Chapter 8 - The Awakening
My lungs burned fiercely as I tried desperately to hold my breath against the overwhelming chemical cloud.
I rushed toward the heavy steel shutters, slamming the butt of the pistol against the metal, but it did not even leave a dent.
The room began to spin violently, the bright fluorescent lights blurring into long, sickening streaks of white.
I stumbled toward Grace's gurney, wanting my final conscious moment to be beside the woman I loved.
My knees buckled completely, and the cold, hard floor rushed up to meet my face before the world went entirely black.
When I finally opened my eyes again, the bright lights had been dimmed to a dull, throbbing glow.
My wrists and ankles were bound tightly to a heavy wooden chair with thick plastic zip ties.
I turned my head groggily and saw Grace sitting in an identical chair just three feet away.
Her beautiful eyes were wide open, staring at me with a mixture of immense relief and sheer terror.
"Ethan," she whispered hoarsely, tears streaming freely down her pale cheeks.
"I am right here, Grace," I promised, pulling furiously against the unbreakable plastic restraints.
The heavy steel door slid open, and Evelyn walked into the room with a victorious, chilling smile.
She was holding my son in one arm and carrying a thick stack of legal documents in her free hand.
"How touching," she mocked, tossing the heavy paperwork onto a metal table in front of me.
Vance stood directly behind her, nursing a massive purple bruise on his jaw and holding a drawn weapon.
"Those are the complete transfer documents for Caldwell Meridian Group and all associated liquid assets," Evelyn explained coldly.
"You will sign everything over to my exclusive control right now."
I glared at her, completely refusing to acknowledge the pen she placed in front of my bound hands.
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Evelyn nodded to Vance, who stepped forward and pressed the barrel of his gun directly against Grace's temple.
"Sign the papers, Ethan, or I will drop this nameless child into the freezing river outside, and Vance will execute your lovely wife," she threatened.
