"I found it difficult to open my eyes. It was dark, and my head was spinning. I was lying on the floor. It was cold.I sat up, rubbing my head. I had no idea where I was or what had happened. I looked around, hoping my pupils would adjust to the darkness.I couldn't see anything that would give me a clue about where I was. I got up and walked carefully in search of a door, but I found nothing."Hello?" I shouted, hoping someone would hear me, but all I heard was my echo.I felt the walls until I found something metallic, which I assumed was a door, or at least I wanted to believe so. I shouted a few more times. I didn't know what time it was, not even the day.I was starting to panic; I wanted to be with my father."Please, where are they?" I was scared and very upset.I turned around and leaned against the metal door.All because of those men and especially because of George. Why was he doing this to us? Where was Ethan?"Ethan?" I shouted loudly, realizing that crucial detail.I wai

Ethan's Pov"Minerva. Minerva, please... Don't fall asleep, Minerva. Don't fall asleep," I whispered with desperation while applying the gentlest pressure I could to her abdomen.My hands were covered in blood, as was all of her clothing.My chest ached from the pressure of having my heart in my throat while seeing her in this state. I looked around and realized we were in the back of a black van. Christopher was driving as fast and cautiously as he could. I could hear him talking, but I didn't even bother to listen, whether he was talking to me or on the phone. I was kneeling beside a blood stained mattress, and there lay the woman I loved the most, unconscious and wounded from a gunshot by a damn psychopath.I sighed to suppress the urge to lash out at someone. How could I have allowed her to be harmed? I couldn't even remember how we ended up in that place in the first place, let alone where we were.The last thing I remembered was being in my living room with Minerva, and then, I

I felt a burning pain in my chest, especially on the left side. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to move my hand towards where I felt the stabbing sensation, but I couldn't move.I moved my fingers to make sure I could still use them and groaned in pain as I did so, not understanding why it hurt so much.I tried to recall everything that had happened, but they were just fleeting flashbacks that came to mind.I remembered Christopher. We were running, he distracted the guards, and we entered the large warehouse. I saw Ethan, he was badly injured, pale, and listless. I untied him from the chair. Christopher confronted his father for me. We ran toward a van. A gunshot. A scream. So much blood..."Minerva!""Ethan!""Minerva. Minerva, please... Don't fall asleep, Minerva. Don't fall asleep.""Everything will be fine.""No, I have to be with her.""She's wounded, with a bullet in the left side of her abdomen. Her vital signs are dropping rapidly; we need to operate on her now.""Stay calm

"Are you sure this will work?" Chris asked, sounding very uncertain."Absolutely," Ethan replied with determination."Absolutely not," I immediately objected, crossing my arms and gazing out the window.I saw Amelia and Ivan looking at me from that side of the room. I assumed that Ethan and Christopher were also watching me. I would not allow them to risk this, even if Ethan's plan might work. I didn't want them getting into more trouble."Why not?" my boyfriend asked."Are you really on board with this, Chris?" I ignored Ethan and looked directly at Christopher."Well..." he hesitated."You don't have to do it if you don't want to, Christopher. I understand, it's your father.""What?" Ethan exclaimed incredulously."Ethan, you can't force Chris to be an accomplice in a plan that will send his father to jail," I stated firmly.He narrowed his eyes and gave me a challenging look.We fell into silence, having one of our intense silent staring matches. How could I allow him to do somethi

I sighed once more. My gaze was fixed on the ceiling of my room, illuminated only by the moonlight filtering through the window. One of my hands was stretched across the bed, and the other rested on my stomach.I took deep breaths with each inhalation, my pillow smelled like him...My father had prepared an exquisite dinner for us a few hours earlier, but I didn't have much of an appetite. I truly couldn't understand what had happened that afternoon.What the hell had happened? I still felt bewildered. Why had he left like that? I tried to explain why I couldn't accept the engagement now, that I didn't feel prepared. Why couldn't he understand that?I rolled onto my right side. I faced the wall. I wanted to call him, to fix everything, to tell him I loved him, that I desired him...I tensed up."I love you," those words echoed in my head. He had never said he loved me before.I kicked my feet on the bed. Why did he have to say it now? Damn it, why so much pressure?I took a deep breat