Chapter 11
I froze.
Jake saw my face.
"Tessa? What's wrong?"
"Bennett," I whispered. "He was here. Standing in the shadows. Watching us."
Jake looked toward where I was pointing.
The shadows were empty.
"Are you sure? He's supposed to be in maximum security. There's no way he could have escaped."
"I'm sure, Jake. It was him. I saw his face. He was smiling at me."
Jake pulled out his phone and called the prison immediately.
He spoke to them urgently.
When he hung up, his face was grim.
"They're doing a head count now. They'll call me back."
He pulled me close.
"Whatever happens, I'm here. I'll protect you. I'll protect Hope. Nobody is going to hurt us."
But I was scared.
Bennett was dangerous.
Desperate.
And he had nothing left to lose.
If he'd really escaped from prison, he would come after me.
After Hope.
He had nothing left to live for.
Except revenge.
Jake's phone rang.
He answered it.
He listened.
His face went white.
He hung up.
"He's gone, Tessa. Bennett escaped from prison this morning. He overpowered a guard during a work detail. They've been looking for him. They didn't want to alarm us until they were sure."
I felt sick.
Bennett was free.
And he was somewhere out there.
Watching me.
Waiting.
The FBI was called in.
The police.
Security was increased around the penthouse.
Around the office.
Around Hope's daycare.
Everyone was looking for Bennett.
But there was no sign of him.
It was like he'd vanished off the face of the earth.
Days turned into weeks.
Weeks turned into a month.
There was still no sign of Bennett.
The FBI said he might have left the country.
That he might be in Mexico.
Or South America.
But I didn't believe it.
Bennett was too proud.
Too arrogant.
He wouldn't run.
He'd stay and fight.
He'd want to see me suffer.
I tried to go on with my life.
I ran the company.
I took care of Hope.
I planned my wedding to Jake.
But I was always looking over my shoulder.
Always waiting for Bennett to strike.
And then, one morning, he did.
I woke up early.
Hope was still sleeping.
Jake was in the shower.
I went downstairs to make coffee.
And there was a box on the kitchen table.
It hadn't been there the night before.
Security had been breached.
Somehow, Bennett had gotten into the penthouse.
I stared at the box.
My heart pounding.
I didn't want to open it.
But I had to know.
I carefully opened the lid.
Inside was a wedding dress.
My wedding dress.
From my marriage to Bennett.
It was stained.
Torn.
And there was a note attached to it.
The handwriting was Bennett's.
"You thought you could get rid of me, Tessa? You thought you could marry another man and live happily ever after? Think again. Our marriage isn't over. It's just beginning. And this time, you won't escape."
I dropped the note.
My hands were shaking.
Bennett had been in my home.
While we were sleeping.
He could have hurt us.
He could have killed us.
But he hadn't.
He wanted to scare me.
To torment me.
To make me suffer.
Jake came downstairs.
He saw the box.
He saw my face.
He pulled me close.
"I'm going to kill him," he said, his voice cold with rage.
The FBI was called again.
They checked the security system.
The cameras.
Everything.
But Bennett had been careful.
He'd hacked the system.
He'd disabled the cameras.
He'd gotten in and out without leaving a trace.
He was smart.
Dangerous.
And he was playing a game with me.
A game of cat and mouse.
And he was enjoying it.
The threats continued.
Flowers sent to my office.
Dead roses.
With notes.
"Soon."
Phone calls in the middle of the night.
Heavy breathing.
No words.
Photos slipped under my door.
Photos of Hope.
At daycare.
At the park.
At home.
Bennett was watching us.
Everywhere we went.
He was always there.
Always watching.
The pressure was unbearable.
I was scared to leave the house.
Scared to let Hope out of my sight.
Scared to close my eyes at night.
Jake was amazing.
He never left my side.
He held me when I cried.
He protected me.
He tried to make me feel safe.
But I didn't feel safe.
I felt like I was living in a nightmare.
And I couldn't wake up.
One evening, I was alone in the penthouse.
Jake was at a meeting.
Hope was with her grandmother—Jake's mother.
The security team was outside.
I thought I was safe.
And then the lights went out.
Everything went dark.
I froze.
The emergency lights came on.
Dim.
Red.
And I heard footsteps.
Coming from the hallway.
Slow.
Deliberate.
I grabbed my phone.
I tried to call Jake.
But there was no signal.
The footsteps got closer.
And then Bennett stepped into the room.
He looked different.
His hair was longer.
He had a beard.
He was thinner.
But his eyes were the same.
Cold.
Crazy.
He smiled at me.
"Hello, Tessa. Did you miss me?"
I backed away.
"Stay away from me, Bennett. The police are on their way."
He laughed.
A cold, crazy sound.
"No, they're not. I disabled the alarm. I cut the phone lines. And your security team is... otherwise occupied. It's just you and me now, Tessa. Like it was always supposed to be."
He stepped closer.
"You thought you could leave me? Marry another man? Raise my daughter with him? I don't think so. You're my wife, Tessa. You belong to me. And Hope belongs to me. We're going to be a family again. The way it was always supposed to be."
"Your wife?" I said, my voice trembling but strong. "I'm not your wife anymore. I divorced you. Remember? You're going back to prison, Bennett. And you'll never see Hope again."
His face twisted with rage.
"Divorced me? You think a piece of paper means anything? You're mine, Tessa. Forever. And if I can't have you, nobody can."
He pulled a gun from his pocket.
I froze.
This was it.
He was going to kill me.
He raised the gun.
And pointed it at me.
"Goodbye, Tessa."
And then the door burst open.
Jake ran in.
Followed by FBI agents.
"Bennett! Drop the weapon!"
Bennett spun around.
He fired at Jake.
The bullet missed.
Jake fired back.
He hit Bennett in the shoulder.
Bennett cried out and dropped the gun.
Agents rushed forward and cuffed him.
He was bleeding.
In pain.
But he was still smiling.
He looked at me.
"This isn't over, Tessa. I'll be back. I'll always come back for you."
The agents led him away.
Jake ran to me.
He held me tight.
"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"
I shook my head, tears streaming down my face.
"I'm okay. He didn't hurt me."
Jake held me.
And for the first time in weeks, I felt safe.
Bennett was going back to prison.
This time, he'd be in maximum security.
Solitary confinement.
He'd never escape again.
He'd never hurt anyone again.
It was over.
Really over.
Bennett was sentenced to an additional fifty years in prison.
For escaping.
For assault.
For the threats.
For the gun.
He would spend the rest of his life in prison.
Alone.
Forgotten.
And I could finally move on.
Finally start my new life.
The wedding was set for six months later.
It was going to be beautiful.
Small.
Intimate.
Just family and close friends.
No drama.
No secrets.
Just love.
But three weeks before the wedding, I got a letter.
From Bennett.
From prison.
I hesitated, then opened it.
I thought it would be more threats.
More anger.
But it wasn't.
It was a confession.
"Tessa,
I'm writing this because I know I'll never see you again. And I need to tell you something. Something I should have told you a long time ago.
I never loved you. Not really. But I didn't marry you just for your family's money or connections. I married you because my mother told me to. She said you were perfect. Easy to control. Quiet. Beautiful.
But there's something else. Something I've never told anyone.
My mother didn't just plan our marriage. She planned something else. Something worse.
She was the one who made sure your mother was in debt. She was the one who approached your mother with the offer. She was the one who orchestrated everything.
But that's not the worst part.
Your father didn't die of a heart attack, Tessa.
My mother killed him.
She poisoned him.
Because he was starting to suspect something. Because he was going to find out about the money. About the plan.
She made it look like a heart attack. And everyone believed her.
I'm sorry, Tessa. I'm so sorry for everything. I was weak. I was a coward. I let my mother control me. I let her destroy everything.
You don't have to forgive me. I don't deserve it. But I needed you to know the truth.
About everything.
Bennett."
I stared at the letter.
My hands were shaking.
My father.
He'd died of a heart attack two years ago.
Suddenly.
Unexpectedly.
The doctors said it was natural causes.
But Bennett was saying Eleanor had poisoned him.
That she'd murdered him.
I felt sick.
I looked at the letter again.
And then I noticed something.
At the bottom of the letter.
Almost like an afterthought.
May you like
Bennett had written one more line.
"And one more thing. My mother isn't in prison anymore. She escaped three days ago. And she's coming for you."
