My head is pounding, my tongue is sticking to the roof of my mouth, my throat is dry as hell, my body aches, and it's like my eyelids are filled with lead.

All in all I feel like shit. This is like a hangover on steroids.

It takes me several attempts to peel my eyes open. It takes me even longer to push myself into a sitting position, and I'm finally able to do so using my elbows for support. My brain is foggy as I try to piece together what happened. Slowly everything comes back to me. Basically getting expelled from Yale because of a fake sex allegation. Gabriel being behind it. Meeting him at the park to confront him.

Him drugging me.

Oh my God. My ex fucking drugged me.

I'm hit with a rush of adrenaline and shoot up. Never in my nineteen years on earth did I think Gabriel Warren would drug and kidnap me. The more I think about it, the more it sounds like a really bad mafia novel. I take note of my surroundings. I'm on a small twin bed—thankfully still fully clothed minus my shoes. It looks like I'm in a basement, if the moldy smell and freezing air are any indication. The walls and floor are an ugly brown concrete.

Where the hell am I?

I get up, and a wave of nausea so strong it nearly brings me to my knees passes through me. I spot a trash can and grab it, hurling inside. Once I'm finished I set it back down and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. I don't know what the hell Gabriel gave me, but my body is rejecting it. My emotions are all over the place. I'm furious, scared, confused, downright shocked at this turn of events. I pat myself down and realize that asshole took my cell phone. I have no idea what time it is or how long I've been out.

Suddenly the door opens and footsteps come down the steps. Gabriel appears, dressed in new clothing from when I last saw him. "Hey," he says. "How are you feeling?"

I stare at him. "How am I feeling? HOW AM I FEELING?! You drugged and kidnapped me you psychotic piece of shit!"

Gabriel has the nerve to look ashamed and rubs the back of his neck. "I know...it wasn't part of the plan. Well not the original plan anyway."

I scoff in disbelief. "The plan? Why don't you tell me what the fucking plan is then genius?! Do you think you're going to get away with this!?"

He levels me with a serious look. "The plan was to get you expelled from Yale, and from there you'd agree to break up with Winston when I threatened to ruin your future at other colleges as well. Since that didn't work, here we are."

I laugh. "So now what huh? Why are you doing this!"

"Don't you get it!" Gabriel shouts. "This was never about you!" He takes a deep breath. "I know you won't believe it, but I love you. Yes I made a mistake, but I have always loved only you!"

"I don't care!" I scream and throw my arms up. "You think I give a fuck how you feel after everything you put me through? Forget the cheating, what about all the stuff with your dad and after huh? Then you kidnap me! You don't love me, you're obsessed with me and there's a difference!"

Gabriel shakes his head sadly. "Believe what you want. It doesn't matter anyway. You were just a means to an end."

I cross my arms. "What are you talking about?"

"I was never after you. You were just collateral damage. My real target was Winston all along. I realize now the only way to hurt him, is to hurt you. He took everything from me-"

"Just listen to yourself!" I interrupt him. "You're so busy blaming others for everything wrong in your life, you fail to realize that you're the main cause of your own destruction! But I guess it runs in the family huh?"

Gabriel glares at me. "Fuck you."

"Yeah, right back at you. Now let me out of here or I swear I'll-"

"You'll what?" He sneers. "Go run to your precious boyfriend?"

"Try calling the police," I start to tick off my fingers. "Let's see, you're looking at a minimum of twenty-five years at least, and that's if you're lucky. Combined with drugging me, holding me hostage against my will, blackmailing, and falsifying documents, you're gonna be spending the rest of your life wasting away in a prison cell."

"Only if I get caught," he laughs. "And I plan to be long gone after I've finished what I need to do."

"Which is?"

"You'll see," he winks and turns around, heading back up the stairs. The door slams shut as I race up the steps.

"Let me out of here!" I bang on the door. My body is still weak from whatever drug Gabriel gave me so it isn't long before I run out of strength and slide down against the door.

How the fuck am I supposed to get out of this?

...

I'm not sure how much time passes. Days maybe. Weeks. It feels like forever. All I know is I'm tired, hungry, and I'm losing brain power and hope every second. All my attempts to escape are useless. I have no idea where Gabriel has taken me but this place is practically escape proof. There are no windows, no vents, nothing. It's hot as fuck and I'm sweating buckets.

To combat my boredom I come up with all the ways I'm going to literally kill Gabriel for this once I get my hands on him. This train of thought starts to form into a plan. Yes. The next time Gabriel comes down here I'll rush him and then escape. All I have to do is get outside and then I can get help.

Except Gabriel never comes back down. I pound on the door, yell, scream, try to appeal to whatever twisted side of him says he loves me to let me out. But he doesn't answer, and I begin to think the new plan is to let me slowly die down here. Maybe it's the lack of oxygen and I'm just delirious, but for some reason I make peace with that. I mean compared to most people, I've lived a pretty fulfilled life. Sure I didn't get to accomplish everything I wanted to, but I had a loving family. Great friends, a good education.

I met the love of my life.

Thinking of Winston makes tears prick at my eyes. If I'm going to die, I want to see him one last time. As my eyes slowly flutter close, my last coherent thought is I love you.

Then I die. I think.

It certainly feels like I'm dead as the door bursts open and the sound of footsteps pound down the steps.

"Ohmygosh Kennedy!"

Someone picks me and and shakes me. I can barely open my eyes, but I try anyway.

"Winston?" I croak out. "Is this heaven?"

He brushes my hair aside. "No love, it's not." He looks and sounds like a wreck. I've never seen him look so disheveled and distraught in my life. He kisses my forehead and crushes me to him, as if I might disappear at any moment. I want to hug him back but I'm too weak.

"We need to get out of here and call the police," another voice says and it takes me a moment to realize it's Danny. That's when I realize Vienna is rubbing my back, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm so glad you're okay," her voice cracks. Cecilia is here too. I have no idea what's going on but I'm able to piece together I'm not dead yet and I'm being rescued. Hope fills my chest, then deflates like a balloon when yet another voice joins the conversation.

"Not so fast. Nobody is leaving."

Winston helps me to stand and I lean against him heavily for support as Gabriel descends the steps, gun in hand. If the situation wasn't so dire I might've laughed. Seriously? We're being held at gunpoint again?

"You've got to be kidding me," Cecilia mutters under her breath.

"I'm glad everyone could make it," he starts. Winston glares at him.

"What the fuck do you want?"

Gabriel smiles. "Simple. Your head on a platter."

"Dude, this is starting to feel a little too movie villanish, even for me," Danny says.

Vienna is seething. "You're not going to get away with this!"

"But I already have," Gabriel shrugs. "Look, you guys are making this way too complicated. I never wanted to hurt Kennedy-"

"And yet you did," Cecilia cuts in, arms crossed.

"Would you let me finish?" Gabriel snaps. "Anyway like I said, I never wanted to hurt Kennedy. I just wanted payback for what was done to me."

"Are you fucking serious!" Winston yells. "So you drug and kidnap Kennedy as what, some sort of sick revenge?"

Suddenly Gabriel aims and shoots at Cecilia's leg. She screams as she goes down and it turns to chaos from there. Everyone rushes to help her, myself included, and Gabriel uses the opportunity to grab me. I yell and try to fight him off, but my body is still weak.

"Now you guys see I'm not fucking around!" Gabriel yells as I struggle futilely in his arms. Cecilia is on the ground now, sobbing as Winston rips off his shirt and uses it to try and stop the bleeding. I feel like I might be sick. This is all one horrible nightmare.

"What the fuck is wrong with you!" Vienna shouts.

Everyone including me freezes when he places the cold barrel of the gun against my head. "You're my problem. Now, Winston comes with me or I blow her brains out."

My body has gone into shock. I can't move, I can't even breathe. Winston slowly stands, holding up his arms in surrender.

"Okay," he says carefully. On the outside he looks calm, but I see his hands shaking. "Okay, I'll come with you. Just please let her go."

I whimper. "Winston no."

He gives me a reassuring smiles. "It's okay love."

"Why are you doing this to us?" Cecilia cries while Danny is applying pressure to the wound. She's still conscious so that must be a good sign. I look at Vienna, who's staring at me with wide eyes. But something is off.

That's when I notice her slowly pulling her phone out from her back pocket.

My heartbeat quickens and I look away, but my mind is already racing. We need to distract Gabriel long enough for Vienna to call the police. If the situation were more ideal I'd try to clue everyone in, but Gabriel is obviously unhinged at this point. If he catches on we're all dead.

So in one last ditch effort to save us all I lie.

"Gabriel please," I beg. "Please don't do this. I'm...I'm pregnant!"

Gabriel falters. "What?"

It's too late to turn back now so I plunge forward. "Please," tears stream down my face. "I know you're angry, but you of all people should know what it's like for a child to lose their father. Please don't take my child's away."

Winston stares at me in complete shock and Cecilia's mouth falls open. I think only Vienna realizes what I'm doing as she quietly dials 911. She gives me a subtle nod and I continue.

"I don't know why you're doing this Gabriel. Why you're holding us all at gunpoint in this unknown location. But if you ever loved me at all," I meet his eyes. "Just let me go."

Despite everything, my heart breaks a little for Gabriel at the pain in his eyes. Slowly he lets me go and from there everything moves in slow motion.

I rush into Winstons arms and turn around just as Gabriel lifts the gun.

My eyes widen and my mouth opens.

Someone screams. I think it's me.

The gun goes off.

I'm in shock, my body numb as I stare at Gabriel's lifeless body, a small puddle of blood forming around him.

...

Sorry for the cliffhanger 🙈

Love, G❤️