Mag-log inDAHLIA'S POVI am blindfolded throughout the ride, and my attempt to speak is silenced by a hard blow to the back of my head that knocks me unconscious.When I open my eyes again, I can't feel my legs. My whole body feels as though it's floating in a pool of hot water that I don't know how to swim through.Strong, rough hands are carrying me down a dark hallway, the same hands that shoved me into the car that brought me here. I don't know when my blindfold was removed, but it still feels as though the black cloth is still wrapped tightly around my eyes.When we finally reach what seems to be the end of the hallway, a single LED light flickers on. One after another, the remaining lights come to life, illuminating the corridor. I don't need to be an expert to notice the surveillance cameras mounted at every corner, their tiny indicator lights blinking steadily.This place is heavily guarded and built for security.The realization strikes me almost immediately. Agent Kay... my mother… wo
WELLINGTON'S POVThe chain continues to rattle as I hear the man's footsteps as he walks slowly towards me. As if he knows how affected I am by the sound and he's deliberately taunting me.My heart aches with pain, and my mouth is now too dry as I hide my face. I hear the hat man cackle when I can't stop the roar that claws at my throat."No... take that away from me!" My eyes are still pressed shut, but the smell reaches me first, rusty old blood, the same smell from the night I lost everything I thought I deserved to build. My body remembers before my mind catches up. Sweat slick my back, and my wrists burn against the handcuffs."Open your eyes, Tito," the man's voice comes, unhurried. He sounds amused.I don't want to open my eyes, but I do when I don't hear the rattling of the chain anymore. His face is half covered by the hat, and smoke from his tobacco covers the other half so that I don't recognize him, but I know the voice. "You are going against our deal, Bambam." Kayla's
DAHLIA'S POVI stagger backwards at the impact of those words, this time not strong enough to keep myself standing as my legs give way beneath me, so I slack to the floor in a heap, feeling my heart swell up painfully and then burst into waves of unbearable pain that radiate through my entire body. The message hits me like a hammer to the chest, shattering what little composure I have left.No, she couldn't have done that. He's lying, I try to assure myself, repeating the words over and over in my mind like a desperate mantra, clinging to the hope that this is just another cruel trick meant to break me further, but the doubt creeps in anyway, gnawing at the edges of my sanity.My mother came back for me, she wants to make up for all the years she's lost and maybe fix whatever she can. She couldn't have set Wellington up, at least, for my sake. Was the whole grabbing me, saving me from DSS men and taking me to St. Martins and… fuck, was all of that a plan to lure him to that place?I
DAHLIA'S POV“How do you know it's a man?” I ask, frowning at Sunny.“What gender has the time to watch someone from a close distance and send anonymous texts? It's either a stalker or someone trying to scare the living daylights out of you. Men fit both categories perfectly.” She shrugs and pulls out her phone.“I'll get a duvet and tuck Cleo in here. I can't let her out of my sight.” I feel terrified, so even if I can't protect myself, I must do my part to keep her safe as a mother.I help Cleo lie down on the couch before rushing upstairs to grab a bedsheet from her room. My legs feel heavy with exhaustion, but my mind refuses to rest. Every second Wellington and my mother remain away feels wrong. I cover her body with the soft fabric, pulling it up to her shoulders with gentle hands, and put one of the throw pillows under her head to make her comfortable, watching as her little chest rises and falls in a peaceful rhythm that stands in such painful contrast to the chaos unfolding
WELLINGTON'S POVI start to lower my weapon slowly, the heavy metal feeling like lead in my trembling hands as I raise one hand up in surrender, my palm open and exposed while I keep my eyes locked on her the entire time, searching desperately for any sign of the ally I thought I had. It's my fault for always trusting so easily even after facing all the disappointments and witnessing what trust costs people, the kind of painful price that leaves scars deeper than any blade could carve into flesh. My heart pounds with a mix of regret and exhaustion, torn between the desperate need to believe in someone and the bitter knowledge that trust has only ever led me into betrayal. I can feel the sweat trickling down my back, my muscles tense.One of the men steps forward, grabs my hands roughly and pulls them forcefully to my back, twisting my arms in a way that sends sharp pain shooting through my shoulders while he pushes me forward without mercy. She just stands there and watches, her ex
DAHLIA'S POVI do not come out of my room for days on end, shutting myself away from the world as if the four walls could somehow protect me from the crushing weight of everything that has happenedAnd I refuse to eat anything they bring me, hoping desperately that I can just starve to death so the endless pain inside my chest will finally come to an end. Deep down, I know Christina feeds off my pain like some wild beast that thrives in the darkness, growing stronger with every tear I shed and every moment of my suffering, which only makes the emptiness inside me expand. My body grows weaker with each passing hour, my limbs heavy and unresponsive, yet my mind races endlessly through memories that cut deeper than any knife ever could.I wet my pillow with hot, silent tears every ticking second of the day and night, my aching heart beating so hard against my ribs that I truly think it might be bleeding out from all the emotional wounds that refuse to heal. “You're going to get up fro
WELLINGTON'S POV“Wait for me, Nani. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”The words leave my mouth the second the elevator doors slide open and I see Nani standing inside. Surprise flashes across her face as she steps out while I move in.“Where are you going?” she asks quickly, her eyes dropping straight to
DAHLIA'S POV“I hate to say it, but I told you so!”I can't go back to the penthouse. It's been five days, and I know I shouldn't still be sulking, but I am, and I can't stop myself. Do I really deserve all of this?I even had to turn off my phone although I don't think he'd ever bother calling me.
DAHLIA'S POV“I'm sorry, Sun. Please, stop acting like a bitch!”I apologize as I follow Sunny outside. She snatches her keys from Amos, a new hire, and the poor man steps aside.“I didn’t expect that from you of all people, Dahlia. You’ve changed.” She stops just before getting into her car, her h
DAHLIA'S POV“Your ID, ma’am?”Oh, fuck me sideways.Curiosity brought me here, and it would be completely useless if I don’t find out whatever the person sending me those messages wants me to see. I’ve already gone too far to turn back now, and the thought of leaving without answers makes my chest







