His Hope [Zayn][Completed]

Chapter 24-The fool

It all made perfect sense now.

Hope stands, numb, her hands still fisted with the photos still in her hands.

Jane had never revealed what she learned no matter how much Hope pressed her for the truth. She had always claimed it was for her best interest. The less she knew, the less she had to worry and dwell on.

Jane was working as a waitress to provide for them, giving up her life as a dedicated nurse. Living in a ratty one-bedroom apartment with one bed and a table with two chairs as their only furniture. Jane had planned to move locations to stay under the radar.

But they never had the opportunity. She lost Jane. It was no random accident. They had found her and killed her while trying to reach her.

She did not know if Jane felt like she was being watched or sensed the end of her life was nearing but Hope clearly recalled Jane warning her if anything ever happened to her she needed to run and hide out of sight no matter what.

The last words she said: Do not let them find you.

Jane's words gave her chills that day and even more so now as she remembered, every little hair on her body stood on end as though an impending doom was descending up on her.

The blood in her face drains as the photos in her hands slip past her fingers, floating to the floor at her feet.

What had been missing for so long was the truth.

But the truth always had a way of surfacing.

She was warning her about Jack and Colin.

How could she have overlooked such an important discovery?

She was scared and vulnerable and they fed off of that. She was a desperate fool and they played their parts like award winning actors.

Jack was the assigned doctor who reconstructed her face. He recreated Colin's wife. They used her as a replacement without her consent. They stole her life. Dictated her choices. They reversed her looks. Took advantage of her condition.

With papers scattered everywhere, she went through each report searching for the time she was found. There had to be more information about her old self she could learn. But first, she had to do something.

Fumbling with her phone with shaking hands, Hope barely managed to do what she needed to do. At one point she thought she heard a sound outside the door but as soon as she paused it was no longer there. With no other choice, hurriedly she began gathering and stacking the documents back in the safe.

All she could concentrate on was the sound of her heartbeat pounding like a sledgehammer in her chest. She needed to get out of there fast before she was found. Next on her agenda was gathering whatever she could carry and run far far away from the manor, from Colin and Jack.

She shoved as much as she could with trembling hands and grabbed another stack until the sounds of rustling in the hallway outside the room stopped Hope.

This time she was not imagining it.

Her fingers shuffling through the papers froze.

"I see you've uncovered the truth."

Hope jumped in fright and a little scream slipped past her lips. She was gasping for breath, clutching her blouse as if it would keep her anchored. Her chest heaved with every ragged breath she took.

"I found you on the verge of death."

Colin stood beneath the threshold of his study appearing calm and in control. His eyes went from her face to the safe to the documents in her hand.