You run. Your lungs burn, your legs ache, but you don’t stop. The gunshot still rings in your ears, the image of the man in the hospital bed, lifeless, seared into your mind. You weren’t supposed to be there. You weren’t supposed to see.

Branches snap beneath your feet as you push through the darkness, heart pounding. But then—a hand grabs your arm, yanking you back. You twist, struggling, but he’s too strong.

Ferhat.

“Let me go!” you gasp, panic clawing at your throat.

“You saw too much.” His voice is quiet, steady. Dangerous.

Terror coils inside you. He’s going to kill you.

“But I don’t kill family.” His grip tightens. “Marry me, and you live.”

Your breath shudders. Marry him? This isn’t a choice—it’s a sentence. But you nod, barely whispering, “Yes.”

Without another word, he drags you through the night, past the trees, past the cold air and the scent of damp earth, until you reach the stables. He shoves open the door and pushes you inside.

“Stay here.”

The door slams shut. You’re alone. Trapped.