Please! Help me Logan!

Tyler’s chin rested on Jean’s shoulder, his breath warm against her ear as his arms stayed locked around her waist. Jean’s tears slipped silently down her cheeks, each one carrying despair, fear and an unspoken plea for Logan.

But to Tyler, those tears meant something else entirely.

He tilted his head, catching the glimmer of wetness on her lashes, and a satisfied smile curved on his lips. "See? You’re already starting to feel it," he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. "You’re realizing that no one will ever love you the way I do."

Jean stiffened, her heart sinking lower than the ocean waves she once thought would be her grave. He thought her tears were for him.

"Don’t fight it, darling," he continued, his voice tender yet terrifying. "This... us... it’s destiny. Soon you’ll thank me for saving you from that fake world. From him."

Jean’s nails dug into her palms, every muscle in her body screaming to break free but she stayed still, biting back the sob that threatened to escape. The more she showed resistance, the more he’d tighten his grip.

Her tears weren’t for Tyler.

They were for Logan.

For the life stolen from her. For the fragile hope that somewhere, somehow, he was searching, refusing to accept that she was gone.

Tyler brushed another kiss against her head, whispering like a vow, "This is just the beginning of our forever."

Jean’s silent answer echoed inside her chest, cold and defiant.

No, Tyler. I won’t give up. This is the beginning of your end.

Jean swallowed the bitter taste of defeat, her tears drying on her cheeks. Fighting him head-on had gotten her drugged, caged and dragged to God knows where.

If she wanted to survive... if she wanted even a slim chance of seeing Logan again... she had to be smart.

Her body trembled as Tyler held her but this time she didn’t push him away. Slowly, carefully, she let her shoulders slacken against his chest.

Tyler noticed immediately. His smile widened. "That’s it... I knew you’d understand one day."

Jean forced herself to nod faintly, keeping her voice quiet, fragile. "If we’re... really starting a new life, Tyler... shouldn’t you at least tell me where we are?" She tilted her head slightly, letting her tone carry a false softness. "I feel so... lost."

His grip tightened possessively, as though proud she had asked. "Lost?" He chuckled, brushing her hair aside to kiss her neck. "Darling, you’re found now. With me."

Jean clenched her jaw but let out a shaky laugh, making it sound nervous rather than bitter. "Still... I want to know. If I’m really going to be yours, shouldn’t I know where my new home is?" 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Tyler’s eyes gleamed. He wanted her trust. He wanted her dependence and now, for the first time, she was giving it to him.

Or at least, in her case... pretending to.

"Fine," he said finally, his voice rich with pride. "We’re far away from anyone who could take you from me. This is the coast of Greece, Jean. No one here knows your name. To the world, you’re gone but to me... you’re everything."

Jean’s stomach twisted but she forced herself to smile faintly, even leaning back into him as though she were comforted by the news. Inside, however, her mind was racing.

Greece. That means ports, flights, connections. He can’t keep me hidden forever.

Tyler kissed her hair, murmuring sweet promises that made her skin crawl but beneath the act, Jean began building her plan... step by step. If he trusted her enough, he’d get careless and when he did, she’d find a way to reach Logan.

Because if there was one truth Jean clung to, it was... Logan wasn’t giving up on her.

Not now. Not ever.

Tyler’s arms were still wrapped around her waist when he whispered against her ear, voice dripping with satisfaction.

"In four days, Jean... everything will be ready. My men are preparing the island just for you... our home, our paradise. Once we leave for it, no one will ever find us again. Not Logan. Not your family. No one."

Jean froze, her blood running cold.

Four days.

That was all the time she had.

Her mind screamed at her to fight, to claw at his face, to scream until her voice shattered but she forced herself to stay still. To keep pretending.

She slowly turned her head toward him, her lips curling into something that looked like a smile, though her insides were burning. "Four days... that sounds like a dream." Her voice came out softer than she expected, trembling with forced sweetness.

Tyler’s eyes lit up, completely fooled.

He kissed her cheek, lingering, possessive. "See? You’re starting to understand, darling. You’ll thank me when we’re on the island, when you see what I’ve built for us. You’ll never want to leave me again."

Never want to leave you again? Jean’s stomach twisted violently, but she masked it with a small nod, lowering her lashes to hide the fire in her eyes.

Inside, her thoughts spun like wildfire.

Four days.

That’s all I’ve got. If I can’t get away before then, Logan will never find me. No one will. Once I’m dragged to that island, I’ll disappear forever.

Her chest tightened painfully but she couldn’t afford despair now. She had to be patient. Calculating. Tyler thought she was bending to him... good. She’d let him believe it.

Because somewhere in the back of her heart, she knew... Logan was searching. He wouldn’t stop until he found her.

She just had to survive these four days... and find her opening.

________________________

Logan sat on the edge of his bed, head buried in his hands. The weight on his chest was crushing, suffocating.

Last night he had cried until his eyes burned, until Martha sat beside him with her hand on his shoulder, whispering soft words that barely reached his ears. "Calm down Logan."

Jean was gone. At least that’s what everyone believed.

But he couldn’t accept the other thought coming into his mind. His gut screamed otherwise. What if she wanted to disappear from me?

Jean wasn’t the kind of woman who would vanish quietly into the night. If she had left him, there would have been a note, a goodbye, something. Not an empty bed and a car missing from the garage.

Logan lifted his head, jaw tightening. "She’s not dead." His voice cracked, but it was laced with a dangerous conviction. "She’s not. I’d feel it if she was."