ELEANOR The entire living room was filled with soft, echoing melodies as Armando turned on the music. Something smooth, gentle, but somehow suffocating too. I didn’t want to be here. Not in this situation, not in his arms, not anywhere near him. It felt like everything was slipping out of my control—even the littlest of things. My life wasn’t my own anymore—every decision was being made for me. Everyone else had a say except me.I glanced around the living room, noticing the space. It was just the two of us in this massive mansion. Armando’s men were outside, probably stationed like statues around the compound while here on the inside was quiet, except for the music which made everything else louder. The silence between us, the tension in the air—it all seemed amplified by the melody.Armando stepped closer, and before I knew it, his arms were around me. I froze, every part of me going still. He looked down at me, his eyes piercing mine, locking me in place. His grip was firm, like
ELEANORIt all happened so fast. One moment, I was lost in Armando's grip, drowning in whatever this twisted attraction was, and the next, I snapped out of it—like ice-cold water had been poured on my face."What the hell am I doing?" I muttered under my breath, suddenly disgusted by the situation. My skin crawled just thinking about how close I had come to completely losing myself.I pushed him away hard, shoving him back as far as I could. My hands shook, but I tried to keep my voice steady."I... I need to go," I said quickly, not caring how abrupt I sounded. "This is getting out of hand. Goodnight, Mr. Armando." The words felt sharp and dismissive on my tongue. I didn't wait for a response—I didn't care what he thought. I just turned and headed straight for the stairs, my heart racing with every step.But before I could make it, Armando's hand grabbed mine—tight and harsh till all of my body froze. The grip was unrelenting, and when I turned around, there it was—the smile of a
ELEANOR Armando yelled through the door, his voice booming and full of rage."Open the damn door, Eleanor! How dare you? You've crossed the line, you stupid bitch!" His words were laced with groans of pain. I could tell I had hurt him bad.My heart raced. I pressed my back against the door, my mind spinning. "Oh God, what have I done?" I asked to obviously no one in particular, staring at my trembling hands, still feeling the impact of that punch. For a moment, everything was quiet. Then I heard him again, this time more composed, more dangerous."If you don't open this door right now, I swear, I'll make you suffer worse than I've already planned!" His voice was low and controlled, but dripping with menace. "Open it now, Eleanor. I'm giving you one last chance."I didn't move—I just couldn't. My hand hovered over the lock, but something stopped me. Fear, maybe. Or the realization that opening that door meant facing him again.I blinked away the tears welling up in my eyes. How had
ELEANOR By the fourth day, I was barely holding on. My body felt like it was shutting down, I hadn’t had food or water in days, and it was getting harder to even breathe. My arms felt too heavy to lift, my legs too weak to stand. My throat was so dry it burned, and my tongue felt like sandpaper. Every time I blinked, the room spun around me.I tried to stay strong, to hold out, but my strength had left me a long time ago.I lay on the cold floor, staring at the door, knowing it was pointless. Armando wasn’t coming. No one was. He’d locked me in here to rot, and if I didn’t do something, I really might die.Desperate, I managed to push myself up onto my knees. My arms shook as I used what little energy I had left to bang on the door, weak and barely audible. I tried to yell, but it came out more like a croak. My voice was gone."Help... please..." I whispered, knowing no one would hear me. But I had to try. I had to keep trying.I hit the door again, but it was no use. My body gave o
ELEANOR Enzo came back with a tray of food while I was still lying on the bed, my thoughts swirling in every direction. I heard his footsteps before I turned to see him standing at the edge of the bed.“Here, try to eat something,” he said, setting the tray down beside me. “You need to regain your strength. After that, maybe you can tell me what happened. Why you were locked in there.”I glanced at the food. It smelled good, but I couldn’t help but feel hesitant. I stared at the plate, my stomach growling, but my mind was still on high alert. I didn’t trust him—not completely. Not yet. He might not have Armando’s cold demeanor, but I still didn’t know what to make of him.Enzo seemed to catch onto my hesitation. He sighed, and I could tell he was a little frustrated, but to his credit, he didn’t snap.“Look, I get it,” he said, sitting down at the foot of the bed, still holding the tray. “You don’t trust me. But I’m not here to hurt you, Eleanor. If I wanted to, I wouldn’t have just
ELEANOR I took a deep breath as I stepped out of the bathroom, feeling refreshed but still a bit hesitant. My thoughts were all over the place, trying to piece together how I was now in Armando’s house with his cousin downstairs waiting for me.Reluctantly, I made my way down the stairs. From where I stood, I could already see Enzo adjusting the massive sofas, trying to push them into a different arrangement. His back was turned to me, and I could see he was fiddling with the TV remote, probably trying to get it to work. The sight of him, busying himself with something so mundane, was almost surreal in this house where everything felt so tense all the time.“Hi,” I said softly as I reached the bottom of the stairs.He turned around, slightly out of breath. "Hey!" He smiled warmly at me, wiping his hands on his jeans. "You look... much better now," he added, a teasing glint in his eyes. It was the kind of light-heartedness I hadn’t felt in a long time, and despite myself, I smiled—ju
ELEANOR I held my breath as the phone rang, gripping it tighter with each second. When the nurse finally answered, my heart skipped a beat.“Hello?” she said, her tone professional but slightly tired.“Hello,” I replied, my voice shaky. “Am I speaking with Miss Annabelle?”“Yes,” she answered. “Who am I speaking with?”I felt a rush of excitement and relief, almost stumbling over my words. “I’m... I’m a sister to one of the patients under your care.”There was a brief pause on the other end. “I have a lot of patients, dear,” she said. “You’ll need to be more specific. Can you tell me a bit more about which patient you’re referring to?”My heart sank. How could she not remember? I hadn’t thought about how to describe myself or my sister in any other way. I searched my mind, desperate to find something to help her recall. My mind spun with images of that night—running into the hospital, my sister barely able to breathe, the frantic doctors, the nurses rushing around. Then it hit me.
ELEANOR I handed Enzo’s phone back, feeling a mix of relief and unease after the call. He took it from me, but instead of just thanking me or brushing it off, he gave me this look—like he wanted to say something.“That was… well, an emotional moment,” he finally said, a little smile on his face. “Maybe you should let me in on what’s going on?”I tensed up instantly. As much as he had been kind to me, even saving me from being locked in that room, I wasn’t ready for this conversation. My emotions were all over the place, and before I could think, the words flew out of my mouth.“I told you it’s personal!” I snapped, surprising even myself with how sharp my voice sounded. “I appreciate what you did for me, but please, stop trying to dig into my private life, especially when it’s about my family.”He looked at me, still calm. He wasn’t even fazed by my outburst. “Hey, it’s okay,” he said, his tone steady. “I wasn’t trying to pry, just thought I could be… I don’t know, friendly. That’s j