Then, just as I was about to break down and confess, my phone rang again. The same unknown number. My heart pounded. Against my better judgment, I answered, my voice trembling. “Hello?”
“Helen,” a smooth voice replied, dripping with mockery. It sent chills down my spine. “It’s Beatrice.” I froze, my legs feeling like lead.
She continued, “You didn’t think I’d let you walk away that easily, did you? I orchestrated the entire event, darling. Just a little reality check to teach you about the world you want to enter.”
Every word she uttered felt like a knife twisting in my gut. “You’re not done yet, and neither am I. I have your deepest secrets, and I’ll expose them if you don’t comply. Isn’t this fun?”
The realization crashed over me like a tidal wave. Beatrice had set this up to manipulate and control me, and now she was blackmailing me into submission. My independence was shattered. The game had only just begun.
