Chapter 002

I stood in my place, motionless, like the statue of an angel perched high in the center of the fountain in front of the church. Ashen with shock and terror, I met a pair of frozen blue eyes that haunted my dreams for years.

Let this be a dream. I prayed hard to the heavens while closing my eyes, wishing I would soon wake up and find myself peacefully lying on my bed. But it seems the heavens failed to grant my pleas. When I opened my eyes again, the man remained standing and pointing a gun in my direction.

I swallowed deep and hard as I tried to keep myself still.

The man stepped closer. A scream erupted from my lips when his hand gripped my wrists. "Shut up or I will fire the gun in your head." His sharp tone sent cold shivers down my spine. When I didn't stop screaming, his grip on my wrists tightened and he pressed the gun on my neck, instantly my mouth snapped closed.

My wrists were sore and red from his harsh grip. I tried to pull my hand, but my efforts were in vain. My strength wasn't a match to a man whose build resembled a bodybuilder.

He looked at me with a menacing glint in his blue eyes that made my whole body shake in fear.

"I told you I will find you, didn't I?" He whispered close to my ears. "You're lucky enough to escape death five years ago, but this time, no matter how hard you pray, no saint will save you now."

"Kill me as you wish, but I will not go down without a fight." I hissed under my breath as my composure slowly returned.

A sinister smile slowly curved on his lips. He pressed the gun to my neck, hard enough to make me wince from the pain.

I closed my eyes, readying myself for a different kind of pain. Hoping the first shot will kill me instantly and I won't suffer. But the bullet I waited to dig on my flesh didn't arrive. 

Opening my eyes, I found him looking at me with his blue eyes filled with lust.

"Arabella Angelstone." He said ominously, making shivers run down my spine. I stared at him with wide, terrified eyes. The last time he called me with that full name, he aimed a gun to my heart, then he pulled the trigger. A stranger had witnessed the scene and immediately came to my rescue and fired back at the man, causing him to flee. I was able to survive because of that.

This time, I wasn't sure if I would survive, though.

I would consider myself lucky enough if he didn't kill me tonight.

"You looked exactly like Alexandria." He murmured in an almost dreamy voice.

The mention of my twin sister awakened the fear lurking inside me. But the fear was quickly replaced with anger. Alexandria hated me with deep, burning passion.

This time I have no doubts that she's the one who sent the man to kill me.

"Alexandria and you are twins, so the two of you looked so similar." He continued, taking my attention. "But your facial features weren't as sharp as hers. Yours was gentle, almost angelic." He added in his tight, rasp voice.

His fingers traced the outline of my jaw. My whole body shuddered in alarm.

"P-please leave me alone." I sobbed, but the words barely came out of my lips.

"You shouldn't have returned, Arabella. You'd only given me the opportunity to kill you twice. Only this time, I will make sure I'll do it right."

"Did my twin sister send you to kill me?" Though I knew the truth, I still wanted the answer to come from his lips.

"Would you believe me if I said no?" He asked.

"No." I snapped, my lips pursing into a tight line as I fought back his gaze.

A chuckle escaped from his lips. "Yes, she did." He finally admitted. "She also gave me the liberty to do what I wanted with your body before I dispose of you." He added.

Before I could respond, he dragged me somewhere, agonizingly applying brute force to my wrists every time I tried to resist. Several times, I stumbled on my heels, but I willed myself to get up in fear he would lose control and kill me right there on the street, where I have no chance to survive.

Looking around, there was no one I could ask for help. I could scream at the top of my lungs, but still no one would come to my aid. I waited and waited, hoping anyone would cross the streets at this hour or perhaps a lost car would pass by, but waiting almost took me forever and no one came. The hope inside me snuffed out like a candle's flame.

The man dragged me for minutes, then finally we entered an alley. The faint light emitted by the moonlight exposed an aging rusty car with fading paints. As though he was afraid I will do something stupid, he pulled the door open, then hurled me inside. The force he applied sent me bouncing on the tattered leather seat.

Massaging the spot on my head where it collided with the steering wheel, I watched him slam the door shut, then locked me inside. He walked out of the alley and several minutes passed by, but he didn't return.

Filling my chest with air, I gathered all the force I could muster and kicked the door. The stubborn door didn't even budge. The car was old and rusty, but the parts were still in good shape. I thought of breaking the window, but I was afraid the noise would alert the man if he's nearby.

Gingerly, I climbed to the passenger's seat to try forcing the locks to open, but stopped dead in my tracks as I spotted the child sprawled on the seat. He was around three or four years old and he was still wearing his pajamas.

Before I could stop myself, an ear-piercing scream erupted from my lips.

Was he dead? The question slammed into me with force, sucking the strength inside my body. Reeling with shock, I stumbled back into the driver's seat. For a moment that seemed to go on like forever, I stared at the child, not wanting to touch him in fear of leaving my fingerprints into his cold skin.

Perhaps it was the scream I made which roused him from his sleep. Slowly, he raised his head to me. I found myself holding my breath as a pair of hazel-green eyes blinked back at me.

He looked like a miniature version of Lucas! My heart ached as I looked at him.

"Mama?" He mumbled in his soft, child voice.

I blinked back the tears and swallowed the lump in my throat. Perhaps the child was so terrified that he confused me as his mother.

 "Everything will be alright, darling." I whispered with a smile. Then wiped the tears that had fallen on my cheeks.

The man kidnapped an innocent child! Was he planning to kill the child, too? The thought turned my vision red. With my fists turned into a ball on my side, I returned to my seat just in time before the door opened and the man climbed on the seat in front of the steering wheel.

"What's taking you so long?" He barked on the phone in his hand, fury emanating in his aura. 

"Bags!" He muttered incredulously, still talking to whoever was on the phone.

Scowling furiously, he put the phone close to his mouth. "For god's sake! Get your butt out of the mansion before anyone discovers what you're up to!" The man muttered a series of curses, then ended the call before throwing his phone on the dashboard.

He moved to lock the car door, but my body moved faster than my common sense. There's no chance I could beat him, but I took chances and lunged at him.