My mind went blank. My body felt frozen, yet my thoughts were spiraling in every possible direction. What was I supposed to do? What could I do? The man I loved, the man I was about to marry, had just threatened my family without a second thought. He wasn't the Damien I thought I knew—he was someone else entirely. A stranger. A monster.

Tears streamed down my face, hot and endless, but I wiped them away. I couldn't afford to break down now. I needed to think. I needed to act. But how? Where could I go? What could I possibly do against someone like him?

I glanced around, the night air chilling my skin as I stood alone in the empty street. My phone was gone—Damien had taken it. I had no way to call for help, no way to track my location, and no way to reach my parents. But even if I did, I couldn't tell them the truth. I couldn't risk their lives. If I returned home, Damien would be watching. He had made that painfully clear.

That left only one option.

I had to disappear.

Run.

Hide.

Stay away until the wedding passed and Damien had no reason to come after me. Maybe then, I could find a way to expose him or escape somewhere far beyond his reach.

But how? Where could I possibly go that he wouldn't find me? He had resources, influence, and an entire network of people at his disposal. If he wanted to track me, he would.

Next Day

I woke up in a place I barely remembered running to. My friend's house. Someone Damien didn't know. It was the only place that had come to mind in my panic. She had tried to ask me if something was wrong, her concerned gaze lingering on my pale face, but I forced a smile and told her I just needed some space before the wedding. I even forbade her from contacting my family.

She was leaving for the airport this evening—traveling abroad for a while. That worked in my favor. Even if I got caught, she wouldn't be dragged into this.

I exhaled shakily, hugging my knees as I sat curled on the bed. I had three days. Three days until the wedding. If I could just stay hidden until then, maybe—just maybe—I could figure out what to do next.

But a gnawing fear in the pit of my stomach told me that Damien wasn't going to let this go so easily...

Damien's POV

The next day, Isabel's phone buzzed endlessly with messages, but I didn't bother checking them. None of them mattered. She wasn't the one answering them, anyway.

Then, her phone rang. Elena. Her mother.

I hesitated before answering.

Elena: "Son, is Isabel with you? She hasn't come home since last night, and she's not answering her phone. Her last message—it got deleted. That's making me even more anxious."

My fingers curled around the device. Not home?

So, she really thought she could escape me?

I forced a calm breath before responding smoothly. "Mom, don't worry. Isa is with me. Maybe her phone is on silent. She might not come home for a few days—we've been looking for a place to stay after the wedding."

Elena sighed in relief. "Thank God she's with you. I was so scared something had happened. It's alright. You both take your time, but please tell her to at least inform me with a call or message."

"Of course, Mom. I'll let her know." I ended the call, my jaw tightening.

She thinks I'm a fool for taking her phone.

She thinks I took her phone to stop her from calling for help. No, I took it to dig through her contacts, to find every single person she might run to. Every friend. Every distant relative.

She can run all she wants. But I will find her.

And when I do, she'll learn that no one escapes me.

I will find you.

And this time, you won't have a choice.

At Isabel's Friend's Home

That evening, my friend departed for the airport, promising to call the landline once she boarded her flight. When the call finally came, I felt a brief moment of relief—at least she was safe and far from any trouble. But even after hanging up, sleep refused to come.

By now, Damien would have figured out that I had run away. Would he harm my family?

No, no. I didn't expose him. I obeyed his warning.

Didn't I?

Still, I couldn't shake the fear clawing at my chest—the fear of getting caught, the fear of marrying that monster, the fear of being trapped with him for the rest of my life.

My mind swirled with endless thoughts until exhaustion finally pulled me under.

Next Morning

I woke up to the dull morning light filtering through the curtains.

Two more days.

I just had to wait for two more days. Two more days of hiding, of holding my breath, of hoping Damien wouldn't find me.

Looming in my own thoughts, I grabbed my towel and headed for the shower, trying to wash away the anxiety that refused to leave me.

As the warm water cascaded down my body, my mind was drowning in torment. How had I been so blind? There were signs—so many signs. The bookshelf he never let me touch, the way he was always busy on weekends, his sharp reflexes and built physique. It was all there, right in front of me, yet I had been too foolishly in love to see it.

A lump formed in my throat as I gripped the sink, staring at my reflection in the fogged-up mirror. My chest ached with betrayal, my stomach twisted in knots. I had given my heart to a man I never truly knew. And now, I was running from him.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I turned off the shower and reached for a towel, wrapping it tightly around myself. That's when I realized—I had forgotten to bring my clothes. A frustrated sigh left my lips as I cautiously stepped out, the cold air sending shivers down my damp skin.

But the moment I lifted my gaze, every thought in my mind vanished.

A sharp gasp escaped me as my heart lurched violently in my chest.

There, leaning against the doorframe with an unreadable expression, stood the last person I wanted to see.

DAMIEN...

A cruel smirk played on his lips as his piercing gaze roamed over me, dark and unreadable.

My breath hitched. My entire body went rigid.

How? How did he find me?

Terror wrapped around my throat like an iron grip, suffocating me. I took a step back, clutching the towel tighter around me, my pulse hammering wildly.

I was trapped.