One Don Hates Me to the Bone, the Other Seeks My Ruin Chapter 04

One Don Hates Me to the Bone, the Other Seeks My Ruin Chapter 04

I snapped awake.

My chest tightened in an instant.

Could he have been the one who saved me last night?

Memories from three years ago suddenly rushed back, when Noah and I were still squeezed into that tiny,

hundred-square-foot basement in Brooklyn.

Life was a struggle back then, but we were happy.

Even sharing a single bowl of instant ramen felt like the finest meal in the world.

On rainy days, he would tilt the umbrella completely over me, not caring that his own shoulder was soaked.

In the winter, when the radiator failed, he would tuck my freezing feet against his bare chest to warm them.

He used to cling to me, whispering soft promises.

“Helen, trust me. I’ll treat you right for the rest of my life”.

But things change, and the past was gone.

Perhaps because the fever was scrambling my brain, I couldn’t stop the sob from breaking through my

throat.

“I didn’t push Jessica last night. She jumped on her own”.

“You think I’d ever believe you?”

Noah let out a cold, impatient sneer, his bias glaringly obvious.

“Jessica helped me when I was at my absolute lowest. She’s kind-hearted, unlike a greedy, social-climbing parasite like you. You have no right to slander her!”

He was right. From the moment I agreed to marry Oliver, Noah and I were over.

As dusk fell, my phone rang. It was Mary.

“Helen, Don Martinez cut off all funding for your mother’s treatment. She’s in the ER right now, and she isn’t doing well!”

Mary was my best friend, and the nurse in charge of my mother’s care

Panic seized me. I scrambled to dial Oliver’s number.

Nothing but a cold, automated busy signal.

He had actually blocked me.

I ripped the IV needle straight out of the back of my hand. Ignoring the blood dripping from my skin, I

stumbled out of the room.

The high fever left my limbs entirely useless, causing me to collapse to the floor several times.

But I couldn’t care less about the pain or my failing body.

My mother was all I had left. She couldn’t die!

Desperate, I rushed outside and flagged down a passing car.

The second I scrambled inside, a heavy blow struck the back of my neck.

A blunt wave of pain surged through me, and my vision went black.

I lost consciousness completely.

A bucket of freezing water shocked me awake.

The biting cold sent violent shivers through my body.

I wasn’t alone. Hanna and Jessica had been dragged here too.

The three of us were dumped onto a wooden deck, waves churning violently behind us, with a solitary

lighthouse looming in the distance.

The kidnappers were clearly targeting Noah and Oliver.

Minutes later, two speeding cars tore onto the docks and screeched to a halt.

Noah and Oliver stepped out of their vehicles, their expressions grim and tense.

Two kidnappers drew their blades, pressing the cold steel against our necks as they smirked.

“Don Williams, Don Martinez. Let’s play a game. You each get to take one girl home!”

“As for the one left behind, she stays with us.”

Oliver didn’t hesitate. He chose Hanna.

Noah’s gaze flickered back and forth between Jessica and me.

Jessica wept, tears streaming down her face. “Noah, I’m so scared… please save me.

Even though I knew he hated me, I couldn’t stop the desperate spark of hope in my chest. I begged, my voice trembling.

“Noah, my mother is in the hospital fighting for her life. Please, let me go to her…”

Noah averted his eyes.

He raised his hand and pointed directly at Jessica.

Jessica’s tears instantly turned into a triumphant smile.

My heart turned to ash.

As Hanna was untied, she suddenly leaned down, pressing her lips close to my ear to whisper a single

sentence.