LOGIN~LUCAS~“Hold him and bring him to his knees before me,” Xavier commands.Three men step forward instantly, and they grab me forcefully.I struggle hard, refusing to knee to the bastard.“Let go!” I snap, trying to break free.But they’re persistent.One of them twists my arm painfully behind my back, forcing a sharp grunt out of me.“You’re stronger when you’re running your mouth, huh?” one of them sneers into my ear.Marcella screams again in pain, and I freeze…. just for a second.That’s all they need as they shove me down hard.My knees hit the floor, and anger shoots up instantly within me.“Good,” Xavier says, clapping slowly again. “That’s better.”He walks in front of me, looking down like I'm nothing.His shoe nudges my shoulder, almost playfully, like I’m some stray dog he’s inspecting.“Now…” he says softly. “Apologize.”I stare up at him with rage in my eyes, but I'm silent.“And not just that,” he continues, voice turning darker. “Cry.”Marcella
~LUCAS~The air in the room changes the moment they step in.It doesn’t just shift….it tightens, like something invisible has wrapped around my throat and started squeezing.My eyes lock on them.Xavier and Albert.For a second… just a second… everything inside me goes still.Because I knew.Deep down, I knew Xavier could be behind this.The threats. The anger. The way things ended between him and Marcella.It all pointed to him.But knowing… and seeing it… are two completely different things.And Albert…My jaw tightens slowly, painfully.That part….I didn’t expect.Not him.Not like this.Not standing beside Xavier like they’re partners in this madness.Confusion, anger, and disbelief twists in my chest.All crashing into each other at once.Marcella lets out a broken sound behind me.“Lucas… please…” she whispers weakly, her voice trembling with fear.I don’t take my eyes off them.Xavier grins….that same disgusting, arrogant grin.Like this is all a game
~LUCAS~Something is wrong.I feel it before I even understand it.It starts as a small, uneasy feeling in my chest as I step out of the bathroom, drying my hands on a towel.“Marcella?” I call casually, walking into the room. “Who was at the door?”No answer.I frown slightly, glancing around.She was just here….literally just here.She had said she heard a knock… said she wanted to check who it was.“Marcella?” I call again, louder this time.Still nothing.A strange tension creeps up my spine.I step further into the apartment, my eyes scanning every corner like she might suddenly appear out of nowhere.“Marcella, this isn’t funny,” I mutter, though there’s no humor in my voice.But the silence that replies me is thick and uncomfortable.My heartbeat starts to pick up.I walk toward the door, and I see that it's locked.I open it slightly, but see nobody there.That alone makes my stomach drop.“Marcella?” I push it open wider and step into the hallway.It
~MARCELLA~Lucas is in danger.“No!” I suddenly shout, my voice cracking as I push myself to my feet. “You’re not touching him!” The room goes still. Xavier raises a brow. “And how exactly are you going to stop me?” he asks softly. I step forward despite the fear clawing at me. “Let her go,” I say, my voice shaking but firm. “This is between you and me… not her… not Lucas…” Xavier’s smile fades slightly… not completely… but enough to turn colder. “Oh, Marcella…” he murmurs. “You still don’t get it.” My heart pounds violently. “This isn’t a negotiation,” Xavier says.His eyes darken slowly… dangerously.And then, his expression shifts into something far more cruel.“Take her and tie her up,” he says.The words fall flat and final.Before I can even react, two men move toward me at once.“What…..no….don’t touch me!” I snap, jerking backward instinctively.Rough hands grab my arms hard….too hard.“Let me go!” I struggle immediately, twisting vio
~MARCELLA~The moment I step out of my house, everything inside me explodes into motion.The hallway blurs around me as I rush forward.The elevator is right there.I slam the button, once, twice, three times, but it's too slow.“Fuck!” I breathe out, already turning away.I don’t have time for this, so I take the stairs, and I run.My feet hit each step hard, fast, almost slipping as I descend too quickly.My breathing becomes uneven, matching the wild rhythm of my heart.Stephanie’s face flashes in my mind….her tears, the ropes, the fear in her eyes.“Please don’t hurt her…” I whisper desperately, over and over again like a prayer. “Please don’t hurt her… please don’t hurt her…”My hand grips the railing so tightly my knuckles ache, and for a second, my foot misses a step.I stumble forward, catching myself just in time.“Shit…” I gasp, panic clawing up my throat.My mind betrays me with worse images now….Stephanie screaming, begging… bleeding.“No… no… no…”
~MARCELLA~I just got home not quite long from a breakfast date with Lucas.Lucas had free lessons today, and I…I decided to skip classes to go on a breakfast date with him.I got a message from Stephanie in the car on our way back home asking that we have lunch together because she's starving.But I was too lovey dovey to respond to her immediately.Now, I'm relaxing at home.I’m sitting on my bed, one leg tucked under me, the other dangling lazily off the edge, my back resting lightly against the headboard.The room is quiet… too quiet… especially compared to the warmth, the soft laughter, and the lingering tension I just left behind with Lucas.For a moment, I just sit there, staring at nothing.There’s still a faint smile on my lips… the kind I don’t even realize is there.My fingers absentmindedly trace the edge of my phone, my thoughts drifting back to him…the way he's being such a sweet gentleman earlier.Now, he's currently using the bathroom, and he's al
~ELENA~I don’t remember walking. I don’t remember taking a step. I barely remember deciding to leave the dining room.All I know is that something in me knew ... .knew they would hurt each other, knew they would break something that can never be fixed, knew I had to stop
~ELENA~The front door burst open and my step father walks in angrily.My mother follows him inside, her eyes wide, her face pale. She clutches her purse like it might keep her safe.“Where are they?” Lorenzo’s voice is sharp enough to slice through stone.As if my step bro
~ELENA~I open my eyes, and the world seems to stop breathing.Moonlight slants through the half-drawn curtains, silvering the air, and there he is.Riccardo.I gasp out softly.He’s sitting beside me on the bed, breathing hard, shadows cutting across his face. His eyes catch
~ELENA~Someone is here. Someone is really here.My eyes flutter open immediately, half awake, half conscious.For a heartbeat, everything is dark…. shadows dancing across the ceiling, moonlight spilling faintly through the rain-smeared glass. The air feels heavy, thick wi







