I freeze, unable to move, as if my body no longer belongs to me. My heart pounds violently against my chest, so hard that I feel like it might explode. My fingers tremble around my bracelets, the cold metal biting into my still-damp skin.
He is there. In front of me. Malik.
I see him through the mirror on the vanity. My reflection is pale, frozen. His is perfectly calm. Too calm.
He's wearing a light beige suit, impeccably tailored: clean trousers, a structured jacket, a matching vest, a white shirt, an elegant tie. A discreet pocket square peeks from his jacket pocket—an unnecessarily polished detail.
His posture is straight, confident, dominant.
His wavy hair is carefully styled, falling slightly over his forehead. His face is hard, closed off, and his eyes… his dark eyes slowly roam over my body from head to toe with a sickening intensity that turns my stomach.
I'm sitting, unable to look away.
My throat tightens. My stomach twists. My legs tremble.
When he takes a step toward me, my body finally reacts.
I jump up and face him.
— What are you doing here, Malik?
My voice trembles. With anger. With fear.
— Get out of here, I say louder, pointing at the door. Get out immediately.
He laughs softly. A deep, slow, arrogant laugh. A laugh that makes me want to throw up.
— Still so polite…
His voice is hard and calm at the same time.
— You have no right to be here, Malik. My voice cracks slightly. You have no place in my life anymore.
He moves forward. One step. Then another. Calm. Far too calm.
— Seriously?
He tilts his head, openly studying me without any shame.
— You're beautiful… absolutely beautiful.
My chest tightens painfully.
Anger rises, burning, crushing the fear.
— You lost the right to look at me like that. My voice hardens. You lost it the day you betrayed me. The day you lied to me. The day I realized I was just a game to you.
His smile freezes.
His gaze darkens instantly.
— You always exaggerate everything, he snaps coldly. And I haven't lost anything. Because you're here. With me. You belong to me.
A wave of disgust runs through my entire body.
— You're sick, Malik. If you think I belong to you like some trophy, you're completely wrong.
He laughs.
But this time, his laughter is hard. Empty.
— You've always belonged to me, Esther. And that will never change.
I look at him with absolute disgust.
— Leave. My voice trembles. Leave now, or I call the guards.
His smile slowly widens.
He takes two quick steps toward me.
— Go on, call them.
He leans close to me.
— But know this: no one—and I mean no one—will ever separate me from you.
I find myself trapped against the nightstand. The wood digs into my back. There's no space left to escape.
Fear completely overwhelms me.
I grab my phone.
Too late.
He lunges at me, violently slams his hand over my mouth. My scream is muffled. His other arm wraps tightly around my waist. His body crushes mine.
I can't breathe.
— I'm warning you, Esther, he whispers near my ear. Don't play games with me.
He removes his hand slightly to speak.
— I'm giving you a choice.
He locks his intense, burning gaze into mine.
— Either you come with me calmly… or I take you by force.
I don't answer. I just stare at him. The man in front of me is a stranger. Malik would never have done this. The Malik I knew would never have been this brutal. This angry.
My eyes blaze with fury.
He smirks arrogantly.
— Judging by the way you're looking at me… I guess the answer is no.
He grabs my wrists with one hand. I struggle, I hit him, but he's much stronger. He pulls a cloth from his pocket and violently presses it over my mouth.
A strong smell. My head spins. My strength slowly fades. He lifts me and throws me over his shoulder. I hit his back, but he doesn't react. He leaves the bedroom, goes down the stairs.
The hallway is empty. The veranda too.
The guards aren't there.
I wonder where they are. They're never there when you need them.
He takes me to his car: a black luxury sedan with tinted windows. He throws me inside, slams the door, and locks it.
I use those seconds to rip the cloth away from my mouth.
— Help! Help me! Please! I say while hitting the window, but nothing.
He gets in, looks at me with that cruel, almost satisfied smile.
— You can scream all you want. No one is coming. The guards aren't here—I took care of them.
He smiles.
— And your fiancé won't come save you… I took care of the detective he hired to follow me, so he won't even know you disappeared.
The car starts.
We slowly leave the property.
Tears fall before I even realize it.
— Don't cry, my love.
His voice is calm. You know I don't like seeing you cry.
— Malik… please… stop. I don't recognize you anymore.
He glances at me, then looks back at the road.
— You're the one who made me like this. Your love drove me crazy. And you are mine. No one else's.
I'm trembling, almost from fear and anger.
— This… this isn't love…
— DON'T YOU DARE INSULT MY LOVE FOR YOU! he yells.
His hands tremble on the steering wheel. His jaw is clenched. His eyes are red with rage.
— I'll prove it to you today.
— What are you going to do? Where are you taking me?
My voice is barely a whisper.
— You wanted to get married, didn't you?
He smiles.
— Then so be it.
My heart jumps violently. I dread what he's about to say.
— What do you mean, Malik?
He looks straight into my eyes.
— We're getting married, my darling. I've prepared everything. The mayor is waiting for us.
— No… don't do this. You can't do this.
— And yet we are getting married, and no one will come ruin this.
I feel sick just waiting to hear what he's going to say.
— You can't do this. My parents… my father… he won't survive this… Stop the car, Malik, I'm begging you!
My tears won't stop. I don't know why, but I can't hold them back.
And he does nothing but laugh, as if this situation is funny.
— That's the point, my darling. Imagine the headlines: Alex Bessone's only daughter runs away on her wedding day to marry her lover.
I'm in shock.
— No, you can't do this. My… my father will find me, he'll come and—
He bursts out laughing.
A villain's laugh.
A dangerous laugh.
A shiver of terror runs through me.
— You know what's funny? he continues laughing. You'll write a letter saying you left of your own free will. And when your family reads it, they won't dare look for you. Your father will be shattered knowing his only daughter is gone… and my father will finally get his revenge.
I can't believe it. All this for revenge. How can someone act like this toward another person?
— You say you love me… but all you want is your father's revenge…
He tightens his grip on the wheel.
— As long as you're with me, the rest doesn't matter. My father will get his revenge. And he'll let us live in peace.
Disgust overwhelms me. I don't recognize this man anymore.
— I will never marry you, Malik. And I will never write that letter.
He looks at me calmly.
— Oh yes, you will.
I cry uncontrollably.
When I see the city hall in the distance, my heart shatters.
My parents.
Tony.
Mina.
Leila.
Everyone I love. Everything is collapsing. How do I end this nightmare?
He's focused on the road, eyes fixed ahead, a victorious smile on his lips.
I wipe my tears and, without thinking, throw myself at the steering wheel and wrench it violently.
— ARE YOU CRAZY? STOP!
The car swerves. The road is empty.
The vehicle suddenly rushes toward a tree. A deafening sound. A violent crash. Deafening.
Then… darkness.