Too Late, Mr. Cooper: Your Bride Ran with Your Baby novel Chapter 167

The unfamiliar, sinister voice made Liliana's scalp feel like it was about to split open.

She scanned the room, forcing herself to stay calm as she retreated into the bathroom.

Liliana pulled out her phone to call for help. But for some reason, the signal in the room was being blocked. She couldn't connect to the internet, and her calls wouldn't go through.

In that moment, Liliana forced a fragile calm over herself. Her face was ashen, her body trembling, but a terrifying realization dawned on her.

This was planned.

She didn't know how long they had been watching her, but it was premeditated. They had been waiting for the moment she was completely alone.

Liliana took a deep breath.

*Thump. Thump. Thump!*

The man outside was still knocking, relentless and forceful, each knock louder and more urgent than the last.

"Miss Hart, open the door! Security!"

"Miss Hart, I know you're in there! I'm with hotel security. Please open the door!"

The man's voice was cold and insistent, a constant, chilling pressure.

Liliana felt as if her blood had turned to ice, her fingertips numb. She took a ragged breath, adrenaline surging through her veins. Her mind, racing, struggled to maintain a sliver of rational thought.

The man outside was not Edward Nightfall. But he wore the same silver snake necklace.

Liliana didn't think Edward had been lying when he said the necklace was his mother's creation. It was too exquisitely crafted, too unique in its design to be mass-produced. That left only one possibility. The stranger at her door was connected to Edward Nightfall.

In a flash, fueled by adrenaline, Liliana's mind pieced together all the disparate clues. Her pupils constricted as a horrifying theory took shape.

Liam had said the international security company that provided Matthew's skydiving equipment had employees who wore that same necklace.

Liliana clutched her phone, her knuckles white. She moved as silently as possible, deeper into the bathroom, and climbed into the bathtub to hide.

Her heart hammered against her ribs.

She bit down hard on her pale lip, her icy fingers instinctively going to her flat belly. She felt a suffocating sense of despair.

She was like a drowning fish, drenched in a cold sweat, unable to stop shaking. She wanted to cry, she was so scared she just wanted to break down and cry, but she didn't dare make a sound.

All Liliana could do was tremble helplessly, biting her lip, and pray for a miracle, for someone to come and save her.

*Thump... Thump...*

Heavy footsteps echoed from just outside the bathroom door. The man was searching for her.

Liliana's face was ashen. In that last moment of clarity, she realized it was all a setup. From the moment she had arrived for the conference, Isabella must have hired this international security company to tail her.