CHAPTER 7: LETTING HER GO
Crystal's POV
"What the fuck just happened in there?" I growled, slamming the clinic door behind me. "Why did she pass out the moment she saw you?"
Christopher turned slowly, his face unreadable.
"And what exactly are you implying?" he asked coolly. "That I had something to do with her kidnapping?"
I stepped closer, my voice low and dangerous.
"Exactly that. Because tell me why a woman who has never met you in her life would faint just from seeing your face."
For the first time, I saw it.
Fear.
Just a flicker — but it was there.
"How am I supposed to know?" he snapped. "I'm seeing her for the first time too."
Liar.
Every instinct in me screamed it.
I pulled out my phone.
"Bring two men. Now."
Christopher's eyes widened. "Crystal, you can't do this without proof. If anything happens to me, you'll answer to the panel."
"As if that scares me," I replied coldly.
Two of my men arrived and grabbed him.
"Take him to the dungeon," I ordered.
"You're making a mistake!" he shouted as they dragged him away.
Maybe.
But I couldn't ignore my gut.
Not when Bella was involved.
I went back inside her room.
She looked small in the hospital bed.
Fragile.
Broken.
My chest tightened.
"I'm sorry, Bella," I whispered from the doorway.
"As if," Christian muttered beside me.
I turned slowly. "You say something?"
He didn't back down.
"Yes. I did."
He stepped forward, his eyes burning.
"If you hadn't kidnapped her in the first place, none of this would have happened. She wouldn't have been taken. She wouldn't have been starved. She wouldn't have been hurt."
Every word hit like a bullet.
"She was violated, Crystal," he continued, his voice shaking. "On her first time. Because of us. Because of you."
I clenched my fists.
"And the bastard who did it sent us proof," Christian added bitterly. "Letters. Videos. Just to show us what he did to her."
My stomach turned.
"You think saying sorry fixes that?" he asked. "No. What she needs now is freedom. Safety. A chance to live without being hunted."
Silence filled the room.
For the first time in my life…
I felt like a failure.
I failed to protect her.
The only woman who ever made me feel human.
"Then I'll let her go," I said quietly.
Christian froze.
"I'll let her go," I repeated. "Because loving her means not destroying her."
Christian's POV
Letting her go felt worse than dying.
But keeping her would be worse.
With us, danger followed.
With us, blood followed.
I slammed my fist against the table.
"Fuck," I whispered.
I didn't want to imagine her with another man.
With another life.
Without us.
But if it meant she would be safe…
Then I would disappear from her world.
Even if it killed me.
Bella's POV
Why does death keep rejecting me?
I opened my eyes slowly, expecting pain.
Instead, I saw Marvin.
My best friend.
"OMG, you're awake!" he shouted. "Bella, where have you been? You just showed up at my doorstep with a box!"
My heart stopped.
"My doorstep?" I whispered. "Where are Crystal and Christian?"
Marvin looked confused.
"There was a letter too," he said softly. "I didn't read it. I swear."
My hands shook as I took the envelope.
I opened it.
My Princess,
By the time you read this, you will be far from us.
We are sorry for everything that happened. This was never the plan.
We love you. That's why we are letting you go.
In the box, you'll find everything you need to start fresh:
An unlimited black card in your name, Documents to several estates, Funds for your education and future, A therapist appointment already booked
Go to school.
Become the surgeon you've always dreamed of being.
Build a life. A family. A future.
You will always have a place in our hearts.
But you are safer without us.
Loving you from afar,
Stay strong, Sweetness.
— C. C. Abaddon
Tears streamed down my face.
They thought this would protect me.
They thought leaving me would save me.
Cowards.
They ran when I needed them most.
They think they set me free…
But they don't know.
They just created something dangerous.
They didn't protect me.
They awakened me.