The Wrong Bride, Their Right Love

YULIA'S POV

I could still hear the footsteps behind me—frantic and steady.

I slowly increased my pace, tightening my grip on my bag as I glanced at my phone.

9:00 p.m.

I knew I shouldn't have gone for that night class. I sighed and plugged in my headphones, hoping the music would drown out the sound of my heartbeat. But it didn't help. I could still feel someone following me.

I took a sharp breath and stopped abruptly.

For a moment, everything went silent.

I slowly turned around. And the moment I did, I froze. The blood drained from my face. A tall, buff man stood several feet away, a black mask covering most of his face.

Before I could even move, a pair of strong arms wrapped around me, locking me in place. Panic surged through me. I opened my mouth to scream, but a hand clamped over my nose and mouth. A piece of cloth pressed against my face. My eyes flew open the second I realized what was happening.

No.

I thrashed violently, kicking and struggling with everything I had, but the men were far stronger than me. My movements slowly became weaker. My vision blurred. My limbs grew heavy. I could feel tears sliding down my temples as consciousness slipped away.

What a shitty-ass birthday.

***********************************

“She’s been unconscious since we brought her here, sir.”

“I warned you not to harm the girl.”

"We followed your instructions, sir"

I kept my eyes half-open as I slowly scanned the room.

Surprisingly... pleasant.

I had been expecting a dark basement with cold concrete walls and maybe a rusty chain attached to the floor.

Wasn't I kidnapped?

I heard the men fall silent. Still pretending to be unconscious, I shifted my eyes toward the left. They were staring at me. I immediately closed my eyes.

“Leave us.”

“Yes, sir.”

The door opened and closed quietly behind them. I focused on regulating my breathing, keeping my eyes shut. Maybe if I stayed still, he'd think I was still unconscious.

“Are you awake?”

Shit.

I remained silent, but my lips trembled. After a few seconds, I slowly opened my eyes and met another pair of eyes.

Sea green.

My jaw nearly dropped. The man sitting beside the bed tilted his head slightly, his gaze trailing over me. I tried to sit up.

Nothing.

I tried moving my arms. Nothing. My legs? Nothing. Panic immediately returned.

“Who are you—”

My voice cracked. I swallowed hard and stared at him.

“What did you do to me?”

He sighed before slowly pulling off his black leather gloves.

A tattoo covered the back of his left hand, while deep scars stretched across his palm. His hands looked rough, worn, almost as if they'd seen far more violence than they should have.

“It's a lot to explain. You're probably confused—”

“Yeah, no shit.”

His eyes lifted to mine. He stared at me for several seconds. Then, without saying a word, he reached up and removed the black mask covering his face.

I tried my best to keep my expression neutral. It wasn't the face I had expected to see behind that mask. A long scar cut through his left eyebrow and stretched toward his eye. He was frighteningly handsome. And somehow, that made him even more unsettling. His gaze dropped to his hands for a few seconds before returning to me.

“The drug will wear off in a few hours.”

My eyes widened.

“The drug?”

“I knew you'd try to run.”

His voice was calm. Almost annoyingly calm.

“I had no choice.”

“You are not explaining anything!”

My voice rose as frustration and fear began to consume me.

“Why am I here?”

He stared at me for a moment before standing.

“I'll explain everything tomorrow.”

“No.”

I shook my head as panic flooded my chest.

“No, no, no! I'm not spending the night here!”

I tried to move again, desperate to get off the bed. My body refused to cooperate. I nearly fell over the edge.

“Stop!”

I screamed, throwing my head back against the pillow.

“I want to go home!”

He continued toward the door as though my screams didn't affect him.

“Try to settle in.”

His hand wrapped around the doorknob. Then he paused. He glanced over his shoulder. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

“Oh, and...”

My heart pounded.

“Happy birthday.”

And then he disappeared through the door.