MARIA.

I barely had time to breathe after everything that had just happened.

Vincent’s sudden change in attitude was alarming but that wasn’t the reason I came to my room.

I had come to fetch something—The bracelet.

My breath hitched slightly as I pushed myself off the bed and walked toward my small drawer. My fingers trembled just a little as I pulled it open and reached inside.

There it was, simple... but meaningful. I had personally and carefully made it myself.

For Noah.

A soft smile tugged at my lips despite everything. After all the chaos, the confusion, the fear... this was something real. Something that belonged to just me and him.

At least I needed a gift for our fake engagement.

Carefully, I picked it up, running my thumb over it for a brief second.

Then I turned and hurried toward the door.

I needed to give it to him.

Right now.

Before anything else could go wrong.

I stepped out of my room, clutching the bracelet tightly in my hand, my pace quick, almost eager as I moved down the hallway.

But I didn’t even make it far.

A sudden force came from behind me.

Before I could react...A thick, rough fabric was thrown over my head.

Darkness swallowed me instantly.

My breath hitched in panic.

"Mmmph—!"

I struggled immediately, my hands flying up, trying to pull the sack off my head, but strong arms restrained me.

"Let go!" I tried to scream, but my voice came out muffled, swallowed by the fabric.

My heart pounded violently.

I kicked, twisted, fought with everything I had, but it was useless.

Whoever held me was stronger.

Much stronger.

"Stop struggling," a rough voice muttered behind me.

Fear surged through my veins and then everything went black.

***

I don’t know how long I was out.

Time felt... distorted. Like it had slipped through my fingers while I was trapped in some dark, empty space with no sense of direction, no sense of anything at all.

But when I opened my eyes again, the first thing that hit me was the pain.

My head throbbed painfully, a sharp, pulsing ache that made it hard to think, hard to even breathe properly. My vision was blurry at first, the world around me unfocused and spinning slightly as I struggled to make sense of what I was seeing.

Everything felt off.

Wrong.

I blinked slowly, trying to clear my sight, trying to force the haze to lift and then, It hit me hard. I wasn’t in my room anymore.

The realization slammed into me, sharp and immediate, sending a jolt of panic through my chest.

I was tied to a chair.

My hands, bound tightly behind me, the rough rope digging into my wrists, biting into my skin with every small movement. My legs were restrained as well, secured firmly so I couldn’t move even an inch without resistance.

And my mouth...My mouth was tied shut.

A muffled gasp escaped me, trapped behind the cloth, the sound barely audible but filled with rising panic.

No.

No, no, no..

My breathing quickened instantly, shallow and uneven as fear surged through me, hot and overwhelming.

I struggled against the ropes, twisting my wrists, pulling, pushing, anything to loosen the tight hold they had on me.

But they wouldn’t budge.

Not even slightly.

The more I fought, the deeper they seemed to dig into my skin, the pain sharp and unforgiving.

Where was I?

Who did this?

My thoughts raced wildly, crashing into each other without forming any clear answer.

And just then, the door creaked open, the sound slow and deliberate and my entire body froze.

Every movement stopped.

Every breath caught halfway in my chest.

Footsteps echoed into the room, steady and unhurried, each one sending a wave of dread deeper into my veins.

And when the figure stepped fully into view...

I saw her.

Patricia.

A slow, twisted smile spread across her face as she walked toward me, her eyes gleaming with something unsettling, something dark.

"Oh... my dear sister," she cooed mockingly, her voice soft but laced with something cruel. "There’s really no need for you to struggle."

My eyes widened in shock, my body going rigid.

Why the hell was she the one?

Confusion mixed with fear, twisting inside me as I stared at her, trying to make sense of her words.

She circled me slowly, her steps measured, deliberate, like a predator savoring the moment before the strike.

Watching.

Enjoying.

"No one is coming for you," she continued calmly, her tone almost casual, as if she were stating something obvious. "Because... you have no one."

My heart pounded harder, louder, each beat slamming against my chest as anger began to rise beneath the fear.

What the hell is wrong with this psycho?

She suddenly stopped in front of me and bent down, her face closer now, her presence suffocating.

Her fingers reached for the cloth tied around my mouth.

Before I could react, she pulled it sharp and quick.

The fabric loosened instantly, and I gasped, dragging in air as fast as I could, my lungs burning as I struggled to breathe properly again.

"You psycho!" I snapped, my voice shaking with anger, raw and unfiltered. "What do you want from me?!"

Patricia tilted her head slightly, her smile widening.

"What do I want?" she repeated softly, then her expression darkened. "I want you gone."

A chill ran down my spine.

"I don’t want you anywhere near my life," she continued, her voice now laced with venom. "Can’t you just leave me alone? Can’t you leave Darren alone?"

My brows furrowed in confusion and irritation.

"Darren?" I scoffed. "You can have Darren all to yourself! I don’t want him. Now untie me...I have somewhere to be!"

Her eyes hardened instantly.

"No way," she said coldly, turning lightly. "Bring it."

One of the masked men stepped forward, carrying a bucket.

Ice.

Water.

My stomach dropped.

Before I could react, She dipped her hand into the freezing water and splashed it onto my head.

"Ahhh!" I gasped, my body jerking violently.

The cold hit me like a shock, seeping into my skin, stealing my breath.

Again.

Another splash.

And another.

My teeth began to chatter uncontrollably.

"Patricia...stop!" I cried, my body trembling. "You’re crazy!"

She laughed, a hollow, unhinged sound.

"Yes," she said, her eyes gleaming. "I am crazy."

Another splash.

"Because you’re going to die here."

My body shook violently now, the cold biting into me mercilessly.

"From the cold," she whispered. "Right here."

My vision blurred slightly, but I kept struggling, kept fighting, I wasn’t going to accept it, I wasn’t going to die like this.

Suddenly, the door slammed open. The sound echoed loudly across the room as everything went still.

Even Patricia froze.

My breathing hitched as I lifted my head weakly toward the door.

The footsteps were slow and deliberate.

My heart pounded.

Then the figure stepped fully into view.

And the moment I saw who it was...

I froze.