5 days had passed since Alexandra disappeared. Despite the phone call she’d received, she couldn’t sit still anymore. There was this heaviness that followed Hana around. It was a gut-wrenching feeling that made her sick. 

She decided to try Thomas again. However when she arrived, Thomas wasn’t home. She turned to leave, but stopped in her tracks when she heard a sound. Banging? It was faint but continuous. Her stomach dropped. Typically she’d brush something like this off but she was desperate. 

She grabbed her phone and called Matteo. “I’m at Thomas’ apartment. I’m not sure if she is inside but I can hear something.”

“Okay wait for me–”

He tried to give her a warning but Hana had already hung up, in hopes of finding a way inside. 

She pulled the door handle aggressively. Locked.

Annoyed, Hana turned to leave, but then remembered, Lexi had told her once where Thomas kept a spare key. Her hands shook uncontrollably. 

What do I do if I find her? What if he’s in there? It doesn’t matter, we have to find her.

She wrestled with her inner thoughts but Lexi took priority. She combed through one of the plants out front until her fingers brushed cold metal. Finally! Hana found it. She grabbed the key from between a few leaves and unlocked the door. 

The scene before her was pristine. The apartment was spotless. 

“Lexi,” she yelled. Nothing. 

Maybe I’m worried for nothing. 

She turned to leave but there it was again. The light banging sound. 

She followed the sound to a bookcase. 

Why is there a banging sound behind this?

Hana noticed scratch marks on the ground next to the bookcase. It looked like someone had dragged this over scuffing up the wood floor. 

Why? She questioned.

She pushed the heavy bookcase to the side, revealing a door with a lock on it. She tugged at the padlock on the outside. Hana’s heart pounded as she moved forward.

“Lexi? Are you in there?”

A muffled sob. Someone was inside. Hana grabbed the heaviest thing she could find. A lamp. She started hitting the lock uncontrollably. Loud bangs echoed with each hit. She didn’t care how much noise it made as long as she could get in there. 

Tears burned her eyes with a final bang. The lock snapped off and fell to the ground.

She pushed the door open quickly and there she was. Lexi. Her face was stained with dry teas and mascara days old. 

Hana rushed to her, tugging at the chain on her leg. 

“Oh my God, Lexi—”

“Hurry, leave,” Alexandra said. She tried to yell but it was barely above a whisper. “Call my father please. Call Matteo.”

Hana shook her head, “I’m not leaving yo–.”

A firm voice behind them cut her off.

“You two, how sweet.”

Thomas stood in the doorway, his expression twisted into something that made a chill run down Hana’s spine. 

“Seems you’re smarter than I thought,” he spoke, a devious smile spread across his face.

She barely had time to react before he grabbed the back of her head and slammed it into the wall.

Alexandra cried out and lunged at him, but he shoved her back down. 

“Finally, I had been waiting to do that to her for awhile now. She is quite the annoying one isn’t she Lexi” he whispered, grinning wider.

She begged, tears running down her cheeks, “Please, don’t hurt her.” 

“That all depends on you Lexi. You’ve been so stubborn all this time. Who knew this was all it would take?”

His fingers curled around Alexandra’s chin, forcing her to look at him. Her eyes shifted as she tried to pull away but it was useless.  

“I knew from the moment I saw you. It was love at first sight.”

Alexandra felt sick. What could she do to save them? 

“You’re right,” she finally spoke.

“Right?”

“Yes, you are the only one for me. If you let Hana go, I will stay here and I will never leave you.”

He couldn’t take his eyes off of her as she opened her arms, offering a hug. 

“You won’t?” 

“No. I will stay. I will give you everything you want and be the perfect girlfriend–”

“Wife. You will be the perfect wife. We will get married.” 

“–Yes, wife.”

She didn’t argue. She knew this could be life or death for Hana. Alexandra held in her trembles as she reached out to embrace him. Thomas stepped closer to her before his body suddenly slumped over. 

Matteo towered over him, trying to catch his breath. It was clear he had sprinted here. 

“I’m sorry it took so long to find you,” he finally said, hugging her tightly. “I will never let this happen again.”

They sat there for a while as she cried uncontrollably. The cops soon arrived, arresting Thomas, who protested. He argued that she hadn’t been kidnapped then changed his story to he did it because he loved her. 

“Lexi, I love you. Please tell them I did this for you.”

She turned away from him, unable to speak. 

And just like that, it was over. Alexandra spent weeks recovering. Where many would lock themselves away after a situation like that. She trained. She never wanted to feel weak again.

Matteo taught her everything he knew, from fighting to defending herself. She vowed never to be powerless again.