His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 511

Archer's gaze fell on the coat, his complexion paling.

He opened his mouth, but the words "Come back to Capital City with me" caught in his throat, impossible to voice.

The SUV slowly pulled over to the curb.

The door slid open, letting in the biting wind of the winter night.

"Gemma" stepped out, her camel coat catching in the wind.

Without looking back, she headed in the opposite direction of the vehicle, walking straight toward the hillside estate.

Archer sat in the car, his dark gray suit vest suddenly feeling suffocatingly tight against his chest.

He picked up the bottle of sparkling water she had been drinking from, his thumb rubbing against the rim, his gaze unreadable.

"Mr. Vanderbilt, are we not going after her?" Zachary asked cautiously from the front seat.

"No." Archer's voice was hoarse. "Send someone to follow her and ensure her safety. Don't push too hard. She can't handle it right now."

"Yes, sir." Zachary made a quick phone call, then started the engine, tailing her slender figure from a safe distance.

The night wind howling through the hills of Chicago was bone-chilling.

"Gemma" pulled her camel coat tighter around herself, her heels clicking against the asphalt.

Her mind was an absolute mess.

Archer's words, Cindy's adorable face, and Dominic's erratic behavior over the past few days all tangled together, giving her a splitting headache.

If she truly was Virginia, then why had Dominic gone to such great lengths to mold her into Gemma?

In Julian's story, Dominic's obsession with Gemma was terrifyingly deep.

A lunatic who found an amnesiac stand-in just to hold onto a dead lover...

It was utterly ridiculous.

She took a deep breath, the freezing air filling her lungs and clearing her head slightly.

Regardless of who she actually was, she could no longer hide inside this fake shell of "Gemma."

"Gemma" took a half-step back until her shoulders hit the cool wooden door.

"Dominic, get a grip on reality." She looked him dead in the eye, no longer hiding her defensive panic. "I'm not..."

"Don't you dare try to leave me!"

Acting as if he hadn't heard a word, he slammed his fist into the door just inches from her ear.

It made a heavy, muffled thud.

He leaned in close, his warm breath fanning over her face and neck, carrying that overpowering cigar scent she despised.

"You should be glad you didn't actually leave with him. If you had, I would hunt him down to the ends of the earth and kill him." His tone was flat, yet laced with a spine-chilling ruthlessness. "In Chicago, if I want someone dead, they won't live to see tomorrow."

"Gemma's" heart gave a violent lurch.

She knew perfectly well that Dominic meant every word.

Pressing her hands flat against his chest, she spoke with a chilling edge to her voice. "And what about you? Aren't you just keeping me around to make up for the guilt you feel over someone else?"