Chapter 163

The morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting golden streaks across the bedroom floor. Sophia stirred, blinking against the light as memories of last night flooded back.

Ethan’s arms were still wrapped around her, his breathing steady and warm against her neck. She traced the faint scar on his forearm—a remnant of a past he rarely spoke about.

Her phone buzzed on the nightstand.

Isabella’s name flashed across the screen. Sophia hesitated before answering.

"Sophia, we need to talk," her sister’s voice was urgent, laced with something unreadable.

Sophia sat up, the sheets pooling around her waist. "What’s wrong?"

"It’s about Liam."

Her breath hitched. Ethan’s grip tightened slightly, as if sensing her tension even in sleep.

Isabella continued, "He was asking about you last night. He… he remembers things, Sophia. Things from before."

Sophia’s pulse roared in her ears. Before. The word hung between them, heavy with implications.

Ethan shifted behind her, his voice rough with sleep. "Everything okay?"

She forced a smile. "Just family stuff."

But it wasn’t just family stuff. It was the past clawing its way back into the present.

Downstairs, the front door creaked open. Footsteps echoed in the hallway—light, familiar.

Liam.

Sophia’s heart clenched. She hadn’t seen him in weeks, not since the custody battle had turned ugly.

Ethan sat up, rubbing his eyes. "You should go talk to him."

She nodded, slipping out of bed. The hardwood floor was cool beneath her bare feet as she padded toward the door.

Liam stood in the foyer, his backpack slung over one shoulder. His eyes—so much like Ethan’s—widened when he saw her.

"Mom?"

The word was a knife to her chest.

Sophia swallowed hard. "Hey, sweetheart. What are you doing here?"

Liam shifted uncomfortably. "Dad said I could visit. He’s… busy."

Busy. The word was a euphemism for something darker.

She reached out, brushing a lock of hair from his forehead. "I’m glad you’re here."

Liam hesitated before blurting, "I had a dream about you last night. About the fire."

Sophia froze.

The fire. The one that had torn their family apart. The one Ethan had sworn was an accident.

Liam’s voice dropped to a whisper. "I remember the smoke. And… and you carrying me out."

Her vision blurred. She hadn’t realized he remembered any of it.

Ethan appeared in the doorway, his expression unreadable. "Liam."

The boy stiffened. "Dad."

The air thickened with tension.

Sophia forced a smile. "Let’s have breakfast, okay? We can talk."

But as she led Liam toward the kitchen, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the past was no longer content to stay buried.

And this time, it wouldn’t go quietly.

"Wake up!"

I groan but keep my eyes shut. The voice sounds distant, almost like a dream.

Why would it sound so familiar?

"Sophia, wake the hell up!"

My eyes snap open. That voice is too sharp, too real to be imagined.

And why the hell would I dream about her?

Blinking, my vision slowly clears.

Memories flood back.

Shit. I've been kidnapped. Again.

My head throbs from what I assume was chloroform. I pray it didn’t harm the baby.

I’m tied to a chair, wrists bound tightly behind me. The ropes dig into my skin. No chance of escaping.

"Are you done?"

I whip my head to the left.

Isabella.

Tied to another chair, looking far more alert than I feel.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I demand.

The room is bare—no furniture, no windows. Just us and the chairs.

No clues.

"Isn’t it obvious?" she drawls. "We’ve been kidnapped."

I roll my eyes. "No shit. I meant why take both of us?"

The Reapers are the only threat left. But why target Isabella and me? If anything, she’s more valuable to the Sterlings and Ethan than I am.

"I don’t know," she admits.

"How long have you been here?" I steady my breathing. Panicking won’t help.

But the déjà vu is suffocating.

This feels like the night Daniel betrayed me. The only difference? Last time, it was Amelia with me. Now, it’s Isabella.

Fear coils in my chest.

What if history repeats itself?

What if someone I trust stabs me in the back again?

"I woke up just as they brought you in," Isabella says, snapping me back.

"How long was I out?"

"Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes."

I do the math. Useless. No idea how far we are from the ice cream shop.

Then it hits me.

Liam.

Who’s picking him up? School ends at 3:30. It was already noon when I was taken.

What if they took him too?

Breathe.

The school will call Ethan if I don’t show. He’ll keep Liam safe.

I repeat it until my pulse slows.

Liam will be fine.

I need to focus on surviving this.

"So it’s true," Isabella says, eyeing my bump. "You are pregnant."

Even as a hostage, she looks flawless. Infuriating.

I ignore her.

My pregnancy is none of her damn business.

"Not surprised, honestly. With your reputation, it was bound to happen. Do you even know who the father is?" She smirks.

I snap. "Nope. I’ve slept with so many men, I lost count."

Less than an hour awake, and I already want to beg our kidnappers to shoot me.

Isabella is insufferable. How did I never notice before?

"You don’t have to be so rude," she huffs, like I’m the problem.