No matter how many messages I fired back, the other end stayed silent.
I wanted to scream, but there was no time. I rushed back into the house and started packing up.
If Ethan found me, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The tour bus to the station was my only way out, but the moment I stepped on it, I felt predatory gazes from a group of people.
I clutched my bag tighter, shrinking into my seat. As the bus neared its final stop, they struck
Hands grabbed at me from every direction, tearing at my bag, my clothes, and even the cheap gold–plated earrings I wore.
Blood trickled down my neck, staining my collar. A gun barrel pressed against my forehead.
I regretted it immensely. I should have escaped under the cover of the night, when no one was around.
A large hand, carrying an unpleasant odor, reached toward me. I wanted to dodge, but there was nowhere to run. I could only
squeeze my eyes shut and brace for the worst.
Suddenly, gunshots rang out. I ducked and huddled myself.
One by one, the men around me fell, their bodies hitting the ground with sickening thuds. When the chaos subsided, I cautiously
opened my eyes.
There, bathed in the glow of the aurora, was Ethan. He strode toward me, his silhouette unmistakable even in the dim light.
My heart stopped. ‘How did he find me so fast?‘
I turned and bolted, but the thick snow soon trapped me.
Ethan hauled me out like a ragdoll. His face was unreadable, but I knew better.
This was his version of fury. He never lost control in front of me. But when he went silent like this, it meant hell was coming.
A pair of handcuffs made of gold were fastened to my wrists. They fit perfectly, as if they’d been made just for me.
He then shackled himself to me and dragged me to a waiting helicopter.
The flight was a blur of refueling stops and humiliating bathroom breaks where he refused to let me out of his sight or the cuffs.
We landed on an unknown island. It was a gilded prison, surrounded by endless water.
A villa loomed ahead, its opulence blinding. With golden walls, crystal chandeliers, and marble floors, it was a cage dressed in luxury.
1/2
+15 BONUS
Ethan was a downright lunatic. Even if he didn’t love me, he clung to the decade–long bond between us.
He fastened heavier chains to my wrists and ankles, ignoring my struggles.
Even when I bit his hand hard enough to draw blood, he didn’t flinch. Instead, he licked the wound, his amber eyes glinting with
something dark and unreadable.
Once he was sure I couldn’t escape, he gently brushed the hair from my face.
I snapped, “If you don’t love me, why won’t you let me go? You psycho! Did it never occur to you that one day I might disappear,
just like the substitute and the shield you used me as?”
