Family Ties [Sequel to She Belongs To Me]

The Final Chapter (Part Three)

Vincent:

My heart slammed against my chest as Stella ushered me into her house, pressing a knife against my throat so I would not try to run away from her. She pulled me into her dining room and sat me down on one of the wooden chairs that surrounded her table. She smiled at me and caressed my face again before securing my feet to the legs of the chair with duct tape.

"I'm sorry I have to keep you this way..." She said, straddling herself across my lap. "But I can't have you trying to get away from me."

I twisted and pulled against the ropes that were tied around my wrists, but the knots were far too secure to break out of. The smile on her face grew and she began running her fingers through my hair. "This has been a long time coming, Vincent. You would not believe the trouble I went through just to get you out of that hospital. Changing my name and getting fake documentation was the easy part, but-"

Tears swelled in her blue eyes. "Waiting day after day for you to wake up was hell." She wiped the tears away and clasped both of her hands on my cheeks. "I'm so happy that you came back to me, my love. I don't think I could have lived another moment wondering if you were going to pull through."

My mind drifted back to the day I awakened from my coma. Stella was sitting at my bed side with a book in her hands, reading to me with tears spilling down her face. My memory was fuzzy and I didn't recognize her at first, but as time passed pieces of my memory came back to me. She filled in most of the blanks about what had happened between us, conveniently leaving out any details about Emily and Cora.

I confronted her about it one day and even threatened to tell the other doctors who she really was. She responded by leaving the room and returning with one of the custodians. She told him that I was threatening her, and next thing I knew he was holding me down while she administered a sedative to keep me quiet.

Everything after that is a blur.

Stella pressed her lips against my cheek and kissed me before standing up. "I guess you're wondering how I got you out of there without the other doctors getting suspicious. It was simple, really. The sedative I gave you fooled one of our new nurses into believing you were dead, and she asked me to come and confirm it. I told her that you had passed away, and I signed the death certificate before Mark came in to collect your body. He smuggled your unconscious body into the parking lot and, well...here you are."

My head fell back and I released a frustrated groan. How could those idiots at the hospital be so careless? Most of the doctors there knew that I had awakened from my coma, yet they just assumed I was dead because Stella said so.

I could not believe this was happening to me!

I was being held captive by this psychotic bitch all because some morons don't know how to do their damn jobs.

The ropes around my wrists were becoming more painful by the second, and the tape around my mouth was making it nearly impossible to breathe.

What kind of demented freak would keep a person like this?

My stomach twisted as I realized the answer to my own question, but before I could relish in the irony of this situation I heard the front door to the house open.

Stella glanced at me with panic in her eyes, pressing her finger to her lips before she darted out of the room. 

"What are you doing here?"  She asked, her voice trembling as she spoke to her unexpected visitor.  "I didn't think you'd be here this early."

"Of course I'm here, silly." A young female voice answered. There was a brief pause then she asked, "Hey, is that blood on your shirt?"

"Well, ummm....I-" Stella stammered over her answer, and I decided to use the opportunity to my advantage. I began pulling against my ropes and shouting into the tape, hoping to catch the person's attention. 

There was no way I was going to let Stella hold me as her prisoner! She was so psychotic that there was no telling what she would do to me, and I surely didn't want to stick around long enough to find out.

Her visitor must have heard me right away because she asked, "What's that noise?"

"Oh, it's nothing."  Stella insisted, her voice very unconvincing. "Don't worry about it."

"Well, okay..." The girl said until my muffled cries grew louder. "Wait a minute, I definitely heard something that time! What's going on?"

Footsteps swiftly began approaching the dining room and I heard Stella say, "Wait!"

But her visitor stepped into the dining room, her eyes widening when she saw me sitting there. It was a little girl, no older than ten years of age, with beautiful red hair and curious blue eyes. She glanced back at Stella and asked, "Who is this man, mama?  And why is he tied up like that?"

Stella stepped forward and rested her hands on the child's shoulders. "Sweetheart, this is the man I have been telling you about."

"You mean....?"

"Yes."  Stella said, "This is your father."

My heart dropped to my stomach and I could feel myself becoming dizzy. What the hell was Stella talking about?  There was no way this kid was mine. At least, that's what I tried to tell myself until images of the intimate moments I shared with Stella flooded my mind. I didn't use protection and I was so caught up in the ecstasy that I didn't pull out in time.

I closed my eyes and groaned, all denial leaving my mind. This little girl was definitely mine.

The child's shocked expression was replaced with one that made my spine tingle. Her eyes beamed with joy and she immediately ran over to me, climbing into my lap and wrapping her arms around my neck. 

"I can't believe you are finally here, daddy!" She cried happily, "Mama has been telling me about you for so long.  She said that some day you would wake up from your long nap and come live with us."

Stella smiled.  "That's right.  Your daddy is here to stay with us forever, Matilda."

Matilda released my neck and the smile on her face grew as she looked into my eyes.  "Did you hear that, daddy?  You're going to take care of me and mama forever!"

She laid her head on my chest and said, "Now I'm the happiest girl in the whole world."

-END OF BOOK TWO-

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AN: I was so excited about this part that I could not wait to post it! I hope you all enjoyed my story. Thank you so much for reading, voting, and commenting on it to let me know what you thought. It means so much to me!!!

You guys really are the best! ❤️❤️❤️