[ZARINA]I run.I run until my chest hurts and my leg burns.I run until my vision blurs and my head spins.I don’t turn or scream or cry for help.I run until something clasps around my wrist and yanks me back with force, it sends me flying back into someone’s warm arms.“What the fuck happened, Zarina? What the fuck?”I hear but I don’t understand. I hear, but I don’t hear at all. My heartbeat is too brash in my ears, too strong and reckless against my rib cage.I see him. I see his eyes. The confusion, the anger, the fear, and the anxiety behind them all are what I see. They whirl in his coffee eyes like the most destructive tempest, they melt in the way his arms tighten protectively around my frame, liquefying as warm and comforting whispers in my ears.“Sh-she is here!” I say pathetically, trembling like a bloody leaf. “She is here!”“Who is here?” he asks urgently, shooting his gaze everywhere around them. “Who is she?”“That woman,” my voice breaks, but I gather up the courage

[ZARINA]“No!” I yell, “No no no no no no no, it’s all wrong, all wrong.”For the past two hours, I’ve been trying to cook something decent and edible for myself. Something uncomplicated, something that shouldn’t be this challenging. But all my attempts confirm to be in vain. It took me ten minutes just to make sure the stove was working.This is all so new for me.Not the cooking quite so but this kitchen. Everything is modern and stylish; half of the things, the utensils, the food. I don’t even know what to do with them, how to use them, how to cook.Back at the orphanage, things were simple. We had limited kitchen wares and a fixed portion of food for each mouth. So, imagine my surprise and powerlessness when I tried to figure out this place. It’s even more complicated than those stubborn math problems. I don’t know what to do, or where to start.I should have paid a close eye to Vladimir when he cooked us breakfast and dinner the previous day. Should have woken up early, instead o

[ZARINA]Something happened, not sure what, but something did.A few minutes ago, we were having this intense make-out that literally set every inch of me on fire. I have never felt like this before, as if my heart would burst with this raw and passionate feeling loading it up, as if the knots in my stomach would explode like confetti. I can hardly wrap my head around what I did out there. Did I really confess to liking what happened last night? Why on earth did I do that? He must think I’m some crazed woman who is pining for the man who kidnapped her. Is this what they call Stockholm syndrome? Am I sick?A small part of me isn’t certain if what happened in the kitchen was something that should have taken place. I kissed Xavier, for the love of God. What would he think of me if he came to know about Vladimir and me? What if Vladimir learned of the kiss Xavier and I had? These confused feelings are not helping me right now.Despite this being a situation that I really should be worried

[VLADIMIR]It’s been two days and Zarina hasn’t left her room; she barely even leaves her bed. She refuses to talk, eat, drink, or do anything at all, except for lying on the bed and staring blankly into nothing. I cannot help but worry about her, don’t know what to do or say or how to help her get through this tough time.Perhaps it’s all my fault. I should never have agreed, should not have given in to Isabella’s demand. Before the meeting, Zarina was happy, or at least, better than she is now. Instead of leading her blindly into the room, I should have warned her, given her a hint or something. Then again, if I had done so, she would have come up with millions of questions. And God knows, I’m trying to wrap my head around this mess myself. She is not alone in this turmoil of confusion. I’m with her. We should have seen this coming, though. The similarities were bang on. I just wonder how they hid the truth for so long, and how much more is there to it we still aren’t able to figure

[ZARINA]Do you know they built Venice on more than a hundred small islands? Well, I didn’t.And do you know my life sucks? Yeah, me too.It’s been hours since we took off in the middle of nowhere. Literally. The yacht has been motionless, just floating, for the last few hours. Around us, there is nothing but an endless ocean and a sky so wide above that it’s almost daunting. Maybe, according to the map of the world, this place has a name, a relevance, but for someone like me, this is exactly what I’ll call nowhere.And nowhere is fucking awesome!After Vladimir left the room, leaving me with a new-fangled stab of guilt for knowing how oblivious he is to the truth himself, I only gave myself five minutes to recover before heading back up. Previously, I used to think it was of no concern to me if Vladimir ever learnt of his genuine relationship with Hazel, but now I’m afraid I do. I do care, and I should care as I know the truth and he doesn’t. Besides, if my personal experience has ta