Vanessa
As I turn to slap Diego, a chilling realization sweeps through me, freezing the blood in my veins. It's not him. My breath catches in my throat, and the grip of fear tightens, suffocating me. The mental snapshots I took of the men surrounding me on my way into the chapel flood my mind, none of them resembling this man before me.
This must be one of Viktor's men.
"Let me go!" I demand, trying to rip my arm from his vise-like grip. In a swift, brutal movement, he yanks me back against the hard wall of his chest, his fingers coiling around my neck like a serpent tightening its grip.
I immediately feel his erection against my ass. "I love it when pretty girls put up a fight," he hisses, his hot breath against my ear. "I can't wait to take this dress off and shove my cock inside you."
A sob claws its way up my throat, and I plead in a hushed tone, "Please...please don't hurt me." The words tremble on my lips, each syllable weighed down by the fear pulsing through my veins. I find myself in the middle of wanting to quietly diffuse this situation to avoid drawing Diego's attention, and desperately wanting to scream for him to come to my rescue.
Uncertainty gnaws at me. Would he come now, especially after I blatantly rejected his proposal and fled from him? If our roles were reversed, I'd likely abandon me to my own fate. It's the fate I've earned, and deep down, I know I should accept it.
I just wanted to escape, be free of a world where men use and discard women like they're trash. Even my own fucking father, the one person who should have protected me from men like Viktor or Diego, betrayed me. How can I ever trust the word of another man again?
Yet, amidst this bullshit, a nagging truth persists. Diego has yet to lie to me. He warned me of the danger, presented me with an ultimatum - marry him or face a fate far worse. I resisted. I refused to listen. Foolishly, I believed I could take back control of my life, but I was horribly wrong.
Stupid Vanessa. You'll never be free, I chastise myself, the words echoing with the weight of regret.
A large hand, belonging to my new captor, clamps over my mouth, stifling the sobs convulsing through my body. "Shh, don't be scared, Kiska," he coos with a cruel chuckle. "Viktor said the first one to catch you has first dibs on your pretty little body. We'll be getting acquainted very soon."
He begins dragging me backward, and a sense of helplessness washes over me, drowning any reason and resistance. I retreat to the back of my own mind, the sanctuary where I can momentarily escape the harsh reality unfolding around me.
You know that feeling when you make a huge mistake that you instantly regret because you know it will change your life irrevocably? Well, this is mine. Despite my initial fear and anger about marrying Diego, this is so, so much worse. If I had a second chance, I would have sucked it up and walked down that aisle. The terror closing in on me now makes the idea of that dreaded marriage seem almost bearable, a lesser evil in comparison to the impending doom ahead of me.
I'm sorry, Diego. My eyes squeeze shut, and a lone tear falls and traces a path down my cheek.
"Release her." The command resonates with a deep, gravelly timbre, causing goosebumps to ripple along my skin, a visible shiver down my spine. My eyes snap open to find Diego standing only a few feet ahead of us, his gun leveled with unyielding resolve. His presence charges the air with an imminent tempest.
In a swift response, my captor presses the muzzle of his gun against my temple, the frigid touch of the metal sending a paralyzing wave of fear through me. The click of his weapon forces an involuntary whimper to escape my lips. "Take a step closer, and she dies," he threatens.
Diego tilts his head, his glacial eyes drilling into me as though attempting to unravel the depths of my soul. His expression remains stoic, yet beneath the surface, I see a flicker of disappointment in his gaze. However, when his eyes lock onto my captor's, a transformation occurs-they become an inferno, a blaze capable of incinerating anything and everything...all for me.
"Get your fucking hands off her. Next time, I won't ask so politely," Diego drawls venomously, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade.
What the fuck. Is he really threatening the man with a gun to my head?
A dark, suffocating fear seizes my entire body, causing violent tremors.
This is it.
I'm going to die.