Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 257

With that, she turned and walked toward the door, slamming the iron gate shut behind her.

"Stella!" Willa screamed until her throat was raw, but her strength was rapidly draining away.

She curled up in the freezing corner, her body already drenched in a cold sweat.

The zip ties around her wrists were digging in so tightly that her fingertips were growing numb. She tried to flex her fingers and found she could still move them slightly.

The sharp, stabbing pain in her stomach gradually eased, settling into a dull, heavy ache that refused to go away.

She placed her hands on her stomach and waited in silence for a moment. The baby gave a soft flutter, as if trying to tell her: *Mom, I'm still here.*

Tears instantly welled up in her eyes, and she couldn't stop herself from crying softly.

Down in that basement, she couldn't track the passage of time, couldn't even tell if it was day or night.

She drifted in and out of sleep.

After what felt like an eternity, the iron door swung open again.

Willa opened her eyes to see Stella walking in, carrying a plastic bag.

Pulling a pair of scissors from the plastic bag, she crouched down and snipped the zip ties around Willa's wrists.

The plastic bands had left two deep, angry red indentations on her wrists, tearing the skin and drawing blood.

Willa tried to roll her wrists, flinching at the sharp sting.

"Eat." Stella pulled out some bread and shoved a bottle of water in front of her, her tone icy and hard. "If you starve to death, it's just going to cause me more trouble."

Stella's outburst practically admitted that there was someone else behind this.

Willa seized the moment, pushing harder. "Who is it? What did they offer you to make you take such a massive risk to kidnap me? Does it have to do with Vanguard Properties?"

"Shut up! Shut your mouth!" Stella snapped like a rabid dog. She lunged forward, letting out a vicious, guttural snarl. "Stop trying to pry information out of me. Let me tell you something—I just can't stand the sight of you. I hate you for making Randal destroy my family."

"Your dad is a murderer, your mom threw you away. You're nothing but an unwanted bastard. So why the hell are you so lucky? How did you manage to hook Randal and get everything you ever wanted?"

"I'm younger than you. I know how to please men better than you, but he won't even look at me."

Stella dug her fingernails forcefully into Willa's face, her tone dripping with venom. "Is it because of this face? If I carve it up, do you think he'll still want you?"

Willa frantically jerked her head away, but the nails still dragged violently from her cheekbone to her ear, leaving a burning, stinging trail of pain.