Chapter 4

Chapter 4 — Escape

~ARIA~

Everything seemed to blur after the moment I tossed the drugs into my mouth, defying him. A gunshot echoed, and I braced myself for the impact. For the pain. But instead, the nurse collapsed. The sound of her body hitting the ground was deafening in the silence that followed.

I turned my head in disbelief, my breath catching in my throat. The scream came out before I could hold it back, ripping through the air as I dropped to my knees beside her. The blood... it was everywhere. Thick, warm, and spreading too fast.

"No, no, no! Please, wake up. Please..." My voice cracked, breaking under the weight of the horror that gripped me. My hands shook as I reached for her, but her eyes—wide open, frozen in terror—were already empty.

Then, without warning, I was yanked back. His grip was iron, merciless, and I barely registered being thrown over his shoulder like I was nothing. My fists pounded against his back as I screamed for someone—anyone—to stop him.

Why was no one doing anything?

They just stood there.

Watching.

"Help me!" I screamed, the words tearing from my throat as I kicked against him. "Somebody help!"

But the hallway parted for him, like they were afraid to even breathe near him. It was as if he wasn't just a man—he was something more, something untouchable. My struggling did nothing; he carried me like I weighed nothing, striding through the chaos like a god, unmoved and unstoppable.

The car door slammed open, and he threw me in with a force that knocked the wind out of me. I didn't even think; instinct took over, and I lunged for the door, desperate to escape.

Another shot rang out, the deafening crack echoing in my ear, making me freeze.

"Try that again," Lorenzo's voice cut through the air, cold and sharp, "and I'll aim for your leg next time. Don't. Test. Me."

I turned my head slowly, my breath shaky, eyes landing on the hole just inches from where my leg had been. The reality of the situation crashed down on me. This wasn't some nightmare I could wake up from. This was real, and this man—this monster—wasn't going to hesitate to kill me if I pushed him too far.

Tears blurred my vision, but I couldn't stop them. They kept coming, unbidden, as the panic crawled up my throat.

What kind of person had my father married me off to? A man who killed without flinching? A man whose power was so absolute that even after two gunshots, no one dared intervene?

Why didn't I just die from the crash?

Why did he just die?

Lorenzo climbed into the car beside me, slamming the door shut with a finality that made my heart sink. As the car began to move, the low hum of the engine barely registering over the rush of blood pounding in my ears, his voice cut through the silence again. "Stop crying," he said flatly, not even looking at me. "It's irritating."

I blinked, still trembling, struggling to find my voice. "She's dead," I whispered, my throat raw. "You killed her."

His eyes flicked over to me, cold and unfeeling. "Insignificant people die every day. If you're going to be my wife, you need to toughen up. Crying over them is pointless."

I couldn't breathe. The tears fell harder, my chest tightening as I stared at him in disbelief. His wife? His wife. I was supposed to spend the rest of my life tied to this... this monster?

"I don't want to be your wife," the words slipped out, barely more than a whisper. My voice cracked, and I could hear the desperation in it, the plea for someone to wake me up from this nightmare. "I don't want this. I don't want to be married to you."

For a moment, his expression didn't change. It was like my words didn't even register. Then, slowly, he turned his head, his eyes locking onto mine. The coldness in his gaze sent a shiver down my spine.

"I believe it is too late for that," his tone was ice cold.

I pressed myself against the door, my whole body trembling. "Please..." I begged, my voice small and broken. "Please let me go. Whatever deal you have with my father, I'm sure there is something else you can take. Please. Please, I am begging you, let me go."

Lorenzo's lips curled into something that might have resembled a smile if it weren't so devoid of warmth. "Why would I want anything else when I have a beautiful bride that is going to carry my heir?"

The entirety of the air seemed to have disappeared from my body at those words, and I suddenly couldn't breathe.

His hand suddenly gripped my chin, forcing me to face him. "Look at me," he demanded. I had no choice but to meet his gaze. His fingers were cold, digging into my skin as if reminding me of his control. "I tolerated your tears yesterday because they entertained me, but you don't get to cry," he hissed, his face inches from mine. "Not anymore."

"You are an evil person, and you will die a miserable death," I spat through the tears, the words tumbling out before I had the chance to think them through.

The second they left my mouth, I regretted them. My breath caught in my throat, half-expecting the crack of a gunshot, the sharp sting of a bullet, something. Anything. But instead, Lorenzo just smiled.

That cold, predatory smile.

His eyes, dark and merciless, bore into mine as he leaned back casually in his seat, like he had all the time in the world. His smile didn't waver, and the calmness of it scared me more than any raised voice ever could.

"You think your little outburst means anything?" he asked, his voice low, eerily calm. "Sometimes I find a flicker of interest in the fact that people like you think you actually have power in your words. That somehow, speaking them aloud will change anything." His eyes darkened, and a chill ran down my spine as he continued. "You don't get it, do you? I don't care what you think of me. Your opinion is... irrelevant."

I shivered, the weight of his words sinking in. My throat tightened, but I forced myself to hold his gaze. "You're wrong," I whispered, even though my voice trembled. "People like you always think you can do whatever you want, that you're untouchable. But one day, all of this—your power, your control—it will crumble."

Lorenzo chuckled, the sound hollow and sharp. "I will wait to see the day that will never come. But until then, Aria," his eyes bore into mine, "I will remind you every day of just how monstrous people like me can be."

My mind raced, scrambling for a plan. I couldn't spend the rest of my life with him. All consequences be damned.

I had to think.

The car jerked suddenly as it slowed down, the motion snapping me back to the present. The momentary change in speed made my pulse quicken, a glimmer of hope flashing in my mind. We were stopping.

His gaze followed mine, narrowing slightly as if he could sense that something had shifted in me. "Whatever you're thinking, stop," he warned, his voice sharp now, edged with impatience.

I swallowed hard, my fingers twitching. The syringe. My mind flew back to the hospital, to the chaos, to the nurse's lifeless body sprawled on the ground. I had snatched the syringe from her hand, barely thinking, just acting on pure instinct.

Maybe this is my only shot.

I nodded slowly, keeping my movements measured, careful not to betray the frantic pounding of my heart. "I'm not thinking anything," I whispered, playing the role of the frightened, compliant girl.

Lorenzo watched me for a long moment, his eyes scanning my face for any sign of deception. Then he sighed, leaning back in his seat again, his hand casually resting near his gun. "Keep it that way."

The car slowed to a stop, the sudden stillness hanging in the air like a fragile promise. My heart raced as adrenaline surged through my veins. This was it. This was my moment.

Before Lorenzo could react, I reached into the hospital gown, my fingers closing around the syringe. In one swift motion, I pulled it out and drove it deep into his leg.

His reaction was instant. His eyes widened in shock, his hand instinctively reaching for the wound. "You—" he started, his voice strained with pain, but I didn't wait for him to finish. I couldn't. I shoved the door open, my legs already moving before he could fully process what had just happened.

I ran.

The sound of my feet hitting the pavement was the only thing I could hear. My heart hammered in my chest, and my breath came in short, desperate gasps.

Behind me, I heard Lorenzo curse in a voice laced with fury, but I didn't dare look back. I couldn't afford to stop, couldn't afford to hesitate. He was going to kill me for this, without a doubt, so I continued running.

I ran because I would never let myself give him an heir, because I couldn't spend the rest of my days with a monster.

The world around me blurred, my vision narrowing as I focused on one thing alone—escape from a man who might just be the devil himself.