3

After that, no one bothered to speak. Almost driving after three hours, I started to notice the inadequacy of residence. The car started moving on an unpaved road, bumping here and there every now and then. My eyes narrowed and my face vaguely distorted in uncertainty.

Where are they taking me? Were they planning to take me deep into the woods and kill me there? But it doesn't make sense... They could have killed me in my house with my parents. Why would they take me into the woods just to kill me?

Oh my God, are they planning to rape me and then kill me? No no no no... I can't let that happen. I don't want to die like this. So many terrifying thoughts popped up in my head and all the things that could happen to me.

My eyes began to sting and saltiness gathered at my waterline. Stop crying, Jasmin. Crying isn't going to get you anywhere, but it will only add to your problems. I scolded myself. I continued to blink away, trying hard not to cry and compose myself, knowing that crying would only cause me more trouble. It took everything within me to keep the tears at bay.

I looked at Dean, who had already fallen asleep, and then at Ivan, who was still typing. God knows what this man is typing, it's been hours now. I returned my attention to my hand, which was folded into a fist and sat on my lap. I just stared at my hands for the next 20 minutes as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. It was only when the van came to a halt that my attention flickered from it. I looked outside to see we had stopped right in front of an old and rusty-looking house. Actually, it was a warehouse.

Now I understood they wanted to kill me by giving me a heart attack. I mean weren't they enough to scare me to death? Why bring me to this haunted warehouse? I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even realize they had gotten off the van. Only when I felt a hand on my knees breaking from my depressing yet haunted thoughts.

Looking up, I find Ivan standing in front of me. Surprised me when he held his hand out for me. My brows frowned as I stared at his hands, then back at his face.

"Come," was the only thing he said. There was a moment of hesitation before I clasped my shaky hands in his. My already tiny hand looked tinier in comparison to his.

His hold on my hand secures as he helps me out of the van and I murmur a small 'Thank you' to him. To which he just replies with a curt nod.

I begin to pull, trying to slip my hand from his, but he only tightens the hold on it, making me frown. As much as I wanted to withdraw, I couldn't, afraid that if I did he would beat me up. I looked ahead to seeing Dean and the other man entering the warehouse.

I was still confused as to why they had brought me to a place like this and before I could comprehend what was going on, Ivan gently pulled me along as we entered the building.

I was shocked to see the inside, it was completely opposite to the exterior of the building. It was rather elegant and well-furnished, which I had not anticipated. Ivan doesn't stop there though he pulls me further in and doesn't give me any chance to observe the interior.

We almost walked for like a minute or before he stopped right in front of a large double door. He pushes open the door and pulls us both inside. Only when we entered the room did he release my hand.

I couldn't help letting my eyes wander across my room. It was an average-sized room but rather large in comparison to mine. The walls of the room were painted gloomy grey and the curtain that was hung was the same color as the room was. A royal-sized bed was pressed on the middle side of the wall.

Two matching bedside drawers on either side of the bed. A big-sized TV hanged on the opposite wall of the bed. The flooring was covered with wood and a grey circular carpet sat underneath half of the bed. Overall, it was a beautiful room.

I came out of my trance at the sound of the door being shut. My eyes snapped in the direction of the sound to find Ivan had closed the door and I felt the color drain from my face.

Oh god! Why did he close the door? Is he going to rape me now? So many questions were running through my head and I was two seconds away from having a panic attack.

"Relax, I'm not going to do anything to you," Ivan assured me, maybe seeing my pale face. I am a hundred percent sure I look as pale as a sheet of blank paper. Even though I knew he was not lying. But I still couldn't get rid of the fear that was rooted inside of me. Can you blame me though?

Ivan removed the mask from his face and now gave me a view of his face. His dark blonde hair was messy, it was all over the place. His jaw is sharp as a knife, well-defined cheekbone. The perfect shaped nose and his luscious lips. And let's not forget about his sultry eyes. There was the most beautiful shade of dark green. It reminded me of the forest. His shoulders were quite broad but he was lean build.

He was breathtakingly handsome. Actually, beautiful wasn't enough to describe him. To be honest, I couldn't find the right words to describe him, he was too handsome to be real. Only if he wasn't a vicious criminal, could I see myself having a crush on him.

I quickly lowered my gaze as I realized I was ogling him. What the hell is wrong with you, Jasmin? Don't let the beauty of this man distract you. He killed your parents without any mercy and don't you dare ever forget that.

I could feel his stare but I avoided his stare, pretending as if I didn't know he was staring right at me. The room was noiseless, waiting for him to voice. I couldn't fathom what he would do next.

"Go freshen up, you must be tired and hungry. I will cook something for you till then," he finally uttered, breaking through the eerily silence in the room. I couldn't help but peek at him through my lashes.

He stood there looking at me, his hands tucked into his pockets, just staring at me. I felt like he could see right through me. We make eye contact for a brief second before I drop my eyes again. It was silent again, then I realized he was waiting for my response.

I didn't dare say anything back, just nodded, not having confidence in myself to utter a word, but I still didn't look at him. I just kept my gaze on the floor. He still stands there staring at me. I don't understand why he is still here. I can feel my palms getting watery, and I wipe them on my dress.

There was silence for a moment before I heard him sighing. I thought he would say something but he just turned on his heel and walked out, disappearing behind the door without sparing me another glance. The door slammed shut and then I heard a clicking sound which meant he had locked the door from outside.

And I finally let myself breathe, my shoulders slumping forwards in relief. I did a spin around the room, desperately searching for something that would help me escape, but nothing. I let out a sigh of defeat before I walked inside the door which led to the ensuite. I locked the door behind me for precaution, just in case Ivan came back.

All the emotions I've been holding spillover, blurring my vision. I squeezed my eyes, finally letting the tears roll down my face. My hand clasped over my mouth to try to muffle the sobs wracking through my body. I didn't want anyone to hear me crying and think I was weak.

I know people like them feed on fear and I didn't want them to have that satisfaction. But the question was till when? Till when I can pretend to be strong. I am not strong. I know very well that neither. I am proud of it.

I have no one now. They killed my parents brutally and I couldn't do anything. I missed them so much that it hurt. It hurts that I am such a coward that I still fear for my life and am doing whatever they are ordering me so that I can live my pathetic life. I had no one to run to. Nor turn too.

I don't know till how long I stood there crying over my faith before the crying turned into hiccups and finally I felt too numb to feel anything.

I splashed water on my face and raised my head up to stare at my reflection in the mirror. My tip of the nose was red, my eyes were puffy and red, and my hair was out of order. In a simple word, I looked like a mess but at the moment I did not care.

I opened the cabinet and found a body wash, soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush and paste, and even a first aid kit. But all were men's products. I guess I have to compromise with this today. Maybe it'd be better if I learned to compromise from now onwards. Who knows what's going to happen next?

After spending a good amount of time cleaning up thoroughly. I quickly changed into the giant t-shirt that reached exactly up to my knees and a spare boxer underneath which I had found in the closet.

I sat on the bed trying to come to the turn of phrase with the circumstances that had happened in the past few hours. Today was supposed to be one of the happy and memorable days in our lives. I was about to surprise my parents, but now.

My life has changed in a day and I have a strong feeling that this is just the beginning. Things are only going to get worse than this. I never expected that I would be imprisoned in such a situation.

A shaky sigh escaped my lips as I thought of what tomorrow would bring. All I could hope was this was all just a nightmare and that I would soon be over and I would wake up soon.

Jenny crosses my mind. I hope she has called the police and they are searching for me. I need to get out of here before I go insane. Placing my fingers on my temples, I gently massage the skin in want of alleviating the headaches forming on my head.

Suddenly, my stomach rumbles, reminding me I hadn't had anything since yesterday. I normally don't eat while traveling long distances because of motion sickness. I glanced at the wall clock and it was past three in the afternoon. No wonder I was hungry.

But I had no option other than to wait. I don't have any idea where they are going to feed me or starve me. A frustrated sigh escapes my lips. What have I gotten myself into?