The Imposter Bride (Natalia and Magnus) novel Chapter 516

Barefoot, she slipped from the warmth of her bed and drifted to the floor-to-ceiling window. Her gaze was drawn to the solitary moonlight. A memory teased at her mind, the dream of the boy, crying out for help.

Though his features were a blur, she was convinced he was the same boy trapped in Johanson’s dungeon.

"Maybe, if what Gabby said was true and I have another family out there, I might have a big brother like him," she pondered.

With a newfound resolve, Anna hastily slipped into her sneakers and descended the staircase, venturing into the enveloping night towards the dungeon.

Anna was no stranger to this grim place. Johanson had once brought her here in a twisted version of playtime. Guided by memory, she quickly located the lever controlling the dungeon's gate and pressed it with determination.

The gate groaned open, releasing a putrid stench. In the darkness, the gaping entrance loomed like a monster's maw, ready to swallow her whole.

Swallowing hard, Anna steeled herself and stepped inside. The path ahead was cloaked in darkness, and the damp stone floor was treacherously slick. She moved cautiously, her fingers tracing the jagged stone walls as she inched forward.

After navigating the gloomy corridor for what seemed like ages, she finally reached the dungeon's heart. Dim moonbeams revealed the boy she and Johanson had found. His body was shackled and submerged in the murky waters.

A stone skittered across the floor with a crisp "clack!"

"Who's there?" called out Jonas, his voice cutting through the dungeon's eerie silence.

Startled, Anna patted her chest to calm her racing heart and responded softly, "It's me."

"Who are you?"

Jonas strained his eyes to see through the darkness. The dungeon's gloom made it impossible to discern her face, and he could only make out the outline of a young girl. For reasons he couldn't explain, she seemed to radiate a gentle glow, like an angel descended to earth.

To Anna, the sight of Jonas chained and half-drowned reminded her vividly of the boy from her dreams. She was right to come. No matter what, she had to free him.

Strengthened by this thought, Anna groped along the wall, searching for the mechanism to release the chains, and answered his question, "I'm Johanson’s sister."

Jonas was taken aback. This angelic girl was the sister of that arrogant braggart?