Chapter 34%
Ryan’s eyes turned as dark as a storm cloud as he stared at the video. His jaw clenched, and the muscles in his neck strained with barely–contained fury.”
The calm, reassuring man I thought I knew seemed to slip away, replaced by someone far more dangerous.
“Where did you get this?” His voice was low, almost a growl.
“Does it matter?” I shot back, clutching the phone tightly, my hands trembling. “So, it’s true, isn’t it? You orchestrated everything.
“You manipulated Leo’s family, made sure I ended up here in Melbourne, and pretended to be my savior. All for what, Ryan? Just to have me all to yourself?”
“Jocelyn, you don’t understand,” Ryan began, his gaze shifting away from me. “I did what I had to do to protect you. Leo’s family would have never allowed you to be theirs.”
“And manipulating them was your solution? Using me like some sort of bargaining chip?” My voice shook, the hurt twisting painfully in my chest. “You said you loved me. That you cared about me. But all of it was just a game to you, wasn’t it?“}
“No!” Ryan’s voice cracked, his anger faltering. His shoulders sagged under the weight of his own guilt. “It wasn’t a game. It was desperation.”
“I knew if I didn’t act fast, Leo’s family would… they would ruin you beyond repair. I had to make sure you were safe.“}]
“Safe?” I repeated bitterly. “You brought me right into another world of lies and manipulation. Maybe not Leo’s world, but yours. How is that any different?“}
“It is different!” Ryan snapped, his eyes burning with intensity. “Because I love you. Because I’m willing to do whatever it takes to protect you, even if it means playing dirty. Even if it means you hate me for it.”
“So, what about Ethan?” I pressed, my chest tightening as panic threatened to consume me.}
At the mention of Ethan’s name, the fire blazing in Ryan’s eyes–the one burning with a fierce need to justify himself–suddenly extinguished.
His expression shifted from passionate frustration to something vacant and hollow, like a light snuffed out.”
His gaze drifted past me, staring into nothingness. And when he finally spoke, his voice was devoid of the determination that had filled it moments before.
“What you should know is I did it to protect you, Jocelyn.“}]
Then, he turned his back on me and walked away, his footsteps echoing in the silence until only the emptiness remained.}
I stayed there, the remnants of our argument searing my mind, my emotions still smoldering and raw.”
The past few days had left me stranded in a whirlwind of doubt, torn between two versions of the truth. And Ryan–he was only pushing me further into the storm,
But what was that expression?
Why did he look the most hurt when I was the one trapped in this nightmare? When I was the one gasping for answers and finding only shadows?
I let out a shaky breath, the anger that had boiled within me simmering down to a confusing mix of guilt and regret.}
Maybe I had been too harsh. Maybe I had not given him the chance to explain himself properly.
I decided to apologize. But when I stepped outside to catch him, Ryan’s car was already speeding away, vanishing down the long driveway until it was nothing more than a blur against the horizon.
As I stood there helplessly on the front door, a sudden voice startled me, “Jocelyn, come with me.”
F
I turned to see Ryan’s mother watching me from a distance, her gaze solemn yet expectant.”
But I remembered if she would not explain anything to me like last night, so I snapped, my voice trembling with the desperation I could not contain, “Sorry, Mrs. Donovan, I will never come with you if you don’t want to explain anything to me.
“The time you know your son is alive, you’re acting like this is just some inconvenient topic you want to avoid. So, it scares me.“} Ryan’s mother’s expression faltered, a shadow of pain flickering across her features before she carefully masked it again. But the damage was already done. I had seen her fear. And it mirrored my own.
Ryan’s mother lowered her gaze, her voice trembling and hoarse. “I know you are confused, Jocelyn. But Ethan was… difficult. So, if you want to understand, come with me.”
Her words were a hollow plea, laced with a sadness I could not yet comprehend. She turned and gestured for me to follow her down the corridor.”
I hesitated, but my curiosity and desperation for answers propelled me forward.
We descended into the lower levels of the mansion, to a place I had not even known existed.
The air grew colder as we approached a room lined with monitors and recording equipment–the mansion’s surveillance hub.” Ryan’s mother moved with a precision that spoke of familiarity, her fingers tapping commands on a keyboard until a series of old videos flickered to life on the screen.
“This… this is the truth you wanted,” she murmured, her gaze fixed on the monitors as if reliving a nightmare.
My breath caught as the footage began to play.
The screen showed a child, perhaps no older than seven or eight, thrashing wildly in a dimly lit room. His small fists pounded
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against the walls, his screams muffled but unmistakable. His gaze, even captured on grainy film, was feral.
Ryan’s mother’s voice was hollow. “Ethan… We tried everything. Therapy, special schools, medications. Nothing worked. His behavior grew worse. More violent.“>
The footage shifted to another scene, where the boy was more older. But his hands were stained red, his fingers twisted around the lifeless body of a small animal, his smile twisted and unnatural.}
Ryan’s mother stiffened, her expression hardening as the footage continued, showing Ethan locked in a bleak, windowless room. His wrists were bandaged from his own attempts to hurt himself. His eyes were hollow, his expression devoid of warmth.
Her voice was like ice. “He was a threat, Jocelyn. We had no choice but to confine him for everyone’s safety. Since, he hurt himself and others he met. Worst of all, he became obsessed with you.”
“Me? What… What are you saying?” I stammered, my fingers trembling against the table.
