Page 177 of Hard Knot

As I race after her, I can hear the chaos erupting behind me.

Mikhail shouting in Russian, Anastasia's shocked gasps, Carter and Felix moving to flank Holmes.

But none of it matters.

All that matters is finding Elizabeth.

Finding her and making sure she never has to face her demons alone again.

I’ll Always Be Yours

~ELIZABETH~

My feet pound against the damp forest floor, the tangled underbrush clawing at my legs as I crash through the familiar paths.

The rain-soaked air clings to my skin, but the tears streaming down my face burn hotter than the cool drizzle. Ten acres of land, sprawling and vast, and somehow it doesn’t feel like enough space to contain the chaos inside me.

Why can’t I just be happy?

The memories, so carefully locked away for five years, burst free like a dam breaking. They crash over me in relentless waves—rough hands pinning me down, cruel laughter echoing in my ears, pain that seemed unending.

Always something. Always someone trying to fuck it up.

I stumble over a root, barely catching myself before I hit the ground. My chest heaves with ragged breaths as the memories blur with reality, but the pain remains crystal clear. My fingers dig into the bark of a nearby tree, the roughness grounding me for only a moment before despair takes over again.

“Elizabeth!” James’s voice cuts through the sound of my pounding heart and the distant rumble of thunder.

I freeze, my breath hitching.

He knows now.

He’ll think I’m dirty. Used. A slut, just like Marissa said.

The thought ignites fresh panic, and before I realize it, I’m running again. The sobs tear from my throat, each one heavier than the last as the sky darkens above me. The first drops of rain sting my skin, a prelude to the storm building in the heavens.

“Really?” I shout, tilting my head toward the churning clouds. “You want to be a paid actor in my suffering too?”

The sky’s response is immediate. The rain pours down in a sudden, unrelenting torrent, soaking me to the bone within seconds. My shoes sink into the forming puddles, and my curses spill in every language I know—Russian, English, and the few French profanities I picked up at Harvard.

A hand grips my arm, startling me, and I panic.

My vision blurs, and in an instant, I’m not in the forest anymore.

I’m back there—held down, trapped, powerless.

“No!” I scream, wrenching away from the touch.

“Fuck!” James’s voice snaps me back to the present, his hand immediately releasing me. “Elizabeth, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean?—”

The sight of him is enough to break me completely. His usually impeccable suit is already ruined, plastered to his body by the rain, but the worry in his eyes is what cuts through my panic.

“Go away!” I yell, gesturing wildly at him. “You hate getting wet, and your suit’s going to be ruined, and now you think I’m a slut, and?—”

“Shut up for two seconds,” he interrupts, his voice calm but firm.

The words hang in the air, cutting through my spiral. My chest heaves as I try to catch my breath, the rain mingling with the tears streaming down my face.

“I wanted it to be you,” I sob, the confession tumbling out before I can stop it. “You were supposed to be my first. We were going to have perfect GPAs, graduate with honors, have the perfect family, and...” My voice cracks, and I clutch at my soaked shirt. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry...”

---