Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 258

Looking at the almost maniacal expression on Stella's face, Willa suddenly realized something horrifying.

Stella had genuinely lost her mind. She probably didn't even know what she was doing anymore; she just desperately wanted to destroy her at all costs.

Willa took a few deep breaths, forcing herself to remain calm, though her hands couldn't stop trembling.

She managed to force a tight smile, trying to de-escalate the situation. "Stella, if you let me go today, I swear I won't tell Randal."

Stella just stood there, staring off with a blank, unhinged look in her eyes, showing no reaction.

Willa paused, then continued trying to persuade her. "You don't actually want to do this to me, do you? Otherwise, you would have done it already."

"You're a smart girl. You have to know that once this little show is over, you'll just be a useless pawn to them. Randal is never going to let this go. Do you really think the person backing you is going to protect you, or do you think they'll throw you to the wolves to save themselves?"

Stella's already vacant pupils suddenly constricted.

She let out a short, sudden laugh. The sheer malice that had dominated her face a second ago morphed into utter chaos.

She started violently pulling at her own hair, her eyes darting frantically around the room. She began muttering non-stop under her breath, the words so slurred and manic that Willa couldn't make out a single syllable.

Willa's heart leaped into her throat, a cold wave of dread washing down her spine.

Thanks to her time with Randal, she immediately recognized what she was seeing. Stella wasn't just emotionally volatile.

She looked like someone undergoing a total psychological breakdown, caught in the grip of a pathological episode.

A mentally unstable kidnapper was infinitely more dangerous than a rational one.

She had no logic, no reason. There was no telling what she might do in the next split second.

Willa didn't dare say another word. The logic she had tried to use hadn't just failed; it had seemingly served as the exact trigger that set Stella off.

She instinctively shrank back against the wall.

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