AriaThe moment I screamed, everything exploded into chaos. The cold air from the broken window whipped across my skin, and before I could even process the sound of boots thundering toward my door, something…someone yanked me backward. My body hit the jagged edge of the frame, and the pain shot through my ribs as my legs kicked uselessly at the air.“Let go!” I shouted, clawing at the gloved hand clamped around my mouth. My fingers scraped the fabric but it wasn’t enough to keep me in place.Zion was shouting my name somewhere behind me. The guards too. The whole place had gone loud, frantic, but all I could hear clearly was the violent thud of my own heart slamming in my ears.The masked intruder didn’t waste a moment. They hoisted me through the window as if I weighed nothing. My elbows scraped the concrete as we dropped to the ground outside. I gasped, and fought the stars sparking in my vision.“Let me go, you psycho! I swear…” I twisted, trying to break free.“Quiet.” The voice s

AriaI sat on the concrete floor with my wrists tied behind my back and the faint hum of generators echoing somewhere behind me. Every now and then, I heard voices, they tried to be quiet and sounded professional, not like street criminals. These men moved like they were trained for war. And for some reason, they ended up working for Ellen… I still couldn’t process that part.But then the metal door creaked, and my entire body tensed as I heard the footsteps approach delicately, almost graceful. Only one person walked like that in this nightmare. It had to be her.Ellen stepped into the dim cone of light, folding her arms with an eerie calm. She looked refreshed, almost peaceful, as if she’d slept well knowing she had me trapped here.“Good morning, Aria,” she said softly.I glared at her. “It’s still night.”“Well,” she tilted her head, “for you, it doesn’t make much difference, does it?”She walked closer, and her heels tapped on the concrete with a rhythm that made my skin crawl. T

AriaMy eyes were closed for a long time after Ellen walked out of the room following her threat, but my mind was clawing at every sound.I laid on the cold concrete floor exactly where Ellen had left me, and my body twisted at an angle meant to suggest unconsciousness. My wrists burned where the rope dug into my skin and my cheek stung from the slap she’d given me when I refused her ultimatum.‘Leave Zion or destroy him.’The madwoman actually believed threatening the man I loved would bend me. But Ellen made one mistake. She must have thought I couldn’t still hear.I listened through the slow and shallow breaths as two of her new allies entered the warehouse. Their boots echoed between the steel beams.“She’s not going to talk,” one said.“She doesn’t need to,” another replied. “Tonight fixes everything. Ellen’s meeting the guy at the abandoned shipyard.”My pulse stopped the moment I heard them. Shipyard. Right then, the thought suddenly occurred to me. She’s luring Zion.My stomac

ZionThe shipyard was silent when I arrived. Silent in a way that made my skin crawl. It was too still, empty, and strangely felt like it was aware of my presence. The wind raked through the rusted skeletons of abandoned cargo ships, the metal groaning like something alive. Meanwhile, the fog clung to everything, rising off the water in slow, ghostlike fingers that wrapped around my legs as I stepped deeper into the yard.I was alone. Exactly the way Ellen wanted. I checked my watch for the tenth time wondering where she could be or why she was running late for her own appointment. It was 11:57 p.m. and every passing second scraped against my nerves. My breath plumed in the cold air, as Aria’s face kept flashing in my min; her eyes wide, her voice trembling, her hand in mine during those final moments before she vanished.I should’ve protected her. I should’ve been there. The blame sat heavy in my chest like a stone I couldn’t swallow or spit out. A minute passed. Then another. And

ZionI could see it on her for days, Aria wasn’t the same. I don’t know what it was but something had changed in her the moment we came back from that rescue. She wasn’t shaken. No, she was not. It was something more, but the more I tried to figure it out, the more she got better at hiding it. She never really explained how she’d managed to escape. Now that I think of it, she’s not really said anything in days.But today… today will be different. I wasn’t giving her a chance this time. I’d fought too hard to bring her home only to leave her alone to deal with her pain. So today, I’d gotten up early, ran some miles on my nordic track, and prepared a day for her.We’d start off with some light meal and then a drive to the gallery. It was always her best place to be when it rains.‘I like how the rain makes the colors come alive.’ She’d say with a soft smile whenever I’d asked.That was what she needed now, some softness to reconnect her world. But how could I manage this when my heart w