Chapter 2

Elara

Even though I didn’t want to move even a little, I knew I had to. Life never stops for anyone or anything, no matter how much pain they are in. So, with trembling hands, I pulled out my phone from my pants pocket, thankfully finding it still there. I booked a cab and waited.

My stomach felt hollow, twisted with terrible pain, but all I wanted at this moment is to see my man and my best friend. I knew they would be my medicine for this unbearable pain crushing my heart. I felt like absolute shit.

My thoughts snapped when the cab stopped in front of me. I tried to stand on my own, which was incredibly difficult because of the sharp pain in my stomach. Grasping the door handle tightly for support, I opened it and slid inside.

The driver glanced at me through the rearview mirror, concern etched across his face.

“Are you okay, miss? Should we change our destination to the hospital?”

I shook my head weakly.

“No. Thank you for your concern, but I’m okay. Please take me home.”

He nodded and focused back on the road. After thirty painful minutes stuck in evening traffic, he dropped me off in front of my apartment building after I paid him.

The place was neither extravagant nor modest, just decent enough. I lived on the seventh floor in a two-bedroom apartment with an open kitchen. It was cramped for three adults, but somehow we had made it work.

Earlier this evening, I had texted them that I wouldn’t be home until midnight and told them to have dinner without me and get some rest.

Sometimes both of them would wait for me without eating, worrying endlessly. Once, Brayan had nearly gone to the police station to report me missing because I was late. That was why I always made sure to tell them where I was.

I hoped they were still awake. I wanted a shoulder to cry on and a  warm hug. A safe place to fall apart. The elevator gave a soft ding, pulling me from my thoughts.

I sighed and pressed my palm against my stomach, trying to ease the pain, before slowly making my way through the dimly lit hallway toward my apartment.

Once I reached it, I entered the pin and stepped inside. The living room was dark. I guessed they had already gone to sleep. Quietly, I removed my flats, both nearly falling apart, and walked to the kitchen. I opened the fridge to grab some water, but not finding a glass, I drank directly from the pitcher.

Then I heard it. A loud scraping noise. Like furniture being dragged across the floor. I froze in my place without moving a muscle. A second later, the same sound came again. My body tensed as I turned, realizing it was coming from deeper inside the apartment.

Slowly, I walked further into the hallway that led to my bedroom and then I heard a loud moan. What the hell? I froze completely. My hand slowly rose to the doorknob, and without making a sound, I pushed the door open.

My heart stopped. Aalya was sprawled on my bed, face pressed into the sheets. Brayan was behind her. Fucking her. For a second, I forgot how to breathe. I instantly covered my mouth with my palm to stop myself from making a sound.

My vision, already blurred through my cracked glasses, became worse as tears filled my eyes. I fell to my knees in front of the slightly opened door. I could feel bile rising in my throat, making my mouth taste bitter.

I swallowed the sob that escaped from my pathetic, broken cry but I couldn’t stop watching. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the horrifying scene unfolding right in front of me. I watched as they reached their climax together, their cries filling the room like knives driving deeper into my chest. When it was over, Brayan collapsed beside her.

Silence filled the room for a moment. Then Brayan reached for something on the bedside table. A cigarette. He lit it and inhaled deeply before passing it to Aalya. She accepted it casually and did the same. Who were these people? Where was my gentle boyfriend? Where was my good, loyal best friend?

The smell drifted toward me. That was when I realized it was weed. This is just kept getting worse.

Aalya sighed dramatically.

“How much longer do we have to live in this hellhole, babe?”

Babe? Oh my God!

Brayan replied lazily, “Just wait a little longer, baby. Everything will be ready soon. Then we’ll both be set for life.”

I frowned. What were they talking about? I wiped my tears and leaned closer, desperate to hear more.

Aalya continued, “It’s fucking exhausting acting all day in front of that loser bitch.”

My heart dropped. Was she talking about me?

“How can someone be this dense?” she scoffed.

Brayan laughed, the sound cold and cruel. “That’s exactly why we targeted her.”

My blood ran cold..What?

Aalya sighed. “But it’s been too long.”

Brayan leaned over and kissed her.

“You waited this far. Just endure three more days. Michel is getting the car ready for her accident. Everything else is already set, baby.”

She exhaled heavily.

“Well... twenty million is too much money. I can survive three more days.”

The insurance policy. That must be it, the one they had convinced me to apply for four months ago. They were going to kill me for it. And all this time, they had been leeching off me.

How could I have been this naive? I had heard enough so I stood on my feet and slammed the door open. Both of them jerked apart in shock. Naked and scrambling to cover themselves.

Aalya was the first to speak.

“El... you’re home?”

I glared at her. Then Brayan quickly pulled on his boxers and approached me.

“Cherry, this isn’t what it looks like.”

My hands shook.

“Oh really?”

He forced a laugh.

“You know Aalya likes girls. She said she needed a massage after therapy, so I was just helping her.”

Before he could continue spewing more bullshit, I slapped him hard across the face. His head snapped to the side. When he turned back, fury blazed in his eyes. I raised my hand again but this time, he caught my wrist and twisted it behind my back. Pain shot through my arm so I winced.

He scoffed, “How dare you, bitch? How dare you lay a hand on me?”

Tears streamed down my face, “How could you do this to me? What did I ever do to you?”

He laughed. A horrible, cruel laugh.

“I couldn’t stand looking at your ugly face every day. That's why”

My breath hitched with his nonsense answer. He grabbed my hair and yanked so hard I thought he would rip it from my scalp so I screamed. Aalya walked over and pulled him back slightly. For a second, hope sparked inside me. Maybe she still had a heart.

But then she hissed, “Babe, what are you doing? We can’t kill her yet. We won’t get the money. They said to keep her safe.”

My hope was shattered. Brayan kicked me hard in the face. Pain exploded through my skull. Then he grabbed my favorite vase and hurled it toward me. I curled into a fetal position as it shattered beside me. I trembled violently like a leaf caught in a storm.

Aalya spoke nervously.

“We should tell them.”

“No!” Brayan roared.

“If we tell them, we’ll be the ones getting killed.”

“Then what do we do?”

He ran a hand through his hair and shouted like a madman.

“Fine. We tie her up first.”

Then he stormed out of the room. Aalya hurried to her room to throw on some clothes. I knew then. It was now or never. If I stayed, they would kill me. Using every ounce of strength I had left, I slowly pulled myself off the floor. I could barely feel the left side of my face.

My glasses had another crack, but I knew this apartment like the back of my hand. I staggered toward the fire exit window and climbed out. I didn’t have enough strength to carefully climb down seven floors but the instinct to survive was stronger than pain so I climbed, fast.

By the time I reached the ground, I could hear Brayan shouting my name somewhere above.

“Elara!”

I ran through the alley out the next entrance toward the highway. My lungs burned and my legs threatened to collapse, but I kept going then I saw a cab. I waved frantically. Thankfully, it stopped. Without wasting a second, I threw myself inside.

The only place where I could find solace now was with my parents. I just prayed everything would be okay.

Soon. Soon.

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Author

Brayan’s hands trembled as he dialed the number. The call connected after two rings.

“What?”

The cold, familiar voice sent a chill down his spine.

“She escaped,” Brayan muttered. A brief silence followed.

Then the voice replied, calm and unsettling. “I know exactly where she’ll go.”

Brayan swallowed hard his grip tightened around the phone.

“What do we do now?”

“Get out of town.” The voice was calm. Certain. And somehow, that was more terrifying than shouting.

“I’ll be waiting for her.”

“I’ll take care of the rest.”