Chapter 227/Collapsing in Keira’s Arms

Chapter 227: 227/Collapsing in Keira’s Arms

Chapter 227

Stephanie’s point of view

I collapsed straight into her arms, my knees giving out entirely. I sank toward the floor as a wave of hysterical weeping broke through me, my body violently shuddering in her tight embrace.

Keira caught me tightly, dragging my weight into the apartment with difficulty before kicking the door shut with her foot. She held me close, her voice trembling with rising panic as she stroked my back:

"Calm down, Stephanie.. Please, calm down, you’re safe now.." She cupped the back of my head, pulling me closer. "..Just breathe!"

She guided me over to the sofa, where I collapsed, trembling like a leaf in a storm. Burning tears streaked down my cheeks, my breath coming in ragged, broken gasps as I squeezed her hands with a desperate grip.

"Stephanie, you’re scaring me to death!" Keira dropped to her knees in front of me, searching my pale face and trembling lips with wide, terrified eyes. "What in God’s name happened?!" She shook my hands gently. "Who did this to you? Where is Alexander?"

A bitter lump caught in my throat at the mention of his name. I shook my head frantically, pulling my hands away to cover my face as a broken sob escaped me:

"Alexander... Alexander can never know about any of this, Keira.." I pulled my knees into my chest, rocking back and forth. "..If he finds out, I’m ruined! My entire life will turn to ash!"

Keira’s face went completely pale. She grabbed my wrists, pulling my hands away from my face to force me to look at her, her tone turning sharp and demanding:

"What do you mean your life will be ruined?!" She squeezed my wrists tighter, her voice rising in panic. "Tell me what happened right now.. Please, don’t do this to me!"

I squeezed my eyes shut, fresh tears pouring down my face, before forcing the words out through a voice raw with grief:

"Vincetti... that bastard Vincetti tricked me into coming to his house!" I gasped out, my chest heaving. "He slipped an aphrodisiac into my juice.. and recorded everything on camera to blackmail me!"

Keira froze, a stunned silence falling over her as her features hardened in complete disbelief. She pulled back slightly, letting her hands fall to her sides as she stared at me as if she couldn’t wrap her mind around the horror I had just uttered.

She slammed her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with shock as she took a slow step back. "What are you saying, Stephanie?!"

I nodded frantically, my chest heaving against the heavy sobs choking me as I reached out toward her:

"He set me up, Keira..." I wiped my nose with a trembling sleeve, my voice cracking. "...He claimed he had an old recording to destroy my reputation in front of Alexander, and I went to his house out of pure terror.. Once I was there, he spiked my drink with that horrible drug, recorded a new video, and now he’s using it to blackmail me!"

Keira shifted firmly on her knees, her hands shooting out to grab my shoulders, shaking me with desperate urgency:

"He’s a criminal!" She snapped, her eyes flashing with sudden rage. "This is a outright assault and a full-blown crime! We have to tell Alexander immediately or go to the police.. You cannot stay silent about a nightmare like this!"

"No!" I shrieked, shaking my head wildly in terror as I grabbed her forearms. "Please, Keira, no! If Alexander sees that video, the jealousy and doubt will kill him.." I squeezed my eyes shut, fresh tears burning my skin. "..The camera captured fake confessions I made while I was completely out of my mind because of that drug! Vincetti wants to destroy me, he wants to force me to stay under his control with this filthy threat!"

Keira collapsed onto the floor beside the couch, covering her face as tears pooled in her eyes out of sheer heartache for me. "If we don’t tell Alexander..." She dropped her hands, looking up at me with total despair. "...what are you going to do about this monster?! How are you going to protect yourself and your baby when he has his hands around your neck with that tape?"

I buried my face in my trembling hands, sobbing uncontrollably as dark, terrifying questions ate away at me.. *How am I going to face tomorrow? How am I going to pull myself and my baby out of the jaws of this nightmare?*

Keira pulled herself up onto the couch beside me, wrapping her arm around my shoulders and pulling me back into her side. My body continued to shake involuntarily, the heavy silence of the apartment broken only by the muffled, burning sobs tearing from my chest.

She stroked my hair gently before taking my face between her hands, forcing me to look at her. Despite the fear in her eyes, her expression was fierce and determined:

"Listen to me carefully, Stephanie.." She wiped a tear off my cheek with her thumb. "..You are not going to let that bastard ruin your life or take your husband away from you. He’s playing on your fear, and he knows your weak spots are Alexander and this pregnancy."

I swallowed hard, my throat raw from crying as I squeezed her hand tight. "But he has the video, Keira! He has a full recording showing me with him because of that drug.." I shook my head in total ruin. "..How am I going to prove to Alexander that I wasn’t in my right mind? How can his mind accept those images without breaking his heart?!"

Keira squeezed my hands tightly, her eyes lighting up with sudden clarity as she leaned in closer:

"The drug!" She said firmly, tapping her finger against my wrist. "That’s our way out, Stephanie.. We need to go to the hospital right now to get a full blood panel and document the presence of that drug in your system." She squeezed my hands again, a fierce hope in her voice. "If we get an official medical report proving you were drugged, his entire blackmail falls apart, and that video becomes evidence against *him* for assault!"

My eyes widened slightly, a faint flicker of hope cutting through the crushing darkness. I stared at her, my breath catching in my dry throat as I sat up straight:

"Do you..." I stuttered, searching her determined expression. "...do you really think a report like that could save me with Alexander?"

Keira nodded firmly, jumping up from the sofa in one swift motion and grabbing my bag off the coffee table:

"Yes!" She pulled me up by my hands, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Alexander loves you, Stephanie. When he sees an official medical document proving you were drugged and blackmailed, he’ll tear Vincetti apart instead of doubting you.." She shoved my bag into my arms and grabbed her coat. "..Come on, get up! We don’t have a second to waste before that drug clears out of your system!"