Page 122 of Darkest Deception

The bells ring above the door at the entrance.

My whole being freezes as I watch a figure walk straight at us.

Not a figure. Helia. In a black suit.

And he looks livid. His eyes are trained on my mother, and with each step he takes, my heart buzzes with excitement. He’s here.

But then the hope shatters, knowing all I did was push him away from me.

Why would he come here to save me? To help me?

I open my mouth, but before I can get any words out, I watch the scene play out in front of me in slow motion.

Mum turns around, and that same second, Helia grabs her neck and pins her up against the wall. Her legs lift off the ground as he bares his teeth at her, his eyes murderous, his hold tightening until her face turns red.

The sales assistants all freeze in their place, fearing for their own lives as they watch this play out.

Thankfully, there are no other customers. Mum booked it for me in advance.

“Helia,” I whisper, my eyes wide.

“You touched her. You raised your hand against your own daughter?!” Helia screams in her face, but she just shakes her head. “Do you know what I do to people who harm the woman I love?”

Everything stops.

He loves … me? Ambrose?

It cannot be. I heard wrong. I know I did.

“I don’t let them live a second longer.”

No. He will kill her. In broad daylight.

“Helia, stop.” I rush towards them, pulling his arm, but he isn’t listening.

His eyes are trained on my mother, who is slowly turning blue from the sheer force of one of his hands pinning her to the wall.

Sweat breaks out on the back of my neck.

He won’t listen. He’s not in his right mind.

I need to do something. Fast.

I look around the boutique, trying to find something, anything to stop him, but what?

“Ow!” I instantly bend down low, my hand rubbing over my knee, acting like I hurt myself.

Helia’s head snaps to me. He lets go of Mum instantly and rushes to me. Grabbing hold of my face, he looks panicked between my face and my knee with me on the floor.

“Are you okay? What happened?”

Fuck. I can’t let myself get this weak.

“I hurt myself, my leg,” I murmur, pointing to my knee, watching my mother out of the corner of my eye gasping for air, holding her neck.

I shouldn’t have helped her, but I did.

“It’s okay, I’ll fix it.” Sliding an arm under my knees and shoulder, he lifts me off the ground, making me yelp. I wrap my arms around his neck and freak out when he starts to walk out the door.

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