Chapter 1: Everything Went Dark, Quick

Elodie’s POV:

What could be the harshest form of heartbreak?

Death? Not really.

A cheating partner? I don’t think so either.

Probably when your boyfriend—the one you’ve dated for two and a half years. The one who you would love to spend the rest of your life with. The one who prepared a trip to Hawaii for just you two—leaves you for dead in a foreign country. Yes, it happened.

What was meant to be a week-long getaway to Hawaii from school stress, my parents’ constant worry, and the endless fight to be seen by my favorite professor… ended with me being kidnapped.

It feels like a nightmare I can’t escape. I wish I could throw myself off a cliff just to jolt awake, like in the movies. But this time, it felt all too real.

I watched as our rented car was already hooked to the tow truck, ready to be towed away.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Colin barked at the tow man. I flinched at his tone.

The tow man, who looked to be in his late thirties, peered up from his clipboard, squinting his eyes to look at Colin. I immediately grabbed my boyfriend's arm.

“Calm down,” I whispered, trying to soothe his anger. But he wasn't having that. Colin frowned down at me, he yanked his hand from my grip.

I sighed at his usual reaction without saying anything else.

The tow driver had one hand to his waist and the other holding his clipboard. The sun was hot and I was still thirsty and now, hungry. We had left our hotel room to grab lunch, and sightsee later, when this happened.

"Are you the owner of this car?" The tow man asked.

Colin was at least two inches taller than this man. He had both hands in his pockets and seized him up and down.

"Yes, dude. And you can't tow it away!"

I rubbed my neck, looking around and seeing some locals already staring at us. Colin was being unnecessarily rude and loud, it was starting to get embarrassing.

"Uhm, sir," the tow man tried to put up a professional smile as he spoke, "I can tow it. This isn't a parking space—"

Colin scoffed, speaking before the man could finish. “Don’t tell me what’s a parking space and what’s not. We’ve been here for fifteen minutes!” he barked, his voice rising.

The tow man took a step back, still trying to stay polite. “Sir, the sign right there-" he gestured towards the sign at the corner, that we must have missed, "-says no parking. I’m just doing my job.”

“Oh yeah? Then go find someone else’s car to tow. This one’s not leaving,” Colin shot back.

I could feel my face heating up from embarrassment. People were starting to slow down and look at us. Colin was loud.

I took a small breath and stepped closer to the tow man before Colin could say more.

“We're really sorry,” I said quietly. “We didn’t know. We’re not from around here, and I guess we didn’t see the sign.”

The man looked at me, then at Colin, whose jaw was still tight with anger. I kept my tone soft, pleading but calm.

“Please, just let us off this once. We’ll move the car right away. I promise."

I passed him the sweetest smile I could make.

He sighed, running a hand over his chin. “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood,” he muttered, finally unhooking the chain from the tire. “Don’t park here again.”

“Thank you. We really appreciate,” I said quickly, giving a bigger smile as he walked away.

But as soon as the tow truck disappeared, Colin turned to me with a sharp look. “What was that?”

“What was what?” I asked, furrowing my brows.

He let out a dry laugh. “You and that guy—smiling and playing nice? You think I didn’t see the way you were looking at him?”

I blinked. “Colin, seriously? He was doing his job. I was just trying to stop him from towing our only means of transportation."

“Yeah, sure,” he muttered, shaking his head. “You love attention, don’t you?”

His tone made my stomach twist. He was being unreasonable and he knows it.

“That’s not fair. You were yelling, Colin. Someone had to talk to him calmly.”

“Whatever,” he snapped, walking to the driver’s side. “I’m done with this.”

Before I could respond, he got into the car and slammed the door. I rushed to the passenger side and tried pulling the door, but it was locked from the inside.

"Come on, Colin. Open the door," I said, pulling the door harder. My heart was hammering, knowing fully well where this was headed.

Colin scorned and sped off.

"Colin? COLIN?!" I yelled out, running after the car, but I obviously couldn't catch up. I stood there, frozen. He… really left me. Just like that?

My throat tightened as I looked around. The street was half empty now, and I didn’t even know where I was. I didn’t have money on me—my purse was in the car—and I could barely pronounce the street names, let alone ask for directions.

Everyone just passed by, uninterested. I tried calling Colin, but he didn’t pick up. Not once. I called again and still nothing.

“Unbelievable,” I muttered under my breath, wiping at my cheek.

The sun had already started dipping lower, painting the sky in a dull orange. Streetlights flickered on one by one, and a chill crept up my arms. I started walking, hoping I’d somehow recognize the way back to the hotel.

But the more I walked, the less familiar everything looked. The stores were closing, and the crowd was thinning. My heart began to pound—not from the walking, but from the quiet.

Then… I heard footsteps behind me. I slowed down and they slowed too.

A cold shiver ran down my spine. I glanced back but no one was behind me. The street was nearly empty.

Maybe I was imagining things. I shook my head and kept going, a little faster this time. The sound followed again.

"Fuck!" I said and broke into a run.

My heart hammered in my chest, breath sharp in my throat. I turned a corner, but before I could take another step, something strong grabbed me from behind.

“Hey—let me go!” I yelled, struggling to pull free.

The man’s arm tightened around my waist, holding me firm. I kicked and twisted, panic flooding through me. I clawed hard, trying to get his face or neck, anyway my hands could reach.

What if he takes advantage of me, or worse... kills me?

My heart dropped, tears flooded my eyes and I fought even more.

Then I felt a cloth press over my nose. This can't be happening to me.

“No—!” I tried to shout, but my voice came out weak. The smell was sharp, chemical. My vision blurred, and the street began spinning in front of me.

The last thing I felt was his arms catching me as everything went dark.