As Marcus drove to the office, he couldn't shake off the conversation he had with Dylan the previous day. If his suspicions were correct, and it was indeed that car involved in the accident with him and Kristen, why had it returned to target Kristen's life again, along with his youngest sister Mira's?The thoughts swirling around Marcus's mind were like a puzzle he couldn't piece together. Adding to his troubles was the dilemma of how to tell Kristen about their past. Marcus knew that time was relentless and eventually, the truth would come out.Upon arriving at the office, he immediately organized the papers for the meeting. He had prepared for this day for a long time—a day when he would prove how deceitful his older brother was. Yes, he might have felt fear due to the threats, but it wasn't a reason to let his brother do whatever he wanted. Besides, after everything, he planned to confess everything to his wife."Sir Marcus, it's time for the meeting," his secretary reminded him. H
It was morning when Kristen woke up in an unfamiliar room. The dim light filtered through a small, dirty window, casting eerie shadows on the bare concrete walls. The air was damp and musty, and the only sound was the distant hum of machinery. Her hands and feet were bound with rough ropes, and her mouth was covered with duct tape. She felt weak and disoriented. Although she wanted to cry, she held back her tears, aware that her pregnancy was at risk.She tried to find a way to untie her hands but struggled against the tightly wound knots. Moments later, she heard the door creak open and stopped what she was doing. A man, wearing a facemask and cap, appeared before her"If you think you can escape, you're mistaken," he broke the silence.She glared at him, unable to ask who he was or why he had kidnapped her."You know, if it were up to me, you wouldn't be here. You'd be six feet under by now. But be grateful to my brother—be grateful he loves you." That was all he said before leaving
By afternoon, Kristen’s exact location was still unknown, despite Dylan and his team’s efforts. The command center was filled with the hum of computers and the murmur of voices. As they reviewed the CCTV footage showing the last sighting of the car that had taken Kristen from home, Dylan noticed something odd. The footage showed a parking lot, dimly lit with sporadic shadows cast by the lights, and Dylan squinted at the screen."Dylan, take a look at this," one of the detectives said, rewinding the footage. "It looks like ha has switched to another car."Dylan leaned in closer, zooming in on a black sedan. "You're right. That black sedan—he moved there. They’re trying to mislead us.""Smart move," the detective muttered. "But not smart enough. Let’s see more to it."Almost half an hour later, Marcus received a call from Dylan. He had just returned to the mansion from searching. The mansion was large, with grand columns and a sprawling driveway, the epitome of luxury but now filled wit
After the incident with Marcus, he was rushed to the hospital for treatment. Fortunately, there were people who passed by the scene of the accident at that time, and they were able to quickly call an ambulance for him.Marcus’s mother stood by his bedside, her eyes filled with tears as she looked at her son lying unconscious. She reached out to gently touch his hand, her voice trembling with emotion."Why did this have to happen to him?" she whispered, her voice breaking. "He's so young. He shouldn't be lying here like this. What if he doesn't wake up? I can't bear the thought of losing him."Her husband stepped closer, placing a comforting arm around her shoulders. "He’s strong. Our Marcus is a fighter. He’ll pull through this."A little later, Marcus's doctor entered the hospital room."Doctor, how is my son? Why hasn't he woken up yet?" asked his mother anxiously."He's doing fine, ma'am. It's normal for his body to seek rest. Aside from the wounds and damage he sustained from the
A few days had passed, and everything seemed peaceful as they had hoped. Ashton was already behind bars for his crimes, the unidentified man who had threatened Kristen twice was now dead, and Rihanna was missing, leaving the gallery unattended.But everything wasn't fine for the four of them—especially not for Mira, Dylan, Marcus, and Kristen.Mira often saw Dylan visiting their house to talk to her brother, Marcus. However, he would always ignore her or leave after a quick "hi," not allowing her a chance to respond. On top of that, her father kept pressuring her about her future decisions. She didn't care much about being in an arranged marriage, expecting it as a woman, but meeting Dylan made her ready to give up everything for him and enjoy their time together. Experiencing her first heartbreak, she had no one to confide in, which made it even worse.She chased after Dylan and caught up with him before he could get into his car. Despite feeling weak and afraid of hearing an unplea
KRISTENBefore boarding the train to the terminal, tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. Maybe because despite the anger simmering inside me, guilt gnawed at my conscience for lying to him about our child. For telling him that I no longer have the baby.I've agonized over my decision countless times—was it right to leave without hearing his side? Am I really doing the right thing? But whenever I think of him hiding the truth from me, suspicions cloud my mind, wondering if Ashton's accusations could be true. Maybe I never really knew the real Marcus.Yes, my memories from that time are still hazy, just fragments. I don't want to force myself to dredge up memories my mind buried long ago.I just don't know what to do and think anymore.I honestly wanted our child to grow up in a complete family, but on the other hand, I also want it to be free from the daily wounds inflicted by his father and me, free from a toxic family situation.Few minutes after getting off the train, I walked
THIRD PERSON'S POVWhen Kristen and her family arrived in their hometown, she couldn't help but feel nostalgic. Many hints and various memories flooded back to her, including the happy, sad, and scary events in her life."Here I am again. It never crossed my mind that I would set foot here again," she whispered to herself.The town hasn't changed much. The quaint houses and shops stood resilient against time, each corner whispering stories of days gone by. Kristen's mind raced, thoughts swirling around the possibility of running into him again. She mentally mapped out routes to avoid familiar spots where chance meetings might occur, determined to keep their visit brief and uneventful."Granny, are we there yet?" Marcus, who had just woken up, asked."Yes, dear. We're almost there, don't worry," his grandmother replied, gently pinching his cheek."You asked Granny, huh? Your mom is right next to you, kiddo," Kristen teased playfully.Nathan sighed audibly, prompting laughter from all t
[KRISTEN]I've seen so many of the world's worse sides: greed, lust, anger—almost all the seven deadly sins colliding into my destiny like it was an ordinary day. Not only that, but I've also experienced almost all of it and later destroyed every single piece of me. This made me think about ending my life as soon as possible. "Stop! Why are you doing this to me?!" I could still hear myself shouting those words, crying for help, with no other words to utter but to ask why he would do such a thing. Back in my mind is a tragic event I vividly remember. The sound of the car rushing somewhere, his mad face as he pushed me onto the bed, his rough touches, the way he raped me, and all. "Shut the fuck up and just accept your punishment, whore!" Those words were like a knife digging deeply into my chest—way more painful than how roughly and carelessly he thrust inside me. "Kristen," I heard someone call my name. The soft voice coming from somewhere behind me later became a figure of a wo