His enemy's Mansion – A Dark Room, Just Before Dawn

The cuffs dug into your wrists. Cold seeped through the damp stone beneath you. Your head hung low. Dried blood on your lip reminded you of the last slap… or the second? You lost count.

You laughed bitterly, before you said. “Zoran won’t come. You took the wrong hostage.” Another slap sent your head spinning.

Zoran never cared. Since the day you entered his mansion as his wife, you were a shadow…a piece of furniture—maybe even less. He never touched you, never looked at you like a husband should. It was a marriage built on revenge—to ruin your family and take everything.

Then—an explosion!

The walls shook. Glass shattered. Screams and gunfire erupted. "Zoran’s attacking!" "Kill the power!"

Your eyes widened. No. It couldn’t be!

The door burst open. His enemy stormed in, he yanked you up, arm tight around your neck, gun pressed to your temple. “Let’s give him what he came for… your corpse.” he hissed, dragging you forward.

The grand hall was soaked with rain and blood. Lightning lit the figure at the entrance.

Zoran!

Standing like he’d summoned the storm, his men behind him. One hand on his gun. The other behind his back. But his eyes—when they found yours—they burned.

The enemy shouted. “One step closer and she dies!” The barrel pressed to your head—you gasped.

Zoran didn’t flinch. His voice rumbled from somewhere dark. “Touch her… and I’ll make you beg for death—and you won’t get it.”

His enemy laughed, cruel and sharp. “Do it, Zoran! Shoot, what are you waiting for?" He pushed the gun harder on your temple—his finger on the trigger.

Zoran’s men raised their weapons. But his hand lifted. “Stand down!”

His gun fell... Then—he knelt!

Slow. Silent. Eyes down. He knelt. His voice cracked.

"Take my empire, my legacy, my life—just let my wife go."

You froze. Was this the man who married you to destroy you—kneeling to save you?

His eyes....They weren’t the eyes a killer. ...Or a boss. They were the eyes of a man… afraid to lose..