I Need To Make It Out Of Hell Alive

CHAPTER TEN

Unraveling the Truth

Elsa’s steps felt heavier as she moved towards the dining table. Suddenly, everything in the room felt alien and menacing. The maids, usually kind and attentive, now appeared like silent monsters waiting to strike at any moment. The food that had once looked inviting now resembled worms and slithering, poisonous creatures. The whole room felt like a trap. Elsa’s heart began to race, her breath shallow, her chest tightening as if something invisible was choking her. It felt like the world was closing in.

“She’s having a panic attack,” someone whispered, but the words barely registered in her mind.

The maids rushed to her, their movements frantic, as Elsa struggled to catch her breath. Her hands clutched at the table for support, but her vision blurred, and soon, everything faded to black.

When Elsa opened her eyes again, the familiar sights of her bedroom greeted her. But everything felt off. The air was too thick, too heavy, and the bed beneath her felt more like a prison than a sanctuary. Her head throbbed, and her limbs felt like lead. There was a strange emptiness inside her, and an unsettling feeling gnawed at her gut.

She wished she hadn’t woken up. The darkness of her mind seemed to have followed her into the waking world, and now, everything felt unfamiliar, including the man lying beside her.

Liam. Her husband.

Why is he doing this? She couldn’t understand. What was his true intention? He looked at her with that same cold, distant gaze as if he were a stranger, not her husband. Elsa’s thoughts spun wildly, her trust in him shattered, every glance from him now feeling like a betrayal.

“I’m going to the police station today to find out what they know about my parents’ death,” Elsa said, her voice shaky as she pushed herself up from the bed, struggling to maintain her balance.

Liam didn’t move. His voice was calm, too calm. “You don’t have to. You’re too weak right now. Just take care of yourself. I’ll handle everything involving your parents’ death.”

Elsa looked him in the eyes, searching for any flicker of sincerity, but all she saw was a man who had mastered the art of deception. His words didn’t reassure her. They only deepened the pit of doubt in her stomach. There was something wrong. Something she couldn’t yet grasp, but she could feel it, crawling beneath the surface.

She slowly removed his hand from her arm and walked away, determined not to let him manipulate her again. She didn’t trust him. Not anymore.

“I’ll go alone,” she muttered, her voice cold as she stepped toward her dressing room.

In her mind, the decision was already made. She was going to find out the truth about her parents' deaths, no matter the cost. She needed to escape this gilded cage that Liam had built for her, this house that had once felt like home but now felt like a prison.

The moment Elsa opened the door to leave the room, she was met with the cold, unyielding figure of Mr. Carter. His presence was like a wall, blocking her path. Her heart pounded in her chest as she looked back at Liam, silently pleading for him to let her go.

Liam met her gaze for a moment, then slowly shook his head. With a barely perceptible nod, he commanded Mr. Carter to allow her to leave.

Elsa didn’t waste any time. She stepped past Mr. Carter, her pace quickening as she fled the house. She felt like a prisoner finally escaping. For the first time in what felt like forever, she breathed in fresh air, as if she had been freed from some invisible weight that had been pressing on her chest.

But she wasn’t truly free. Two cars followed her as she drove, their presence like a shadow over her every move. Liam’s bodyguards, no doubt. They were always watching, always waiting. But Elsa wasn’t concerned. She wasn’t going to let them stop her from finding the truth.

The drive to the police station felt like an eternity. Every minute stretched on, her anxiety creeping up with each passing moment. But she couldn’t turn back. Not now.

When she arrived at the station, she wasted no time. She walked straight up to the officers handling her case, recognizing them from the day her parents had died. One of them had spoken to Liam outside the hospital, and the memory made her stomach churn.

“How is the investigation into the Johnsons death?” Elsa asked, her voice steady but cold.

The officers seemed to recognize her immediately, their faces shifting into expressions of careful politeness. “Hello, ma’am,” they greeted her, their voices filled with respect. Elsa hadn’t felt this kind of treatment in a long time—almost like the respect came not because of who she was, but because of who she was married to. The wealth and power of Liam Forbes seemed to cast a long shadow.

“Ma’am, about the case,” the officer continued, glancing down at his notes, “it’s been closed. It was ruled as a fire accident, caused by an unexpected smoking incident. The report states that your father was smoking while driving, which led to the fire.”

Elsa froze, the words ringing in her ears, but they didn’t make sense. Her father had a lung disease. He couldn’t have been smoking. No. That wasn’t possible.

“No,” Elsa said sharply, her voice trembling with disbelief. “That can’t be true. My dad doesn’t smoke. There had to be another cause for the fire. You’re lying.”

The officer’s face softened, but there was no doubt in his eyes. “Ma’am, drugs were found in his system after the autopsy. There’s a high possibility he was driving under the influence of something. The case has been closed. It was ruled an accident.”

Elsa’s heart slammed in her chest. The walls around her seemed to close in as the weight of their words sank in. This wasn’t right. They were covering something up. She knew it in her bones. There was no way her father, the man she had known her whole life, would have done something so reckless.

Her head spun, the room blurring around her. The officer continued speaking, but the words were muffled, distant.

Drugs? Her father under the influence? It didn’t add up.

The lie was so clear, so well-crafted, and yet it felt like the truth was slipping further from her grasp. They were hiding something, and Elsa wasn’t going to stop until she uncovered what it was. She had to keep digging. There was no other choice.

With every fiber of her being, she knew she was closer to the truth. And she wasn’t about to let Liam—or anyone—stop her.