Died For Their Vows, Back For My Revenge Chapter 04
Before, I never even dared to say no.
This time, I texted back two words. “I’m good.”
On my birthday, I met with a lawyer to go over the divorce paperwork.
Then I bought myself a cake. Alone. “Happy birthday, Lydia Barrett. Twenty-six years old.”
After I finished that cake, I scheduled the abortion procedure.
Fireworks lit up the sky outside my window. A full, dazzling display. Colors bleeding and bursting against the dark.
Tessa’s Instagram Story updated.
[Thank you to the absolute best, Nolan. Best gift ever. I’ll remember this beautiful moment forever.]
I swiped past it. Washed up for bed like always. Turned off the light.
“Did you see the fireworks?”
Nolan’s voice came out of nowhere in the dark living room. I jumped.
I had no idea why he’d come home.
I steadied myself. “Yeah.”
A pause. His voice sharpened. “The pattern was roses. You’ve always loved roses. Did you even notice?”
I turned my head toward him slowly. I didn’t make the mistake of thinking those fireworks were for me.
That only made Nolan angrier.
“Do I have to spell out an apology for you?” His voice scraped low. “What’s going on in your head these past few days?”
I was quiet for a moment.
Then I said it, clear and calm. “I think we should get a div—”
Nolan’s phone buzzed, cutting through the room.
His face tightened. He answered anyway.
“Nolan. Tessa’s gone missing.”
Every trace of expression wiped off Nolan’s face. He turned and bolted out the door without a backward glance.
And just like that, the house was empty again.
I didn’t feel much of anything.
The next morning, I packed my suitcase. I was heading out the door when Nolan came back.
We collided almost head-on.
His face was a thundercloud. Bloodshot eyes raked over me. When he saw the suitcase, something inside him snapped. He kicked it so hard it flew against the wall.
“Lydia, you really think you can pull something like this and just walk away?” His voice dropped to a deadly register. “Not a chance.”
I stumbled backward, steadying myself. “What the hell are you talking about? You’re gonna throw accusations at me, you’d better have proof.”
“You’ve hated how much we’ve always taken Tessa’s side. So you hired someone to grab her.”
His body blocked the entire doorway. “I haven’t called the cops yet. But you’re going to tell me where she is. Right now.”
He pulled out his phone and shoved a video in front of my face.
Tessa was tied to a chair, sobbing in pure terror, red slap marks bright against her cheeks. “Lydia, I’m sorry. Please. Please don’t let them hit me anymore. Please.”
I understood instantly. Another one of her games.
My body started shaking. Then I heard footsteps. My parents rushed through the door.
Relief punched through my chest. “Mom. It wasn’t me. You have to tell them. I didn’t…”
The sound of her slap cut off everything.
My throat closed up. I turned my head slowly through the pain. My eyes burned.
My mother stared at me with pure loathing. Like I wasn’t her daughter. Like I was something she wanted dead.
“We already brought you back into this family!” she spat. “What more do you want? If anything happens to Tessa, you’ll pay for it with your life!”
I had stopped hoping for their love a long time ago. But the tears still fell anyway.
My father’s voice thundered over me, disgust etched into every line of his face.
“You’ve got some nerve, standing there crying. Your sister could be dead right now. Just yesterday she was in tears, telling us how terrible she felt for upsetting you. She begged us to be nicer to you. And this is what you do to her?”
The abuse just kept coming. Their voices hammered into me. I looked from my parents to my husband.
Every single face was twisted with hatred for me.
Fine.
What was there left to hold onto?
“You don’t believe me? Then call the cops.”
I pulled out my phone.
Three pairs of hands snatched it away at once.
Nolan wrenched my arms behind my back and tied me to a chair.
Panic detonated inside my chest. I thrashed against the restraints. “What are you doing! Let me go! Nolan, I didn’t do this!”
“Stop lying.” His voice was pure ice. “You lied about the pregnancy. You lied about everything. What won’t you do?”
Something dark shifted in his eyes. He stepped back. Two men walked in.
“Do it. Whatever Tessa went through, she goes through the same. We don’t stop until she talks.”
I was tied so tightly I couldn’t move. My hair stuck to my face in wet, wild strands.
I stared at my parents. My voice came out wrecked. “Dad. Mom. You’re just going to stand there and watch them beat me? What did I even do? You’ve never believed me. Not once. You never…”
A heavy palm cracked across my face.
My lip split. I tasted blood.
Tears poured down my face. And I laughed.
Something pained spasmed across Nolan’s face. His voice actually shook. “Just tell us! Tell me where Tessa is, and I’ll let you go right now!”
I stayed silent.
The blows kept coming. I clenched my jaw. My fingers worked a small blade against the rope behind my back. Sawing. Sawing.
The rope gave.
I exploded out of the chair. Shoved past the men in front of me. Ran.
Nolan’s roar chased me. “You lying bitch!”
He caught my shoulder and hurled me backward.
My body hit the floor like something broken and hollow.
A crushing, grinding pain tore through my stomach. Warm liquid seeped down my legs.
Relief washed over me. Pure, clean relief. As everything started to fade, I looked up at Nolan’s white, stricken face.
And smiled.
“Nolan… look what you did.”
