Pandora’s POV
My head pounded, and I blinked hard, trying to make sense of the unfamiliar surroundings. I was lying on a cold, hard surface, the dim light casting jagged shadows across the room.
My body felt sluggish as if I had been drugged. I tried to sit up, but dizziness overtook me, so I had to settle for propping myself up on one elbow.
Suddenly, I heard a soft but cruel laugh, and my heart stopped. Turning slowly, my eyes landed on the figure in the corner, seated calmly in a high-backed chair.
Ms. Edna. The last person I expected to see, and yet there she was, staring at me with a twisted smile on her face.
“Ms. Edna?” I croaked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Ah, Pandora. You’re awake,” She started, her voice smooth yet dripping with malice. She stood up, taking slow, deliberate steps toward me. “Pale from shock, I see. Welcome to your new home.”
I scrambled to my feet, every muscle in my body tense. “What is this? Why are you doing this?” I demanded, my voice steadier now. The surreal nature of the situation made it feel like a dream, but the pain in my head and the fear in my heart were all too real.
Ms. Edna tilted her head, her gaze cold and calculating. “What am I doing? I thought that would be obvious. I needed you. You’re valuable, Pandora, even if you don’t see it.”
“Valuable?” I repeated, confusion washing over me. “You’re holding me for ransom?”
Ms. Edna laughed, a sharp, grating sound. “In a way. I don’t care about you, dear. I care about money. And once I have enough, you can go. Simple, right?”
My blood ran cold. I couldn’t believe this was the same woman who had once shown me kindness. It was as if the person I thought I knew had never existed.
“You’re making a huge mistake,” I said, trying to appeal to whatever shred of decency might still exist in her. “This won’t end well for you. Let me go now, and maybe…”
She raised a hand, cutting me off. “Save your breath, Pandora. You’re not in a position to negotiate. My hands are tied. The world has been unfair to me, and now it’s my turn to take what I deserve.”
Her words dripped with bitterness, and I saw something flash in her eyes, something deeper than greed. I had to keep her talking, had to figure out if there was any way to get out of here.
“What are you hoping to gain from all this?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.
Ms. Edna’s smile faded, her face hardening. “I had a life once,” she began, her tone distant. “I had dreams, a future. But Zach… Zach took all of that away from me.”
“He betrayed me,” Ms. Edna continued, her voice shaking with emotion. “He took everything, my money, my trust, and then disappeared. Left me in a foreign land with nothing but a broken heart and empty promises.”
Her hands clenched into fists, her eyes dark with hatred. “And for what? For nothing. I gave up everything for him, and he repaid me with lies.”
I could see the cracks forming in her cold exterior. This was the real reason behind her actions, not the money or the power. She was driven by revenge, by the desperate need to regain control of her life.
“I’m sorry that happened to you,” I said softly. “But hurting me won’t fix what he did to you. It won’t bring him back or undo the damage he caused.”
Ms. Edna glared at me, her jaw tightening. “Don’t you dare pretend to understand,” she hissed. “You, with your perfect little life. You don’t know what it’s like to lose everything.”
I took a step closer, ignoring the danger in her eyes. “You’re right,” I admitted. “I don’t know what that’s like. But I do know that you deserve better than this. You deserve to move on, to heal. What Zach did to you was horrible, but this… this isn’t the way to fix it.”
Her eyes flickered with something, regret, maybe, or doubt. But then her face hardened again, her expression cold and unyielding. “You think I need help?” she asked, her voice low and dangerous. “You think I’m crazy?”
I held my ground, refusing to back down. “I think you need someone to talk to. Someone who can help you see that this isn’t the solution.”
For a moment, the room was filled with a tense silence. Then, faster than I could react, Ms. Edna’s hand lashed out, delivering a sharp slap across my face. The sting was immediate, my skin burning from the impact. I stumbled back, stunned by the sudden violence.
“You think you can talk down to me? You think you’re better than me?” Ms. Edna spat, her voice trembling with fury. Tears welled in her eyes, but they were quickly replaced by cold hatred.
I blinked back my own tears, refusing to let her see how much it hurt. Not just the slap, but the way her pain had twisted her into something unrecognizable.
“No,” I whispered quietly. “I don’t think I’m better than you. I just think you’re making a mistake.”
Ms. Edna’s expression wavered, her gaze flickering between anger and something softer, something almost vulnerable. But it was fleeting. She quickly turned away from me, her hands trembling as she clutched the back of the chair.
“Shut up,” she muttered, her voice barely audible. “Just… shut up.”
I knew I had hit a nerve, but I wasn’t sure if it would be enough to get through to her. Time was running out, and I needed to figure out a way to escape before her emotions spiraled out of control.
Taking a deep breath, I made one final attempt. “Ms. Edna,” I tried again softly, “I’m not your enemy. I want to help you, but you have to let me. You don’t have to do this. We can still fix things.”
She stayed silent, her back to me, her shoulders tense. For a moment, I thought maybe she would turn around and let me go.
But then, without a word, she walked out of the room, locking the door behind her.
The sound of the lock clicking into place echoed in the silence, and I was left standing there, alone, with the weight of everything pressing down on me.
I had tried to reach her, but it wasn’t enough. Not yet.