Another few hours later

"Get up!" A man's threatening voice startles me awake.

"I said get up, you fuckin' whore!" he bellows.

When I open my eyes, I glance around the dark room and find one of Christian's men hauling Tia up by her hair and throwing her on a metal chair that almost topples over from the force. Her eyes meet mine and they show no emotion. She looks completely lifeless as she stares right through me.

The man yanks her head back by her hair and she yelps in pain, but he has no mercy. He laughs and commands another man to tie her arms behind her back. He walks toward me and yanks me up by my arm and I cry out in pain. It feels like my arm was ripped out of the socket.

"Oh, fuck." He laughs. "I almost broke your fucking arm." He throws me into a chair across from Tia and ties my hands behind my back. I wince when he gives the top one more yank to tighten it.

The men exit the room, leaving Tia and me in a room with just a single lightbulb dangling above us for light.

I must've passed out from the pain because when I come to, I find Tia screaming in agonizing pain. I cringe when I try to move my arm but the muscle in my shoulder begins to spasm, increasing the pain. When I look up toward Tia, Frankie is burning her skin with cigarette butts.

I'm in too much pain to beg him to stop.

Instead, I pass out again.

The slamming of the steel door makes me jump awake. I groan in agony as I try to keep my head up. Suddenly, my head is yanked back by my hair.

"Wake up," Christian whispers in my ear and he lets my head go. I look down to my arm and notice it's in a sling.

"Don't thank me. Frankie didn't have permission to do what he did to you."

My knight in shining armor. Who knew the devil had a heart?

I turn my head away from him and glance around the room until my eyes land on Tia. Her head is bowed to her chest. I sigh in relief when I see that her chest moves up and down at a steady pace.

Christian pulls a chair up and sits in front of me. He leans in with his hands clasped together between his legs.

"Do you know why I'm doing all of this?" he asks.

Silence.

"Did you think having my baby was going to save you from me?"

I don't respond but keep my eyes on his. Sophie has his eyes, and the shape of his eyebrows. Even though she is part of him, I never once thought she was a mistake. She was innocent, pure, and lovable. And this fucking monster in front of me took her away.

Anger builds inside my bones, the blood in my veins burns my skin, and the hate spills out of me like molten lava. I spit in his face, and I'm not surprised when he slaps me hard in the face, but I don't cower away. I quickly turn to him with my chin held high in defiance, urging him to do it again, but he doesn't. He leans back against the chair with a shocked expression.

He wipes his face, and his scowl turns into a grin. A grin I used to love and that made my knees weak, but now I despise it.

"You grew some balls, baby."

I cringe when he says baby.

"No matter. It won't save you from what I have planned for you…and…"— he looks over to Tia— "your girl."

"Leave her alone. She has nothing to do with us. She's innocent, just like our daughter!"

"No, she's not. As long as she stayed loyal to you, she was dead anyway."

"And Sophia?" My voice cracks.

"She was not mine the moment you lied to me about her birth."

"She had your eyes."

"Enough!" he roars. When he abruptly stands, the chair tips backward.

I don't flinch. He no longer scares me. The hate I have for him melted the fear that I had for so long. If I'm going down, I'm taking this fucker with me.

Christian leans over me, his hands on either side of the chair, caging me in. "You abandoned me in jail. You betrayed me when you decided to live your life without me. Then you thought it was ok to get involved with a Du Pont boy."

My body goes rigid.

"Oh, yeah, I know all about him. Met him at the Pit. He's not bad in the ring, but he's no match for me. Don't worry, after I get rid of you and Tia, he's next on the list, along with your precious Seb."

My heart begins to beat rapidly against my chest.

"Ah. I hit a nerve, did I? Wish you felt that strongly about me." He snarls and pulls back.

"You beat me. You beat me so bad I almost lost our baby. You controlled me. What happened to the sweet boy who held my hand? Who kissed me every chance he could? Who took care of me when I needed him the most? What happened to that boy, Christian?"

For the first time since he's kidnapped me, a flash of nostalgia briefly crosses his face, but that moment is ruined when Frankie's guys from Christian's crew barge into the room.

"You called, boss?" Frankie asks but Christian keeps his eyes on me.

"Yeah," he responds, his gaze never straying from my face.

"Get them ready. We've got a show to put on." He walks away and whispers something in Frankie's ear that causes his lips to twitch upwards.

Christian slaps his hands on his shoulders and says, "Keep your hands off Sadie. She's mine." He gives me one more glance before he leaves us alone.

Frankie marches toward Tia and throws her over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" I ask, my voice trembling in fear.

"Don't worry. We'll take good care of her." I don't like the way he says those words or the glee in his eyes.

"Please. Don't hurt her. She's done nothing!" I beg but it does no good. He takes Tia to the door in the back of the room. The other guy unties me and walks me toward the middle of the room and ties my hands in front of me. I watch as the second guy stands on a chair and ties the rope to an anchor on the ceiling.

Tia screams as if she's in pain. My body is lifted off the ground and I cry out when my arms are lifted above my head. My feet dangle in midair. At this point, I can't feel my injured arm. The unwelcome pain numbed the sensation. Tears continue to fall down my face, and I pray this will all be over soon, even if it means I end up dead.

Donnie's words invade my thoughts.

"Let me save you from your nightmares. Let me fight your fears for you. Let me kiss your wounds. Let me be your nightlight when you are afraid of the dark. Let me kiss your tears away. Let me be your always and forever."

Tia continues to scream, begging him to stop, but he doesn't. I feel so helpless knowing I can't save her.

"Please, leave her alone. She didn't do anything!" I scream and cry, begging with everything I have for him to leave her alone, but her cries continue.

A sudden pain explodes across my forehead when my eyes flutter closed, and I welcome the darkness.