Chapter 325
Niamh clenched the princess–cut diamond ring in her palm, the sharp edges digging
into her skin.
Across from her, Daniel wore a smug, self–assured grin, radiating confidence. Not a trace of worry flickered across his face–he clearly didn’t think Jonathan would come for her.
“Your darling husband is out there, searching high and low for his precious first love,” Daniel taunted, his voice dripping with mock sympathy. “You really think he has time to care about you?”
A ringing filled Niamh’s mind. His precious first love… He could only mean Marina.
“I kidnapped both you and Marina. Gave Jonathan a choice. He didn’t hesitate for a second–went straight after Marina. Cold, isn’t it?” Daniel’s words were laced with satisfaction.
Niamh’s face went ghostly pale, as if all the blood had drained from her body. Every instinct screamed that Daniel was telling the truth.
“So nobody’s coming for you. Give it up, Niamh! Instead of pinning your hopes on a man who’s head over heels for someone else, why not be smart about this? Come with me willingly–I promise, once we make it to Marisola, I’ll treat you like a queen. You’ll have me all to yourself, every day.” He laughed–a low, revolting sound.
Niamh fought the urge to retch. But as much as she hated him, she believed what
he said.
If it came down to her and Marina on the scales, she knew exactly who Jonathan would save. It would always be Marina. Only Marina.
It felt as if an invisible hand was crushing her heart. She could barely breathe.
She couldn’t count on anyone. Least of all Jonathan. Even if he weren’t out there trying to rescue Marina, it wasn’t likely he’d care what happened to her.
After all… they were divorced. To Jonathan, she meant nothing now.
Niamh drew in a shaky breath. The air was bitterly cold, tinged with the briny scent of seawater and the reek of dirty puddles.
She could feel the princess–cut diamond–Jonathan’s ring–cutting into her alm, leaving her skin raw and bleeding. The same ring that could slice through could hurt her, too.
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Daniel noticed her paling even further and, with a sneer, pulled out his phoni snapped a picture of her white, stricken face and sent it off to someone called Joker.
The picture wasn’t for Joker–it was for Marina. The lines Daniel had recited earlier? Those were Marina’s, fed to him word for word.
Niamh was about to be smuggled out to Marisola, never to come back and threaten Marina again. But that wasn’t enough for Marina–she wanted emotional devastation, too.
Daniel figured Marina’s mysterious accomplice, Joker, could have easily arranged for Niamh to be killed in Blackspire. But that wasn’t the plan. Marina wanted Niamh to suffer–not just die, but to be trapped in a living hell. Better to have her spend a lifetime at Daniel’s mercy, forced to watch the man she loved build a life with someone else. That was a punishment far worse than death.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, Daniel thought with a twisted grin.
Not that he minded–this worked out perfectly for him. He’d wanted Niamh for a long time, tried and failed more than once. Now, with fate handing her over on a platter, he wasn’t about to let her slip away.
His hunch was close to the truth. Marina had considered having Joker eliminate Niamh outright in Blackspire. But Daniel made for a useful pawn–his so–called “kidnapping” could simultaneously hurt Jonathan while trapping Niamh in a fate worse than death. For Marina, it was the perfect revenge.
With Daniel distracted, Niamh worked frantically, using the ring’s sharp edge to saw at the ropes binding her wrists.
“Huh? What are you doing?” Daniel suddenly glanced over, suspicion flickering in his eyes.
A cold sweat broke out across Niamh’s back.
“I… uh… I was just wondering–how did you even get to Blackspire?” She scrambled to find a question, anything to divert his attention.
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