. The impact is sickening, the sound of metal meeting skull echoing in the room.

Paige crumples to the floor, her body collapsing like a broken marionette.

The silence is deafening, save for the sound of my ragged breathing.