Page 94 of Love Me Again

I lift my eyes and look up at her, horrified. “Oh my God.”

Sophie takes hold of my face and looks into my eyes. “I tried to warn you, but you didn’t listen. My warnings fell on deaf ears, so this is on you. You brought this on yourself.”

Tears blur my vision as I peer up at her. “The plane crash...it was you. You tried to kill him!” I pull my face out of her grasp, yanking on my restraints, desperately trying to break free so that I could tear the bitch limb from limb.

“You were supposed to be with him on that plane!” Sophie shouts. “After all the pain you put me through, you both deserved to die, but then I found out he went alone, and when he survived and lost his memory, that was my chance to win him back, but you…” I wince when she grabs me by the throat and squeezes tight cutting off my oxygen. “You manipulated him and stole him from me again!” Sophie barks, digging her nails into my flesh before she lets go, and I suck in a lung full of air.

I glance down at my leg, panting through the searing pain of my stab wound and the lack of oxygen in my lungs. I see blood seeping through and staining my dress.

This lunatic is going to kill me. I’m not making it out of this. I lift my tear-filled gaze to hers and glare at her. “This time, you won’t be around to screw with his head. If it weren’t for you, I would have been married to him, and we would have been happy with our baby boy.” She states, looking at the blade in her hand stained with my blood.

“That baby wasn’t Coles. Do you think he wouldn’t have found out eventually? I walked away from him countless times so he could be with you, but he didn’t want you then, and he won’t want you now. Why don’t you understand he doesn’t love you, Sophie!” I shout in her face, and she presses her lips into a thin line and looks at me.

“Oh, but he will.” She replies with a pout. “When he gets that call informing him that they found his dear wife's beaten, dead body on the side of the road, Cole will need someone to comfort him through all of that grief.” A gradual, knowing smile spreads across her plastic face while I look at her in alarm. “And I’ll be there every day, consoling him and taking care of your beautiful daughter until he slowly but surely falls in love with me again.” She grins, biting her glossy lips. “It’s a good thing Alaia is so young because she won’t remember you. She’ll grow up and love me as her mother.” I stare at her, tears rolling down my cheeks.

“You're delusional. Cole got his memory back, he remembers everything.” I whisper icily. “He will never let our daughter forget me. Even if he did, my family will not. You will never be her mother, you psychotic bitch. Your own child couldn’t bear to be yours and died before he was born. Probably a good thing too, because you clearly don’t possess a maternal bone in your body—” I whimper when she slaps me again.

Sophie grabs my face and turns me to face her. I open my eyes and stare at her, wincing through the painful throbbing of my cheek. “You can kill me all you want, but I will always be there, in Cole’s heart, living on through my daughter. You will never have them. Ever!” I exclaim, spitting in her face, and hiss when she slaps me once again with the back of her hand. The metallic taste of my blood makes my stomach churn whilst she wipes her face and glowers at me.

“It’s only a matter of time, Shayla.” Sophie drawls and smirks darkly. “We have a special connection Tristan and I. He’s never been able to stay away from me for too long. Did he tell you that he made love to me after he left you? While you were falling apart, he was in my bed, making me come again and again.” She claims, and I stare at her, and despite my crippling distress, I laugh haughtily while she watches me, a look of surprise on her face.

“Oh my God, you’re so pathetic, Sophie.” I chuckle, shaking my head. “A special connection? Do you seriously believe the shit that comes out of your mouth? You and Cole have nothing, you didn’t then, and you don’t now. He told me he didn’t lay a finger on you while we were broken up, so your pitiful attempt to hurt me is all in vain. You’re nothing but a manipulative, bitter shrew.”

Sophie stares at me for a long moment before she rolls her eyes. “Any last words?”

“Fuck you!”

Sophie smiles malevolently and looks over at the two men in the room with us.

“She’s all yours, do what you want with her.” She tells the taller one, who turns his dark gaze to me when Sophie spins on her heels to walk out the door. “Just do me one favour...” She looks at me and grins darkly. “Make it hurt.” I stare at her retreating back and jump when the door slams shut behind her. I lift my gaze to the men in the room with me, shaking my head, and finally allow that strangled sob to escape me as they advance toward me.

“COLEE!”

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