Eva jolted awake as a harsh splash of cold water hit her face. The shock snatched the air from her lungs, forcing a gasped inhale as her eyes snapped open, pupils dilating in panic.
Her body tensed—she tried to spring up, but she could barely move an inch. Her arms were tied tightly behind her, the coarse ropes biting into her skin. Her ankles were bound to the legs of the wooden chair she sat on, keeping her fixed like a prisoner awaiting execution.
"Finally, you're awake," a raspy male voice said with mocking cheer.
Eva blinked rapidly. The room was dim, almost dungeon-like. A weak, flickering bulb swung from the ceiling, casting shadows across the peeling walls and exposing only brief glimpses of her captors' faces. One of the men loomed over her, his frame bulky and intimidating.
"For a second, I thought I'd killed her," another man muttered with a casual shrug.
Eva's heart pounded violently in her chest. "What do you want, you bastards?!! Who sent you to do this?!" She yelled, her voice sharp with fury—but she immediately regretted it when pain flared in her abdomen.
Her baby.
She stilled. Her breath hitched. Was the baby okay?
Her arms shook from effort as she struggled against the ropes. Fear clawed at her throat, not for herself but for her child.
"So you know someone sent us?" The man in the black leather jacket asked with a twisted grin. He removed his cowboy hat and grinned wide, flashing a mouthful of yellow-stained teeth. Eva wasn't sure if they were gold or just grime.
Then came a voice that chilled her blood.
"What's going on here? Is she awake?"
Eva's head whipped toward the sound. Her stomach dropped.
That voice. She knew that voice.
"Katherine," she whispered. The name came out in a hiss, like poison on her tongue.
Katherine stepped into the weak beam of light, her designer heels clicking sharply on the wooden floor as she approached with the confidence of a queen entering her court.
"Eva," Katherine sang, voice sugar-sweet and venom-laced. "Are you giving these poor men trouble? I mean, look at them—bruised and bloody." She grinned. "I didn't think you had it in you to fight so fiercely."
She crouched, her face coming into full view under the dim bulb. Her hand reached out, cupping Eva's chin, tilting her face to assess the bruises and swelling.
"But they got you good, too," she said sweetly.
Eva jerked her face away from her touch, hatred burning in her eyes.
"What are you planning, Katherine? What the hell do you want from me?!"
Katherine's smile faltered for just a moment before returning, sharper this time. "I don't want much from you, Eva. Just your silence. Your absence. And most importantly—your unborn child."
Eva's heart plummeted.
"What?" she whispered.
"You're pregnant with Nathan's child, and I can't risk you giving birth to it," Katherine said matter-of-factly, as if discussing the weather.
"I'm not pregnant," Eva lied quickly, eyes wide with body tense. "You're insane."
Katherine laughed. "Oh, sweet Eva… don't lie to me." She leaned in close, her breath hot against Eva's cheek. "I saw the pregnancy scan."
A tremor ran down Eva's spine.
"You betrayed me," she whispered. "I trusted you. I confided in you. I let you into my life—my marriage."
Katherine straightened and walked a few paces away, arms folded, face serene. "And that was your first mistake. Nathan was never yours, Eva. He was mine from the start. But you wore the white dress. You stole the title. Now I'm just taking back what's mine."
Eva felt like she was staring at a stranger—no, at the devil wearing her former friend's skin.
Then one of the goons stepped forward. "Ma'am," he said, "She's very pretty. Sexy too. Why don't we have a little fun with her before we finish the job?"
Eva's blood turned to ice.
The other men murmured in agreement, their eyes glinting with sinister anticipation. Her stomach twisted in revulsion.
Katherine paused. She tilted her head and looked at Eva like she was considering a mildly interesting piece of furniture.
"Hmm… sure, why not? I'm giving you one hour. Do whatever you want. Just make sure you break her legs so she never walks a runway again."
Eva's body began to shake uncontrollably. Her mouth opened to scream but no sound came out at first. Then the sobs broke through. "Katherine, please! Don't do this! Let's talk—please, I'm begging you!"
Katherine turned slightly, a brow raised.
"You know how hard I tried to get pregnant," Eva cried. "You know what this baby means to me. You don't have to worry about Nathan—I don't want him anymore. I've already planned to leave the city forever. He'll never even know I was pregnant. Just let me go. I swear to you, you'll never hear from me again!"
Katherine gave her a cold, slow smile. "Oh Eva… you think I'd leave something like that to chance?"
She left, and behind her, Eva's scream followed as the men advanced.
**
"Is she still breathing?" Katherine asked casually.
A man crouched near Eva's body and pressed two fingers to her neck. "It's faint. Barely there."
Katherine gave a satisfied sigh. "Good. Toss her in the river."
She stood at the edge, watching with morbid satisfaction as the men dropped Eva—wrapped in a black bag—over the edge, into the dark river beneath them.
There was a splash. Then silence.
"I've sent you your money," Katherine said. She stepped into her car and drove away, a twisted smile blooming on her lips.
**
Elsewhere, downstream—
A van sat parked by the riverbank. A group of armed men stood in formation as crates of weapons were being unloaded from the back.
"Do you think I'd poison you?" Miquel asked with mock offense, handing him a glass of whiskey.
Dante eyed it for a second before taking it. "Wouldn't be the first time someone tried."
Miquel laughed. "Still as paranoid as ever."
Dante glanced toward the crates. "Are the weapons complete?"
"Of course." Miquel gestured for one of his men to open the crates. Inside, sleek, high-tech guns gleamed under the interior light.
"They better be worth it," Dante muttered. "I want top dollar."
As he turned to look back at the river, something caught his eye.
A dark object was bobbing against the current—trapped against the rocks. Wrapped in black, barely floating.
"Get that out of there," Dante barked, taking out his gun in case they were going to be under attack any moment now.
A few men splashed into the water and pulled the object toward the shore.
When they opened the bag, gasps echoed around the riverbank.
"It's a woman," one said.
"She's still alive," another confirmed. "Barely."
Dante crouched beside her, watching her chest rise and fall—weak but persistent.
His eyes narrowed.
"Get her to the truck. Now."