MenaOnce the news had reached the walls of the mansion that Anson had disappeared, the mood was even more dramatic than it had already been.I too felt dizzy hearing the news, and it wasn’t because of the pregnancy. I felt sick as I was fully aware that Anson would come for me, but also relieved knowing Alessio didn’t get the opportunity to kill him. It was a mix of feelings I couldn’t share with anyone. It would automatically make me the bad guy.The rules of the mansion had become strict. No one came in, no one went out—and only a few selected workers who had been loyal for years were allowed to continue their work for now.The kids were confused and restless as they couldn’t understand why their routines were suddenly changed. They could not go to school or any of their activities.I was on edge, waiting for Alessio to get back. He would be coming alone today to oversee things at home while the rest would continue their search for Anson.It at least meant I didn’t have to face Isa
MenaThe rest of the day seemed to go just as I had expected. I spent most of it with Pilar, trying to get my mind off everything. Alessio was stuck in his office, most likely driving himself crazy with thoughts about where Anson might be hiding.In the late evening, I decided to bring him a cup of tea for some comfort. As I approached his office, I noticed he was on the phone. Not wanting to intrude, I waited outside but close enough to hear the conversation.“No one rests before we find him, and when you do—bring him to me,” I heard him say before ending the call.I understood it was a serious situation, but denying people their sleep was a bit too much. When Alessio noticed me standing there, he greeted me with a faint smile and gestured for me to come in.With the cup in my hands, I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. “I brought you tea,” I said, placing it down on his desk.“Thanks,” Alessio forced a smile, but I could tell he was too distracted, and lost in his own tho
MenaI couldn’t remember how long I had walked for, but by the time I got to my old apartment complex, it was safe to say my legs weren’t properly working anymore. The door to the building was left unlocked, but once inside, I decided there was no time to wait for the slow elevator.I took the stairs to the familiar third floor where I used to live before my life at the mansion, remembering every little thing as if I had never left.My heart pounded in my chest as I made my way to Mrs. Rodriguez’s door, and once I had reached it, I knocked three times. I was scared, my fists were shaking, and I was praying she would still be alive. All I could hope for was that I wasn’t too late.The door swung open, and there he was, Anson. A gun was in his hand, pointed straight at me, and as our eyes locked, everything around me froze. Behind him, on the floor, lay Mrs. Rodriguez. Same as in the picture, she had been tied up with tape over her mouth.I stared into her eyes, and they looked big and
MenaMy eyes had been covered for the whole trip, and I had no idea where Anson had taken me. Once we arrived, he handcuffed me to a pole, making sure I couldn’t run or call for help. Before he had tied me up, I had managed to slip the ring in my back pocket, and that was a good call because he had patted me down to look for my phone that luckily wasn’t on me.He had left soon after we arrived, leaving me all alone in this abandoned place. It looked like no one had lived there for a long time, and it gave off the vibe of a squatters’ home.It was cold, freezing—I was exhausted, nauseous, and lost.Eventually, Anson returned, carrying a paper bag in his hands. He hummed a tune as he unpacked some food with a smile on his face. He was enjoying this way too much.“Open 24/7,” Anson held up the sandwich as if I had asked him to do that. Then he approached me, and I quickly turned my head away. It was of no use as he grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. I did, and that look in his e
AlessioAll night, I had been sitting in the office, making desperate phone calls to find Anson’s location. Call after call, it felt like hitting a brick wall—and I ended up with nothing. It was exhausting to know that after that amateur killed my uncle, he was apparently quite good at playing hide and seek was tiring as well.Around five in the morning, I finally dragged myself to bed. Not because I wanted to, it was only to Mena satisfied—but once I made it upstairs, she wasn’t even there.My first thought was that she must’ve gone to Pilar’s room to vent about me and my obsession with Anson—and yes, I was obsessed with the idea of killing him.There was no point in denying it.He took my Uncle away from me, he hurt the woman I loved, he showed me why we were not supposed to show any mercy—and I couldn’t relax before I had put him down.I slept for barely an hour before I was up again, and back in the office to think about my own failure. Once the adrenaline would fade away, I knew
AlessioAna told her story, and with every word that left her mouth, my frown grew bigger. Anson had managed to lure Mena with a simple text, and being the person she was—she exchanged herself to save the woman’s life.No matter how many times I repeated it in my head, I still could not understand how Mena would do all of that, to keep one person safe.As Ana spoke about how Anson had slapped Mena and dragged her across the room by her hair, my fists began to ball. My urge to kill got wilder, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on him.“Is that all?” I asked loudly, after the woman took a pause."No." Ana sighed. "She told me to come here first thing in the morning and tell you that she took the ring.”“The ring?” I was confused for a split-second, but then it clicked. She had taken the ring with the tracker she despised so much because she knew I would come for her. With a hopeful feeling, I once again rushed to the monitor and opened up the tracking software.As it opened, I let out
AlessioAll gazes were fixed on me, waiting to hear about the big problem. As always, Dad was the first one to cut to the chase. “What is it?” he demanded.“The search for Anson is off,” I stated. “I know where he is, he has Mena—but don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.” Throughout all this mess, my voice remained calm.Everyone in the room reacted. “Then we’ll go over there right now,” Dad spoke, moving toward the door, the others ready to follow his lead. I blocked their steps and raised my hand, signaling them to stop—and they did.They shared puzzled gazes amongst themselves, then looked back at me. Even though I had been doing it quite a lot this week, it was still rare for me to counter Dad’s decisions, but this situation was different. This was about Mena, and I couldn’t risk her life as she had risked her own, not even for a second.“I’ll go by myself,” I decided, locking eyes with Dad to show him how serious I was.He opened his mouth to protest, but I continued, "He’s armed, h
TW/: sexual assault/abuse-MenaSome time had passed since Anson began pacing the room again. An uneasy energy surrounded him as I was still tied up, and my worries began to grow by the minute.His behavior had reached a peak that was even something new to me. I knew he could switch, but not this quickly. Anson was not himself and spoke and argued with nothing but air. I had seen him angry, I had seen him make a fool of himself—but this was sick.I had kept my gaze low, avoiding eye contact as much as possible because it felt like the safest thing to do—but as time went by, I felt an urge of something I would not be able to hold back for much longer.“Anson,” I spoke above a whisper, mustering courage. My voice sounded hoarse from the lack of talking. “I have to pee.”He stood still, but didn’t respond. Anson was out of it, utterly zoned out and lost in his own world, kind of like a zombie. It was as if my words just floated through the air because they didn’t seem to have gotten thr