The hotel curtains were drawn tight, shutting out all sunlight. I went through my luggage one last time, carefully tucking my passport and plane ticket into my bag. When my fingers touched the unfamiliar destination printed on the ticket, a small, cautious sense of relief finally stirred inside me.
Then my phone vibrated again. A new number flashed on the screen. I didn’t need to look; I knew exactly who it was—Erving.
I took a deep breath, about to hit mute, when the door suddenly burst open with a deafening bang.
He stormed in, eyes bloodshot, his coat carrying the chill of the night. In one swift movement, he pinned me against the wall. His hand clamped hard around my throat, cutting off my air, while his hoarse, furious voice tore through the room.
“Anya’s been kidnapped! Did you do it?!”
I struggled to pry his fingers away, gasping, my voice barely audible. “I didn’t—”
“Didn’t?” He laughed, sharp and bitter, as if I had just told the most absurd lie. Then he slammed his phone down in front of me.
The screen showed a video. A man pressed a knife to Anya’s face, shouting brutally, “Mandy sent us! She said to break your hands, slash your face—let’s see how you steal her man then!”
The clip ended in seconds, but Erving’s rage did not. He yanked me forward by the collar. His eyes were terrifyingly bloodshot, as if he wanted to devour me alive.
“Still pretending? If anything happens to Anya, I swear, Mandy, you’ll die with her!”
The hatred in his eyes was so absolute that my heart already full of countless wounds, gave up.
I summoned all my strength to retort, “Why would I kidnap her? Erving, after everything between us, do you really think I’d stoop that low? You actually believe her over me?”
“Who else am I supposed to believe?!”
He sneered, cold and humorless, and shoved me hard to the floor.
My back slammed against the corner of the table. Pain shot up my spine, stealing my breath. Tears stung my eyes, but not from the pain.
It was from the man standing before me—the man who once vowed to protect me for life—now refusing even to hear me.
He didn’t spare me a glance as he walked toward the door, threatening me. “I’m going to find Anya. If you even think about running, you won’t be able to handle the consequences!”
The door slammed shut behind him, and silence settled over the room again.