Chapter 16
Eleanor wanted to run after him.
But after just a few steps, someone tripped her. She crashed to the floor as raucous laughter erupted overhead, chilling her to the bone.
She tried to run again, but her ankle seemed twisted.
Every attempt to rise sent sharp pain shooting through her, so she crawled desperately toward the exit – determined to escape this hellish place before nightmares consumed her.
Those thugs circled like rabid hounds.
Drooling as they watched, their predatory eyes toyed with their quarry, following her crawl at a leisurely pace.
Each time she neared the doorway, they’d drag her back. Over and over they repeated this cruel game until exhaustion finally made them pin her
down.
Then they set up a camera nearby.
“Let me go!!”
Eleanor struggled with all her might.
One man slapped her hard across the face, spitting at her: “Quit squirming! You’ve been around–stop playing the innocent!”
The blow left her dazed on the floor.
Drunk and disoriented, her head throbbed as the world blurred into
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double vision.
The moment the camera flickered on, the nightmare began.
They tore off her clothes, unbuckled their own belts, and without preamble, took turns driving into her–one after another, treating her ast nothing but a vessel for their lust, devoid of any tenderness.
Eleanor couldn’t withstand the assault.
Eleanor’s breathless whimpers escaped instinctively, the first time she’d ever felt such shame and helplessness.
Only past midnight did the stifled sounds finally cease.
Lying like a discarded rag in the dungeon, her body felt utterly shattered. incapable of the slightest movement until she sank into unconsciousness.
She woke again at dawn’s first light.
But she wasn’t in the dungeon–she’d been brought to that deserted pier.
The nightmare of abduction repeated itself.
This time, however, it was her turn to choose.
Eleanor’s eyes snapped open to see her father dangling above the sea’s center, while her mother lay bound and unconscious on the ground.
“Dad? Mom?!”
Her voice cracked as she cried out.
The drug’s effects on Dereon and Maddison Leonard had just worn off.
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Chapter 16
Groggily opening their eyes, they were both startled.
“Eleanor, save me!”
Dereon Leonard trembled uncontrollably, terrified by the waves beneath him, while Maddison Leonard cried helplessly, too frightened to speak.
At that moment, Xander appeared from behind.
He eyed the scene coldly before walking unhurriedly toward Eleanor and looking down at her: “Choose one: save your father or your mother?”
Eleanor raised her head, eyes brimming with tears.
She never imagined Xander could be so cruel–punishing her was one thing, but targeting her parents crossed the line.
The angel she’d envisioned was truly a demon.
“Mr. Jackson…” She crawled forward, clutching his pant leg, pleading desperately: “Mr. Jackson, I was wrong. I’ll apologize to Mrs. Jackson. Just please, spare my parents. Don’t hurt them.”
“Apologize?” Xander let out a cold laugh,
Then he said with utter disdain, “Don’t go dirtying Caitlin’s sight. I’ll go apologize to her myself, but before that, I need to give her an explanation.”
“And you! You’ll repay every last bit.”
Xander kicked the person away.
With icy indifference, he demanded, “Speak. Which one do I save?”
Eleanor shook her head desperately.
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How could she possibly choose? They were her own parents. Though
she’d often resented them before, blood ultimately runs thicker than water -she had to save them both.
Seeing her paralyzed by indecision,
Xander sneered sarcastically, “Too difficult? Since you won’t choose, I’ll choose for you.”
The moment he finished speaking, he gave a signal.
Maddison Leonard was instantly surrounded by raging flames, while the rope suspending Dereon Leonard snapped, sending him plunging into the sea–identical to the very scene she and Caitlin had once endured.
Eleanor’s eyes reddened with tears.
“No!!”
