Chapter 4: The Day She Escaped From His Trap

It was two o'clock in the morning. Outside the house, John's armed guards stood near the front gate, watching the street. 

Inside the dark house, David quietly opened Iliyana's bedroom door. He had a small flashlight in his hand. He walked over to her bed and shook her awake. 

"Wake up," David whispered urgently. "Get up right now."

Iliyana sat up, rubbing her sleepy eyes. "Dad? What happened?"

"Pack a few clothes. We have to leave this second," he said, handing her a coat. 

Iliyana followed him down the dark hallway on her tiptoes. But David did not go toward the front door. He led her into the kitchen and unlocked the small back door that opened into an alley behind their garden. 

"Dad, where are we going?" Iliyana asked, shivering in the cold night air. 

David pushed open the broken wooden fence. "We are running away. We are going to Adrin. I will get you married to him tonight, and Alex will never know."

Before Iliyana could say anything, David grabbed her arm and pulled her into the dark alley where a car was waiting.

***

Two hours later, a black car pulled up outside the Lavish house. 

John Alex got out. He had come alone in the middle of the night to see Iliyana. Her soft face and bright eyes had not left his mind since that shootout in the rain. 

He walked into the house, took the stairs two at a time, and pushed her bedroom door open. 

The room was completely empty. 

The bed sheets were messy. Her closet doors hung wide open, and her bag was gone. 

John's jaw tightened in pure fury. 

He stormed down the stairs and kicked the front door wide open. 

"Where is she?!" John roared. 

The guards at the gate froze in terror. They ran over to him, shaking. The main guard fell to his knees on the concrete. "Mr. Alex... we watched the front gate all night. Nobody walked past us, we swear—"

John grabbed the man by his collar, lifted him up, and slammed him hard against the brick wall. 

"You had one job!" John shouted, his voice shaking with dangerous rage. "She walked right past you! If a single scratch touches her, I will put a bullet in every one of your heads. Tear this city apart! Find her right now!"

He threw the guard to the ground, pulled out his phone, and barked orders to all his men across the city. 

***

Four days passed. 

For four days, John searched for her like a mad dog. He did not sleep, and he did not rest. His men broke down doors and checked every street in the city. 

Far away, on the edge of the city, David and Adrin had hidden Iliyana inside an old hall. They wanted the wedding finished before John could ever track them down. 

Iliyana stood at the altar in a plain white dress. Her hands shook as she held a small bouquet. Across from her, Adrin smiled, thinking he had finally won. 

The old priest opened his holy book. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy marriage—"

BOOM!

A loud explosion blew the heavy front doors off their hinges. 

Thick white smoke rolled into the hall, filling the entire room. Broken glass flew across the floor. People started screaming and running in panic. 

Through the thick smoke, heavy footsteps stepped forward. 

A tall figure walked into the light. 

It was John Alex. 

Behind him, dozens of armed men in black suits flooded in, blocking every door. 

Two of John's men rushed forward, grabbed Adrin, and forced him down to his knees on the hard floor. 

John walked straight down the middle of the hall. He did not look at anyone else. His dark eyes were locked entirely on Iliyana in her white dress. 

He stopped right in front of her. His chest rose and fell with heavy anger. 

"Did you really think you could run from me, honey?" John asked. His voice was low, rough, and deadly. "I have spent the last four days looking for you like a mad dog. And you are here, wearing a white dress, getting ready to marry another man?"

He took a step closer, towering over her. "How did you even think that while I am still alive, I would ever let you belong to anyone else?"

"Hey!" Adrin yelled from the floor, trying to fight the guards holding him. "Whoever you are, back off! Iliyana is marrying me, not you!"

John did not even turn around. 

With one quick, brutal swing of his hand, John slapped Adrin hard across the face. 

The slap echoed through the quiet hall. Blood burst from Adrin's lip, and his head snapped to the side. 

John looked down at him with cold disgust. "If you take her name with that dirty mouth again, I will bury you so deep in the ground that your people will spend their whole lives digging and still never reach you."

John pushed him back with his foot, and the guards pinned Adrin flat to the ground. 

John turned back to the altar. He stood beside Iliyana and looked at the trembling priest. 

"Start the ceremony," John commanded. 

The priest was shaking so hard his book rattled in his hands. He looked at John, then at the pale girl beside him. 

"Do... do you, Iliyana Lavish," the priest stammered in fear, "take John Alex to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Total silence fell over the room. 

Iliyana kept her head down. She stared at the floor, her lips pressed tight together. She did not answer. 

John leaned down close to her ear, his voice dropping into a dark whisper. "Say yes, Iliyana. If you don't say yes, every single person in this hall dies today. And you will be the only one responsible. You know very well that taking a life means nothing to me."

The memory of that rainy night in the warehouse hit Iliyana. She had seen him shoot men dead without hesitating. She knew he would really do it. 

She slowly raised her eyes and looked around the hall. 

John's men had everyone trapped. Two guns were pointed straight at her father David’s head. Another rifle was pressed against Adrin's neck. 

Then, John pulled his black gun from his coat. 

He pressed the cold barrel directly against the priest's forehead. 

"And this priest dies first," John said coldly. 

The poor old priest started crying softly. He looked at Iliyana with terrified eyes, silently begging her to save his life. 

Iliyana turned her head and looked straight at John. 

Her eyes were red and full of tears. She looked right into John's dark eyes. Her face was full of so much heartbreak and pain that it seemed to freeze the air between them. 

For the first time in his life, John felt a strange, sharp ache hit his chest. 

He could shoot twenty men without caring, but looking into Iliyana's broken, tear-filled eyes was something he could not handle. It tore at him inside. 

In pure frustration, John squeezed his eyes shut. He looked down at the floor and let out a rough breath. 

"Come on, honey..." John said, his voice tight. "Don't look at me like that. Just say it."

Iliyana pressed her bottom lip between her teeth, trying to hold back her tears. 

With a heavy, broken heart, she gave her answer. 

"I do," she whispered. 

The priest quickly turned to John. "And do you, John Alex—"

"I do," John cut him off immediately. 

"Then... I declare you husband and wife," the priest rushed out. "You may kiss the bride."

John pulled his gun away from the priest's head and put it back inside his coat. 

He wrapped one large arm around Iliyana's waist and pulled her flush against his hard chest. Iliyana's hands came up, pressing against his shirt to keep some distance between them. 

John leaned down, moving in to kiss her lips. 

At the very last second, Iliyana jerked her face away. 

A flash of pure anger hit John. 

His hand shot out. He grabbed her face roughly, forcing her to look back at him. "Look at me," he commanded under his breath. 

Their eyes met again. 

Up close, John saw the deep pain and tears in her eyes. It hit him hard, and his anger completely died away. He couldn't stand seeing her look at him like he was the monster who had just ruined her life. 

With a low curse, John let go of her face. 

His frustration boiling over, he grabbed her wrist tightly. Without saying another word, he started dragging her away from the altar. 

Iliyana struggled behind him in her long white dress, unable to keep up with his fast, angry steps. 

As they reached the stairs outside the hall, Iliyana's high heel caught on the edge of the stone step. 

Her ankle twisted sharply to the side. 

A sharp cry of pain escaped her lips as her legs gave out, and she fell hard onto the cold stairs. 

John stopped instantly. He whipped around. 

All his anger vanished the second he saw her on the floor, holding her swollen ankle with tears pouring down her cheeks. 

John dropped to his knees right in front of her. 

His hands were unexpectedly gentle as he reached down, unbuckled her broken sandal, and slipped it off her foot. 

Iliyana looked at him through her tears, completely surprised by how soft his touch was. 

Before she could speak, John slid his arms under her back and knees, lifting her easily into his arms. 

A sharp wave of pain shot through her ankle. Without thinking, Iliyana grabbed his shirt tightly with both hands, holding on to him. 

John looked down at her face resting against his chest. He held her tight, walking out into the cold air with his army of armed men following in silence.