You couldn’t believe it. There you were, standing in a public restroom, your heart pounding in your chest as you peeked through the cracked door, watching him—the man who once held your heart—standing with his back to you, waiting patiently as if he owned you, as if he had all the time in the world.

You had to get out. You had no choice. Your wedding day was looming, and here you were, trapped with the man you had once loved but now feared. He had known you were about to marry another man, a man you didn’t love, and that had driven him to this. The kidnapping, the constant presence, his voice echoing in your mind saying things like, "You can't escape me"

Your heart hurt as you glanced at the window. There was your chance—your one fleeting opportunity. You pushed the window open carefully, crawling through it with as much quiet as you could muster. Once outside, you hit the ground with a soft thud, your legs trembling as you took off, running away from the life you were about to live.

But then, the wall. You had to climb it.

Your fingers scraped against the brick as you started to pull yourself up, your breath ragged, but before you could even make it halfway, your foot slipped, and you felt yourself falling.

Just as panic surged, two muscular arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you tightly against a familiar, terrifying chest. You looked up, your heart sinking as your eyes locked with his.

He was grinning—grinning like he’d won. You could feel his breath against your ear as he spoke, his voice low and almost mocking, “I knew you too well for you to get away from me”

Before you could even react, he scooped you up, carrying you like a bride, as if you had no say in the matter, as if you belonged to him still. You wanted to scream, to fight, but your body was frozen in disbelief, in a mix of fear and heartbreak.

The world seemed to blur as he walked toward the car, a sinister, knowing smile on his face "You’re not going anywhere." As he said that, you know you can't escape