Panic settles over me as I look around the empty house and Hope. I don't know how I'm gonna get out of this, I'm so close to my house but I feel so far from them, would they consider looking next door for me? Probably not. Maybe I can slip out a window or something, she doesn't have a gun so as long as I keep her far enough away she can't hurt me. She's opening and slamming empty drawers in the kitchen.

"Where is it?" she mutters to herself. I use her distracted state to inch closer to the front door, inch by inch I get closer and closer. Suddenly her head snaps up and she rushes toward me grabbing my wrist. She found whatever she was looking for. Glancing down at her hand not pointing the knife at me I see zip ties. Shit. She drags me over to the staircase and zip ties my hands to the iron spindles in the railing. Ok so I won't be slipping out the front door, next plan. What's the next plan?!

"Give me your phone," Hope demands. Unfortunately it was in my pocket (this amazing dress has pockets!) and she fished it out since my hands were tied up.

"I don't see how I can help you. Hope, if you leave now you could get a head start and just start over somewhere won't say where you went you don't have to tell me." I tried reasoning with her.

"Shut up Larkin, I wouldn't make it very far with no money and people looking for me. No. You're going to book a private jet to take us to Greece."

"Greece? Why Greece?"

"Because it's far and we have no connections to it, nobody will think to look for me there. You ruined this life for me so you're going to be the one to help me start over." She says as she's flipping through my phone, eyes glued to the screen.

"Here, I'm going to put it on speaker and you're going to book the plane, then we are calling a car and getting out of here." She presses some more buttons and shoves the phone in my face as it starts to ring.

"Hope I don't have the money on me, it's in a trust it takes time to move it before I can use it."

"Oh Larkin, did you forget that my husband had trusts set up as well and I know how they work? You can wire the money directly to the company," she tells me smugly. The next second a voice answers on the other end of the phone asking how they can help me.

“I need to charter a private jet to Greece please, yes Santorini." I will go along with her plan for now. After I give my name and information Hope hangs up and starts looking for something else on my phone. I can hear Chris and the rest of the party calling for me outside. A tear falls down my cheek. Everything in my body is yearning to be back with them.

"Why don't you go now to the airport, just leave me tied up here they won't find me until tomorrow probably," I pleaded to her.

"No, I need you as my cover to get there, we’re both going to Greece." She tells me.

"Am I coming back from Greece?" I ask her with my heart thundering in my chest. She doesn't answer me, just continues to search through my phone. I can hear Chris close to the house now screaming for me, I start to cry harder, could I just scream for him? Could he get in here fast?

"The uber is on its way," she says, pocketing my phone.

"Hope please, this won't just hurt me think about the boys! The baby! They all need me here, they're still they're too young." I'm now begging her, crying. 

"They'll be fine, my mom is obsessed with them. Plus Eric is still here, it's not like I'm making them orphans," she says rolling her eyes, all I can do is cry harder. Think Larkin!

"How can you do this to your family? Chris will never stop looking for me."

"You mean the family that picked you over me countless times? Yeah I don't really care."

Suddenly our front is filled with sirens and police cars, she looks panicked for just a moment but when they all move to my house next door she relaxes. They still don't know we're here.

"The car will be here in three minutes," she tells me looking at the phone screen. Three minutes! I have to find a way to end this. I can't let her take me to the airport.

"Listen," she says, jamming the knife under my chin so hard it cuts me, "we are going to go out the side garage door and get into the car once it's in the driveway." 

I can only whimper in response. She cuts my ties from the stairs and reties my hands together, pushing me towards the garage exit. I try to control my breathing as I walk with her. Once outside I can hear everyone looking for me more clearly now, my heart is beating so hard I'm sure Hope can hear it. 

Once we're outside she pulls me down so we're hiding in a rose bush. The thorns grab and snag at my dress and leave little cuts on my arms and face. A moment later a car pulls into the driveway. She pushes the knife into my back harder. Standing from our hiding spot we start toward the uber waiting for us. At the same time I see Chris in our driveway run his hands through his hair as he's talking to police officers. My heart jumps into my throat. I want to be in his arms so badly, I'm not doing this, I'm not leaving them, I'm going to fight to stay here. Gathering all the courage I have I take a deep breath and scream.

"CHRIS!" His head snaps up and his eyes find me immediately.

"Larkin!" He yells for me as he takes off across the yards.

“No!! You stupid bitch!" Hope yells behind me, I lunge forward trying to run to him but I trip up in her hold and all flat on my face with my hands still tied, I start to kick at Hope as she tries to pick me up. Chris is almost here and she's running out of time. In a last ditch effort to either slow Chris down or truly hurt me she stabs the knife as hard as she can into the side of my leg making me scream out, she soon flees the scene running off behind the house and through the neighbors yard to the street behind ours.

"Larkin!" Chris yells again as he reaches me, dropping to his knees next to me. A couple officers run past us following her and a few more come up to us to help.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" He asks me frantically trying to look me over.

"No, just my leg," I grimace out. One of the officers has something to cut my hands free and I grab Chris once I'm able to.

"She's losing a lot of blood, we need an ambulance over here!" The police man yells out. My dad tries to run over but he's stopped by more police who tell him to meet us at the hospital. I'm starting to feel cold and tired. Chris has taken off his belt and tied it around the top of my leg but I'm not sure how much it's helping. I can feel him pick me up and run with me to the ambulance as it pulls up. I'm so happy to be back with him. I don't even notice the worry all around me. I relax into him and close my eyes. This feels so good.

"No! Stay awake love," he tells me firmly, I smile with my eyes closed, I love him so much.

"I love you," I tell him. I can feel him set me down and I'm cold again.

"Her pressure is dropping!” I can hear someone say, I try to reach for him but my arm is so heavy. No not again I think to myself. I can't help but slip farther even as I fight to stay awake.