The Real Heiress Is Coming Back (Hannah Carter) novel Chapter 223

Chapter 223 I’m Not For Sale

Chapter 223 I’m Not For Sale

Hannah kept her eyes squeezed shut. The moment she felt Barnaby shift away, her hands shot out to grab him, desperate not to let him go.

“Don’t be scared. I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here,” Barnaby reassured her.

He could feel her whole body tense up, her breathing quick and uneasy. His heart ached for her, and he almost reached for the light switch.

But then he remembered how badly Hannah had freaked out last time her fear of the dark hit, so he held himself back.

Hannah’s fear of the dark was just too much. She needed to learn how to deal with it herself.

Sure, he could leave the lights on for her at home, but he couldn’t chase away the darkness from the whole world.

If her fear of the dark hit again and he wasn’t there, her body would freak out and wear her down.

“It’s not too dark in here now. When you’re ready, you can slowly open your eyes and see for yourself,” Barnaby said softly. He lay on his side, letting Hannah rest her head on his arm, and gently parted his fingers from her eyes.

Hannah took several deep breaths, gathering her courage, before finally opening her eyes.

Through the gaps between his fingers, she saw a breathtaking galaxy of stars swirling across the ceiling. It was beautiful.

Back when she lived out in the hills, Hannah was so afraid of the dark that as soon as night fell, she’d hole up indoors, curling up with a book or her homework.

After she moved to Kinswood, things got a little better, the city was always lit up. But unless she absolutely had to, she’d still rather stay in her room.

She’d never imagined that the pitch-black night sky could bring her anything but fear.

But right now, the swirling, starry universe lighting up the ceiling totally blew her away.

Her fear tangled with awe, and her heart pounded so hard she could barely breathe.

Barnaby felt her lashes brush against his fingers, the tickle making him smile. He whispered, “It’s dark out there in the universe, but look at all those glowing galaxies. Pretty amazing, right? Want to see more?”

Hannah nodded ever so slightly, and Barnaby gently withdrew his hand from her eyes.

The darkness pressed in on her, and she couldn’t stop trembling, her hands clutching at her clothes so tightly that her knuckles showed white.

“Relax, don’t be scared,” Barnaby murmured, unclasping her tight grip and gently intertwining their fingers together.

At the same time, he used the remote to switch the ceiling projection to a new scene. “Look, this is the Milky Way…”

As Barnaby explained the stars in his gentle, magnetic voice, the warmth of his palm against hers and his familiar scent helped Hannah’s panic ease a little.

She did her best to block out the darkness around her, keeping her eyes fixed on the mesmerizing images projected on the ceiling.

Slowly, her tense body began to relax.

Barnaby noticed the change in her body and turned to look at her, so close he could almost feel her breath.

Her delicate profile, with the whole galaxy reflected in her eyes, made her look heartbreakingly lovely.

“There’s a meteor shower tomorrow night. How about we go camping by the lake and lie out on the grass to watch the stars fall?” he whispered.

Hannah tore her gaze away from the ceiling and looked at Barnaby. The dimness around her made her feel a little dizzy.

She took a moment to steady herself, letting her eyes adjust to the faint glow from the ceiling. Then she replied softly.” Okay,”

“How about we turn off the projection and give it another shot?” Barnaby gently encouraged her to take the next step. Hannah’s breath caught in her throat. Barnaby noticed her tension and spoke softly to comfort her, “You’ve gotten used to the dim light already. Let’s try facing complete darkness for just a little while, okay?”

Hannah nervously swallowed, clutching Barna Successfully unlocked! et hyping herself up inside, ‘With Barnaby by

my side, there’s nothing to be afraid of.’

“Just for a moment,” Hannah nodded.

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Chapter 223 I’m Not For Sale

“Okay. Don’t be afraid. If it gets too much, we can turn the lights back on,” Barnaby soothed her. Once she was ready, he switched off the projection.

In an instant, the room was plunged into pitch-black darkness. Hannah’s whole body went rigid, and the deep-seated terror lurking in her subconscious came rushing out.

Several hazy, fragmented scenes flickered through her mind.

A blood-soaked knife tip, the contorted face of a corpse, a menacing boy gripping a knife, and a shadowy, claustrophobic

room…

Barnaby noticed her breathing, which had finally calmed down, start to grow erratic again. He called out softly, “Baby? Are you alright?”

There was no response.

Barnaby sensed something was wrong and instantly, he gently shielded her eyes with his hand and flicked on the light.

Her face was deathly pale, she was gasping for air, panic written all over her, and her forehead was drenched in cold sweat.

Once her eyes adjusted to the brightness, he took his hand away, only to find her eyes vacant and lost, completely spaced out.

She looked so fragile and helpless, it made Barnaby’s heart ache just to see her like this.

“It’s okay, don’t be scared,” Barnaby murmured, gently wiping the cold sweat from her forehead with a tissue.

Hannah remained dazed for a long moment before her eyes slowly cleared and found their focus. Barnaby was so close she could feel his breath.

Reaching out, she looped her arms around his neck, buried her face in the crook of his shoulder, and pressed almost her entire weight against him, drawing in his scent.

There was something about his scent that always made her feel safe, slowly calming her nerves and easing the anxiety inside.

Just like before, whenever she was upset, she’d always curl up against him like this, crying herself to sleep in his arms.

Barnaby held her close, gently rubbing her back. His eyes were shadowed with guilt and concern.

‘I shouldn’t have rushed things with her, not when she’s just starting to try; Barnaby thought, guilt gnawing at him.

‘Whoever messed Hannah up like this back then better hope I never find them,’ Barnaby swore to himself. ‘If I ever do, I’ll make their life a living hell.’

The next morning, after a good night’s sleep, Hannah was feeling a lot better, last night’s mess of emotions had finally faded away.

She could still vaguely remember a few hazy images flickering through her mind last night. Normally, whenever her fear of the dark took over, she wouldn’t remember a thing afterward.

But this time, something felt weird. Her grandma always said her fear came from being kidnapped by some bad guys, but those blurry scenes didn’t look like that at all. There was even a little boy mixed in there.

Hannah tried to dig deeper and remember, but her mind stayed blank, so she just gave up.

After breakfast, just as the five of them were about to head out, Christopher finally dragged himself out of his room.

Spotting Hannah, he immediately started cursing under his breath.

“You’re cold as ice! I waited for you all night and you didn’t even come see if I was alive! Not even worried I’d kick the bucket right here?”

He finished his tirade with a loud sneeze.

Last night’s ice-cold shower really did him in, he’d caught a cold for real.

“Here, breakfast and meds,” Joe said, cutting in front of him and shoving a bottle of water, a couple of buns, and some cold medicine into his hands.

“We’re about to head out. If you’re feeling rough, just stay here and rest up. When you’re better, just head back to Kinswood yourself,” Joe added.

Christopher shot him a glare. “You got a death wish or something?”

‘Last night he had me kick Barnaby out, and now he wants me gone too?’ Christopher grumbled to himself.

‘Barnaby’s definitely up to something sneaky!’ Christopher thought, suspicion flaring up.

He looked over and saw Barnaby already in the SUV with Hannah.

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Chapter 223 I’m Not For Sale

‘If I let myself get kicked out this easily, I wouldn’t be Christopher, he thought, stubborn as ever.

So, fuming, he headed over to the SUV, determined to sit with Hannah, only to find that the only seats left were the driver’s and the front passenger’s.

Christopher was at a loss for words.

By two in the afternoon, all six of them had made it to Cerulean Lake. They picked out a spot for their campsite, set up the tents, and then spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out and having fun by the lakeshore.

Christopher felt like today was even worse than yesterday. Every time he tried to get close to Hannah, Joe would always find a way to block him.

At first, he didn’t think much of it, but after a while, he started to get suspicious. ‘Either Barnaby bribed Joe, or Joe’s got a thing for me!’ Christopher thought.

To get to the bottom of it, he pulled Joe aside and shoved a bank card into his hand.

“How much did Barnaby pay you? I’ll double it!” Christopher said, trying to sound tough.

Joe didn’t even take the card. He looked Christopher dead in the eye and said seriously, “I’m not for sale.”

“Shit!” Christopher scolded in an angry voice.

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