A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 196

There were always plenty of outsiders in Vistapeak City, but at this hour, the streets were nearly deserted, with only a handful of cars passing by.

Yet the route Ridge took began to feel wrong.

They were heading toward Greenwood Manor.

Elissa glanced at the driver. "Ridge, I'd rather go back to Juniper Road."

"Mrs. Frank…"

Ridge hesitated, catching Frank's eye in the rearview mirror.

At first, Elissa had assumed Ridge was simply lost, but now she understood—this was Frank's doing.

Circling back to the same topic exhausted her. "I have no intention of returning to Greenwood Manor right now."

"Elissa," Frank said gently, turning to look at her. "Let's spend the holidays together. After the New Year, if you still haven't heard anything, I'll take you back to Juniper Road…"

"When have we ever spent a holiday together?" Elissa stared at him, her tone cool as she reminded him, "Every year, you stayed at the old house. I was always alone at Greenwood Manor."

"Oh, right—except for Lucy."

She'd accepted things as they were in the past. But now? How could he expect her to come running at a mere word, docile and obedient?

Who gets that kind of luck in this world?

Frank knew he was in the wrong. He was about to say something when his phone rang.

He glanced at the caller ID and answered immediately. "What is it?"

"Mr. Atwater…" Bernard's nervous voice came through the line. "Marcia's gone. Since it's New Year's, I only had one person on duty. Marcia faked a stomachache and knocked out our guy when he went to check on her."

Frank's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Then what are you waiting for? Get more people on it. Find her and bring her back, no matter what."

Elissa couldn't make out what was being said, but she saw Frank's expression darken.

Something serious had happened.

Who was missing?

Just yesterday, she'd looked the picture of elegance.

Elissa stared in disbelief. "What happened to you?"

Even if Frank really had cut her off, she was still Spencer's wife—no one in Vistapeak City would dare lay a hand on her lightly.

Marcia let out a cold, hollow laugh, her gaze fixed on Elissa with a strange intensity.

The longer she looked, the more Marcia saw the Elissa from her memories—the little orphan she'd despised.

Suddenly, she lunged, grabbing at Elissa's collar with wild abandon.

Elissa had expected a confrontation, but she hadn't expected Marcia to grab her clothes. "Marcia, what are you doing?!"

In the struggle, under the streetlamp's glow, Marcia caught a fleeting glimpse of the butterfly-shaped birthmark on Elissa's shoulder.

It really was her.

She really was that wretched little orphan!