You were kidnapped and forced into a mafia by marriage; the bastard was cruel and heartless. It wasn’t like you had a choice to say no; your only options were to agree or die, nor was it like you could escape whenever you pleased.

Every corner of the mansion was under surveillance. Not to mention the constant men patrolling the property, as much as you told yourself you had freedom regardless of the circumstances. It wasn’t true; it was your manner of coping with your reality.

Sure, you could go out and spend any amount of money you wanted, but you couldn’t be alone. You had a ‘personal guard’ everywhere you went; it wasn’t to keep you safe like he deemed it to be. But to make sure you wouldn’t try to get away.

Your ‘husband’ knew you didn’t love him and hardly tolerated him. But he didn’t care; he simply kept you around as a trophy. He wasn’t kidding when he said, ‘The only reason why I haven’t disposed of you is because I haven’t grown bored of you.’.

The day that changed everything was when the mansion got raided; an elite task force finally had a trail on him, one he couldn’t get rid of, leaving him cornered. Needless to say, he was arrested and charged with various crimes and sentenced to life in prison.

His men also served the same sentences as him; others were executed on site during the raid. John Price, that’s the name of the man who rescued you and eventually reunited you with your family. It had been five years since you’d seen them.

 Three months later ;

The doorbell rang; to your surprise, it was John. It was strange to see him in civilian clothing; nonetheless, you invited him inside. John joined you on the couch. “I recently returned from deployment, and I wanted to see how you’ve been holding up. But I can see that’s not necessary; look at you.” He grinned broadly. “You’re glowing. That dull spark of yours has become a burning flame.”