Sweet Hatred-Chapter 470: Cornered

ARIA

Pain.

That was the only thing that existed for those first few seconds.

Pure, absolute, all-consuming pain.

Every muscle in my body felt like it was tearing itself apart from the inside. Spasming. Contracting. Twitching in ways that weren’t natural, weren’t controllable.

I couldn’t breathe properly.

Each attempt at inhaling was sharp and gasping, like my lungs had forgotten how to work.

My heart hammered erratically against my ribs, too fast, too hard, like it might burst.

And I couldn’t move.

Couldn’t speak.

Could only lie there on the cold concrete, my body betraying me completely.

The baby.

Oh God, the baby.

The thought cut through the pain like a knife.

My hands, still twitching, still not fully under my control, tried desperately to reach my stomach.

To check. To protect. To do something.

But the muscles wouldn’t cooperate.

Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay.

The mantra repeated in my head, desperate and terrified.

I’d been tased.

Fifty thousand volts of electricity had just coursed through my body.

I didn’t know.

Didn’t want to know.

Just wanted to feel movement. Wanted some sign that everything was still okay.

But I couldn’t feel anything except the aftermath of the taser and the pure, primal terror.

Through the haze of pain, I became aware of Sarah.

She was moving.

Fast. Urgent. Frantic in a way I hadn’t seen before.

Her hands shook as she grabbed new zip-ties from her bag.

Her breathing was harsh and quick.

And her eyes,

Her eyes were wild. Panicked.

Something had happened while she was out.

Something that had scared her.

She grabbed my arm, I wanted to pull away but my body wouldn’t respond, and dragged me across the concrete.

Every movement sent fresh jolts of pain through my already overstimulated nervous system.

I made a sound. Weak. Pathetic.

She ignored it.

Positioned me against the wall and yanked my arms behind my back.

The new zip-ties were even tighter than before.

They bit into my wrists immediately, cutting off circulation, the plastic edges sharp enough to draw blood.

I tried to protest. Tried to beg her not to do this.

But my voice wouldn’t work properly. Just came out as strangled, broken sounds.

Sarah moved to my ankles next.

New rope. Thicker. Tied with methodical efficiency despite her shaking hands.

The rough fibers burned against my skin as she pulled them tight.

Too tight.

When she was done, she stood back, breathing hard, staring down at me.

"I’m sorry," she said.

But she didn’t sound sorry.

She sounded terrified.

She grabbed her phone and moved away, pacing near the door.

I could still see her. Still hear her.

My body was slowly starting to respond again, fingers twitching, toes curling, but the restraints made any real movement impossible.

Sarah dialed a number.

Pressed the phone to her ear.

"I need a car," she said, her voice low and urgent. "Tonight. As soon as possible."

A pause.

"No, not that one. Something inconspicuous. Small. Easy to drive."

Another pause. Longer this time.

"How long?" Her voice rose slightly. "Six hours? Fuck."

She ran a hand through her hair, agitated.

"Yes. Yes, I’ll pay extra. Just have it ready. Text me the location."

She ended the call and immediately started pacing again.

Faster now. More agitated.

Checking the window. Checking her phone. Checking the door.

My mind was racing despite the pain still thrumming through my body.

Six hours. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

We were leaving in six hours.

Moving to a different location.

Which meant something had spooked her.

Something out there had made her panic.

The news.

It had to be the news.

Kael had mobilized everything. Put her face everywhere. Made her a wanted woman.

And Sarah had seen it.

Had realized the net was closing in.

That he was coming for me.

The thought brought a surge of hope so intense it almost hurt.

Kael was looking for me.

Using every resource he had. Every connection. Every ounce of power the Roman family possessed.

He was turning the city upside down to find me.

And Sarah knew it.

That’s why she was panicking.

That’s why we were running.

Because he was close.

I just had to survive long enough for him to find me.

But along with the hope came fear.

Because what would Sarah do when she was cornered?

When Kael’s people closed in and she had nowhere left to run?

Would she use me as a hostage? A bargaining chip?

Would she hurt me to hurt him?

Would she,

I couldn’t finish the thought.

Couldn’t let myself go there.

Instead, I watched Sarah pace.

Watched her check the window again. Check her phone. Mutter something under her breath.

And I felt my heart break.

Because this wasn’t the Sarah I’d known.

Not the woman who’d been my best friend for over seven years.

Not the person who’d held me when my mother got sick. Who’d stayed up all night helping me study. Who’d been there through every heartbreak and disappointment.

That Sarah, the one I’d loved and trusted, was gone.

Or maybe she’d never really existed.

Maybe this had always been lurking underneath. This obsession. This instability. This capacity for violence.

And I’d just been too blind to see it.

The grief mixed with the fear until I couldn’t separate them anymore.

I wished it had been someone else.

Some stranger. Some random criminal who’d grabbed me off the street.

That would have been easier.

I could have hated them cleanly. Completely.

But this was Sarah.

And no matter what she’d done, no matter how much she’d hurt me, part of me still remembered what we’d been.

Still mourned the loss of that friendship.

Still couldn’t fully reconcile the woman pacing frantically in front of me with the girl who’d smiled at me during freshman orientation and said, "You look lost. Need help finding your dorm?"

That girl was gone.

And in her place was someone I didn’t recognize.

Someone dangerous.

Someone capable of kidnapping me. Of tasing me. Of threatening my baby.

I felt tears sliding down my face.

Silent. Helpless.

Grieving for what we’d been.

Terrified of what she might still do.