THE HEIRESS VOW - Chapter 221

Chapter 221: The Abyss Tightens
Ava’s mind reeled as the darkness closed in. Every breath was a battle, every thought a storm. The Abyss wasn’t just a place, it was a presence, a force that gnawed at her very core. It whispered insidious promises, tugging at her deepest fears and her most desperate desires. Her body trembled as she took another step forward, the chill of the Abyss wrapping around her like icy chains.

“Ava!” Lucas’s voice was strained, distant. She could hear the pain in his cry, the desperation clawing at his words, but it was fading—drowned out by the Abyss’s relentless pull. His voice felt like an echo, a fading memory from another life. A life she wasn’t sure she could go back to.

“Let him go,” the Abyss whispered, its voice smooth and serpentine, curling around her mind. “You belong here, Ava. With me.”

She stopped, heart pounding, torn between the warmth of Lucas’s love and the cold seduction of the Abyss. For a moment, she couldn’t tell which one was stronger.

The Abyss showed her visions. They unfolded before her, vivid, terrifying, enticing. She stood as queen over a world drenched in shadow. Kneeling before her were her enemies—Zephyr, the malevolent force who had tried to twist her fate, and even Lucas. They all bowed, powerless in her presence. She felt the weight of a crown upon her head, and the power coursing through her veins was intoxicating.

But then, the vision shifted. The throne, the kingdom of darkness—it was all hers. Yet, Lucas was gone, his warmth, his love… absent. She felt the icy emptiness where his presence had been, a void she couldn’t fill.

The Abyss pressed harder. “You don’t need him, Ava. He will betray you. He already has.”

Her hand wavered in the air, inches from the tendrils of darkness that beckoned her deeper. Betrayal? The word echoed in her mind like a haunting refrain, cutting through the fog. Could it be true? The Abyss had already shown her visions of Lucas with Zephyr, whispering in the shadows, conspiring against her. But were they real? Or were they lies?

“He kept secrets from you,” the Abyss hissed. “He is not the man you think he is.”

Ava faltered. Her pulse quickened, her breath came in ragged gasps. She wanted to believe the Abyss was wrong, but the seeds of doubt had taken root. Every step toward the darkness made it harder to see the light—harder to believe that Lucas was anything other than what the Abyss claimed him to be.

“Stop,” Ava whispered, her voice trembling, as much a plea to herself as it was to the darkness around her.

But the Abyss did not stop. It surged forward, wrapping tighter around her, squeezing her heart, clouding her thoughts. “He used you,” it whispered, “like Zephyr used him. You were nothing but a tool, Ava. A means to an end.”

A sob choked in her throat, but she held it back. She couldn’t show weakness. Not now. Not when the Abyss was so close to claiming her.

Lucas’s voice cut through the haze again. “Ava, I’m here. Please, don’t do this.” He was closer now, just on the other side of the barrier, his hand outstretched, fingers straining to reach her. His eyes, filled with desperation and love, locked onto hers.

Her heart wrenched painfully at the sight of him. How could she doubt him when he stood there, risking everything to pull her back from the edge?

“You think he loves you?” The Abyss’s voice grew colder, crueler. “Love is a weakness, Ava. It is a chain that binds you, drags you down. He will betray you, again and again, because love cannot be trusted. Only power is real. Only I can offer you freedom.”

“Freedom,” Ava muttered, her voice thick with bitterness. “You call this freedom?”

The Abyss laughed, a low, rumbling sound that seemed to reverberate from the depths. “Yes. Freedom from pain. Freedom from doubt. Freedom from him.”

Ava’s eyes flashed toward Lucas, but in that moment, the Abyss showed her another vision—one more twisted and cruel than the last. Lucas stood beside Zephyr, their hands clasped, their faces cold and distant. They were plotting her downfall, just as they always had been. The look in Lucas’s eyes was one of contempt, and the words that left his mouth were filled with malice.

“She was never more than a pawn,” he said, his voice a cold whisper in the shadows. “A tool to get what we needed.”

Ava recoiled, her heart shattering all over again. No… It couldn’t be true. But the Abyss was so convincing, its lies so perfectly crafted, that she couldn’t tell anymore. Was this reality? Or was this the Abyss twisting her mind?

“See?” The Abyss hissed, triumphant. “You mean nothing to him. You never did.”

Her knees buckled as the weight of the vision crushed her. The world around her blurred, spinning wildly. The air was suffocating, and the darkness felt like it was closing in from all sides, constricting her, choking her.

“You’re lying,” Ava gasped, but even as she said the words, her voice faltered. The doubt was there. The fear that maybe, just maybe, the Abyss was right.

“Ava!” Lucas’s voice rang out again, cutting through the fog, but the sound was faint, as if he were calling from miles away. He was so close, and yet so far.

“Come to me, Ava,” the Abyss whispered. “Let me save you. Let me show you what real strength feels like.”

Ava’s breath hitched, and her mind raced. The Abyss was promising her everything she’d ever wanted—freedom, power, control over her own destiny. But at what cost?

“Choose, Ava,” the voice of the Abyss was soft now, almost gentle. “Choose power, or choose pain. You cannot have both.”

The darkness surged again, its tendrils creeping closer, wrapping around her ankles, tugging her deeper. The cold was unbearable, seeping into her bones, into her very soul. And yet, through it all, she could still hear Lucas—could still see him, reaching for her with that look of desperation in his eyes.

“I can’t…” Ava whispered, her voice barely audible over the roar of the Abyss.

“You can,” the Abyss insisted. “I will make you whole, Ava. I will take away your doubt, your fear. All you have to do is let go.”

But Ava couldn’t let go. She couldn’t turn her back on Lucas, even though every fiber of her being was screaming at her to give in to the darkness, to the power, to the freedom that the Abyss promised.

“Lucas…” Ava’s voice cracked as she called his name, her hand trembling as she reached out for him. He was so close. So close, and yet the distance between them felt insurmountable.

And then, just as her fingers grazed the edge of the barrier, another voice echoed through the darkness. A voice she hadn’t heard in so long. Cold, commanding, cruel.

“You’re a fool, Ava,” Zephyr’s voice dripped with disdain as he stepped into view. His eyes, dark and unreadable, locked onto hers with an intensity that made her blood run cold. “You think love will save you? Love is nothing but a weakness. It will destroy you, just as it destroyed him.”

Ava’s eyes widened in shock, her heart pounding in her chest as Zephyr’s words cut into her like a blade. “What are you talking about?” she demanded, her voice shaking with anger and fear.

Zephyr smirked, his gaze flicking over to Lucas, who stood frozen on the other side of the barrier. “He never told you, did he?” he sneered. “About what really happened. About why the Abyss came for you in the first place.”

Ava’s breath caught in her throat, her mind racing as the weight of Zephyr’s words sank in. “What are you saying?” she whispered, dread creeping into her voice.

Lucas’s eyes filled with pain, but he said nothing. His silence was damning.

Zephyr’s smile widened, and he took a step closer. “He kept secrets from you, Ava,” he said softly. “He thought he was protecting you, but all he did was set you on this path. The Abyss chose you because of him. Everything that’s happened—every lie, every betrayal—it’s all because of him.”

Ava’s heart shattered as the truth hit her like a tidal wave. Lucas had kept things from her. He had lied, even if he thought it was for her protection. And now, because of those lies, the Abyss had claimed her.

“You… you knew?” Ava whispered, her voice breaking.

Lucas’s face was etched with anguish as he finally spoke. “Ava, I was trying to protect you. I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“But I am hurt!” Ava screamed, tears streaming down her face. “Because you lied to me! Because you didn’t trust me!”

The Abyss surged forward again, feeding on her pain, her anger. Its tendrils tightened around her, pulling her deeper into its embrace.

“See?” Zephyr said, his voice soft and triumphant. “He was never on your side, Ava. He was always working against you.”

Lucas’s eyes filled with tears as he reached out for her, his voice breaking. “Ava, please… I love you. I’ve always loved you.”

But Ava couldn’t hear him anymore. The darkness had taken hold of her, and the Abyss was winning.

In that moment, she made her choice.

The darkness swallowed her whole.