Y A S M E E N Everything needs to be perfect. I have never wanted to perfect something so much in my life because I never had to impress someone as hard-headed as Marcus Wang before. In fact, I've never actually wanted to impress a boy before. I always went with the flow and as everyone knows by now, that never worked out. But something about Marcus makes me want to work harder, makes me crave his attention, and makes me pull for his approval. It is absolutely maddening and honestly, I would not want it any other way. Why? Because I thrive from the feeling of every nerve in my body pulling me towards him. So many people are afraid to fall, afraid of things not working out, and afraid they will end up torn into pieces but that doesn't bother me. Of course, I do care about being heartbroken and would prefer if I do not end up in a million pieces, but it's all part of life, no? We fall, we get hurt, and we learn. It's all part of the experience or maybe I'm just an insane masochist who

Z A R A "Elijah? What are you doing here?" The shock in my voice is apparent. No one is allowed up to our apartment without permission from Alejandro, except for Alejandro himself and Charlotte."Why?" He asks."Didn't you leave for Italy a couple of days ago?" I furrow my brows. That's what Yasmeen told me the other day. She told me that Elijah had left a couple of days ago to visit family."No, I leave tonight," he clarifies."And?" There's a hint of attitude in my tone because I'm still holding a grudge for how he almost had me killed by Alejandro by being reckless "What are you doing here? If Alejandro finds out—""You're not going to invite me in?" He interrupts my sentence. I'm silent, slowly pushing the door forward to not allow him to enter any further."Come with me," he says."W-What?" I blink, trying to wonder why he would try this again when it didn't work the first time."Come with me to Italy. Let's run away," he pauses before saying, "Together.""Are you insane?" I'm s

Y A S M E E N A group of men come in and drag the women's bodies away, leaving us alone together."It hurts... It hurts everywhere, Marcus," I cough up blood as I speak."Shh, I know. I know." He leans down to press his forehead against mine, the tip of our noses brushing slightly. "It's going to be okay; you're going to be okay."I raise my hand to softly to touch his face. He looks so disheveled, poor Marcus. "Your hair's so fluffy," I say as my hand slowly trails to his hair, running my fingers through them. He grabs my hand and places it against his lips, leaving a soft kiss. Then, he rests his cheek against that hand. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you,""I would say it's alright but it's not. Look where it got me," I pout teasingly. His expression turns grim, and I quickly inform him that I'm kidding. "It's okay, really. I couldn't believe myself when the woman showed up."I can feel my consciousness slipping away as my arm limps in his grasp."Just hold on just a little longer. D

Z A R A"Take me home?" My voice is instantly quiet. I wrap my arms around my stomach in a firmer manner, afraid of what may happen.In minutes, Frank explains his task to infiltrate Philip's hideout but at that time, Frank wasn't informed of all the details."You're saying Alejandro knew that there would be an attempt on my life?" Frank nods. "Yet he let it happen." He nods again."I was just a pawn in his sick game?"Frank pauses, picking his next words very carefully. "Again, I was not informed of all the details—just enough to gather information and put Boss' plan into action. The knowledge of whether you were a pawn or not is not under my understanding."I don't have time to think hard about any of this. I will take Frank's help and escape this place. "Since when did your speech get so formal?"He looks at me in confusion."You sound formal, instead of rude.""I've always talked like this," he states."Right..." I give him a small smile. "How are we leaving this place?"He gives

Z A R A "I don't have the answer to that, my love," Alejandro answers. "You'll only find out after you pull the trigger.""You call me 'my love', yet those words don't hold any meaning for you. Why?" My voice cracks.I'm so tired. I'm so very tired. He picks up his bloodied hand, covered in the aftermath of torture that he endured, and gently places it against my cheek. I lean into his hand and squeeze my eyes shut, letting a few tears slip out.I shove the tip of the gun further against his Adam's apple, my hand shaking over the trigger. I let out a sad chuckle. Why is this so hard? I should be able to pull this trigger with no problem. This man... he did me no good, no good at all. Then, why? Why is it so difficult to end the part of my life that's causing me suffering?"I can't do it," I whisper loud enough for only Alejandro to hear. "I can't..." Yet his eyes give away nothing, he's accepted the fate that his death is from my hands."What's taking you so long, Zara?" Philip interr