I was driving really fast in the direction opposite my place. The devil was back in my life, and I didn’t want him anywhere near my kids—not when I didn’t know how he’d react to finding out about them. I was driving in the opposite direction because I knew that he would follow me; this was my feeble attempt to draw him away from them.

I had always known that this day would come, the day of reckoning, but I hadn’t expected it to come so suddenly and unexpectedly.

What were you thinking? That life was going to give you a heads-up and say, “Oh, hey, Daniil will find you in two days’ time?”

You’re really not helping right now.

“Argh!” I let out a frustrated groan, banging against the steering wheel.

My voice of reason said to me, Stay focused, Viv. You can’t get through this if you’re not thinking clearly.

How was I supposed to think clearly when those two voices in my head wouldn’t quiet?

He could chase and eventually get me; whatever he would do to me, I would accept. However, I didn’t want him around Leo and Sophia. He was their father, and he deserved to know, but I couldn’t let him find out about them.

Maybe I was being selfish, but knowing Daniil, if he found out about them, I’d be dead meat. He would skin me alive because I hadn’t only escaped him, but I did so with his unborn twins. Although, in my defense, I hadn’t known I was pregnant until I left for Spain. If he found those kids, he would take them away from me as a part of whatever cruel punishment he had planned for me.

“No, no….”

I was more terrified about losing those cuties than I was about what he would do to me. The thought of him taking my babies away from me made my eyes water. I was both pissed and scared at the same time.

Truck! the voices in my head chorused, shifting my attention to the vehicle approaching in the opposite direction.

With a swift swerve, I wheeled the car away, and it whooshed past me dangerously. If I had delayed for just a second more, I’d have been crushed.

What good will you be to the kids if you’re dead? Focus! my voice of reason snarled at me.

Incoming. You’ve got a boogie on your tail.

I’d heard the sounds of those screeching tires taking a sharp turn onto the road that I was on. And now, as I jerked my eyes in the rearview mirror, I saw them clearly: Those exotic cars were quickly catching up with me.

The scene looked so familiar, only the last time it had happened, I was a lot younger. It was like déjà vu; history was repeating itself.

Looks like they’re back for a rematch.

I revved my engine, changed up, and put my foot down with my eyes focused on the road.

I gripped the steering wheel tightly, my heart racing like a jackrabbit. I could see them in my rearview mirror, their black G-Wagons weaving in and out of traffic, gaining on me. My mind raced with fear, my thoughts a jumbled mess.

He was in one of those vehicles, probably the one in front of the others. Just yesterday, while driving home, I had thought that the black SUV behind me was Daniil or some of his men. If only I’d known that I would truly be driving away from him today.

He was gaining on me real fast, and I guessed that he had upped his game. The man was relentless, and even though I couldn’t see his face, I could envision his rage.

I pushed my car to its limits, the speedometer climbing higher and higher. The roads blurred together, a kaleidoscope of asphalt and concrete. Nervous, yet in control, I zigzagged through traffic, my tires screeching in protest. Horns blared around me, but I didn’t dare look back.

“Watch where you’re going, man!” a driver yelled at me in Spanish, but I couldn’t care less.

I sped on.

The men behind me were relentless, their minds evidently set and determined. I could feel their eyes on me, boring into my skin. My skin crawled with fear, my mouth going dry.

I took a sharp turn, my tires squealing loudly at the sudden move. The cars followed suit, with Daniil’s leading the chase. My heart skipped a beat as I realized I was running out of road.

“No, no! What do I do? What do I do?” I mumbled to myself, struck with terror.

I felt like I was losing his chase; either I’d gotten sloppy, or they’d gotten better. Whatever the case, though, I needed to ditch them, and to do that, I had to think fast.

I spotted a gap in traffic and made a break for it, my car surging forward. The cars were right behind me, their engines roaring like beasts.