[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-bound-to-my-enemy":3,"chapter-bound-to-my-enemy-bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-266":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Bound to my Enemy",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":12,"novelImage":21},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1599938,2067,"Chapter 266.","bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-266",266,"\u003Cp>\"No,\" Noah says immediately. \"No fucking way.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s him,\" I say quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both brothers look toward me instantly and I can physically see the moment it sinks in for them that this is real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elaine is actually gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noah runs a hand harshly over his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A few hours ago.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A FEW HOURS!?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice explodes through the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I honestly can’t blame him because every passing second feels unbearable right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How the fuck does someone kidnap her from a heavily guarded house?!\" Caleb snaps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I laugh bitterly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because the man in charge of guarding her was the one who took her.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That shuts everybody up immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noah’s expression darkens slowly, murderously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He touched my sister?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thr quietness in his voice is somehow more threatening than the shouting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas descends the stairs again slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We think he’s been behind everything.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The attacks?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The poisoning?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Aaron?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every answer seems to make Noah angrier, his hands curl into fists at his sides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Caleb looks equally furious now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No,\" he mutters almost to himself. \"No no no.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then suddenly he looks at me sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She’s pregnant.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words hit the room heavily and I close my eyes briefly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Caleb swears violently under his breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noah punches the wall so hard beside him the sound echoes loudly through the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nobody even reacts to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tell me you have a location,\" Noah says tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not yet.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That answer clearly takes the last thread of restraint holding him together as he starts pacing aggressively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m going to fucking kill him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You will need to get in line firs t,\" I mutter darkly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room falls quiet again after that and for the first time since realizing Elaine was gone...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don’t feel alone in my panic anymore, because now all of us are furious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And God help Thomas when we find him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elaine’s POV\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thomas stands there breathing heavily after shouting. The room feels painfully tense now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t care!\" he snaps again, eyes burning with years worth of anger. \"Someone has to pay!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stare at him quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for the first time since waking up here...i don’t just see a villain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I see someone broken beyond repair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re hurting innocent people,\" I say softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something flickers across his face then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guilt maybe, regret or Pain but it disappears almost immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You don’t understand,\" he mutters roughly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then explain it to me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I can’t.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice cracks slightly there, just enough to hear it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then suddenly he laughs bitterly and drags both hands through his hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fuck.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The word comes out broken and exhausted, like even he’s tired of himself now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a second he just stands there breathing hard before turning sharply toward the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thomas...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he’s already walking away... a second later the metal door slams loudly behind him hard enough to rattle the walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heavy Silence fills the room afterward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I exhale shakily and lean back against the chair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fuck.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aria glances toward me cautiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I look at her completely serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why do I always get kidnapped?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That catches her off guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Seriously,\" I continue tiredly. \"Do I look like kidnapping material?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To my surprise, a tiny laugh escapes her. Honestly the sound almost feels strange in this room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then suddenly dizziness crashes into me out of nowhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh shit.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I squeeze my eyes shut immediately as nausea rolls through me violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The baby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh God.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I bend forward abruptly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m gonna throw up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aria immediately moves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you need?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Something,\" I choke out desperately. \"Please hold up something I don’t wanna throw up on myself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She scrambles around the room quickly before grabbing an old plastic container from near the mattress. Then she rushes back toward me holding it carefully beneath me just in time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I throw up almost immediately, the nausea hitting hard and fast. Tears sting my eyes from how forcefully it happens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh my God,\" I groan weakly afterward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aria still kneels beside me holding the container awkwardly, concern filling her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You okay?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No,\" I whisper honestly. \"Pregnancy is a scam.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That earns another startled laugh from her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I breathe slowly trying to settle the nausea while she carefully sets the container aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you,\" I mutter weakly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She nods softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then for a second we just sit there quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And suddenly...something shifts. The nervous timid energy she had earlier slowly disappears. Her posture straightens slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I notice it immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re not scared of him,\" I say slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aria looks at me for a long second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then finally sighs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice sounds calmer now and smarter somehow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But not as much as I pretend to be.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She leans back against the wall quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I act naive because it keeps him calm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My brows pull together instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you mean?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes lower briefly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I tried escaping twice.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Twice?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She nods once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The consequences weren’t very pretty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something cold settles in my chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What did he do?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hesitates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then quietly says:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He stopped.....I don’t wanna talk about it. But after that he watched me constantly afterward,\" she continues softly. \"Wouldn’t let me out of his sight for weeks.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jesus Christ.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So now,\" she says carefully, \"I act obedient, quiet and grateful.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Understanding slowly dawns on me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re waiting.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes meet mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holy shit. This girl is far smarter than I initially thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then suddenly she kneels carefully in front of me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her movements are cautious and gentle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>before I can react, she slowly places her hand against my stomach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes widen slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is this really my brother’s child?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The softness in her voice catches me off guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nod slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something emotional flashes across her face instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wonder maybe, greif too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then quietly she asks:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why didn’t he ever look for me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The question breaks my heart immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He just abandoned me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No,\" I say instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your brother would never abandon you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aria looks uncertain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He carried the guilt of your death for years,\" I continue softly. \"If he knew you were alive, he would’ve searched the ends of the earth for you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My throat tightens slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Both of them would’ve.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Both?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Zane and Lucas.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Lucas’s name something flickers across her expression immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lucas...\" she whispers softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then after a pause:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did he move on?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tilt my head slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your brother,\" she clarifies quietly. \"Is he married too?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A small smile pulls at my lips despite everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes widen slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He didn’t marry,\" I continue softly. \"Honestly? I don’t even think he dated.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That clearly surprises her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ve never seen him with anybody,\" I admit. \"Almost like...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smile gently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He was waiting for you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aria looks shattered by that information, her eyes immediately gloss over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then suddenly she grabs my tied hands tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We need to get out of here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The urgency in her voice startles me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We have to.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For my niece.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I snort softly despite myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh don’t look at me like that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She raises a brow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m pretty sure it’s a girl.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That actually makes me laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A real laugh this time and surprisingly...Aria laughs too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For one brief second, trapped inside this horrible place, everything almost feels normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>ZANE’S POV\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The house feels like a war room now with phones ringing constantly, security footage playing across multiple screens and people moving everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas’s men, Mine, even Noah and Caleb are involved now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noah sits aggressively hunched over one laptop tracking routes while Caleb argues with one of the security analysts nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everybody looks tense, focused and angry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And me? I feel like I’m slowly losing my fucking mind. Every passing minute without Elaine feels unbearable. I pace near the massive window gripping my phone so tightly my hand aches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then suddenly it rings and every person in the room immediately looks up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I answer instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We tracked one of the vehicles Thomas used earlier today.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My entire body stills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s brief rustling. Then the man gives me the location and immediately confusion crashes through me because I know that place too well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I slowly lower the phone afterward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas notices instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I look toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t understand why he’d go there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I swallow once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There was an accident there years ago.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room quiets immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And softly I add:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thomas’s mother died there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noah looks up sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I rub a hand over my face tiredly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The site caught fire.....his mom burned to death there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas’s expression darkens slowly as realization starts settling in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He went back there,\" he mutters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Looks like it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noah rises instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then what the fuck are we waiting for?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It might be a Trap,\" I say immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everybody looks toward me as I shake my head slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thomas is smart.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too smart, he planned this for years, manipulated all of us for years. Which means he absolutely expects us to come for Elaine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He’ll be prepared,\" I continue carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas nods slowly beside me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So we go smarter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I glance toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something dangerous settles across his expression then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas grabs a gun from the table nearby and checks it calmly before looking at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He won’t even know what hit him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1548,"2026-06-06T09:39:37.420Z",1,"novelbin.me","be0b0538ebca752bd2befe129a458f59e913405c4d41bf153449d475136765c0","bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-1","bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-265","https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbound-to-my-enemy-cover.jpg"]