Sarah's eyes snapped open as she gasped for air.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly as if she had just run miles without stopping. Her fingers clutched the thin blanket beneath her as the images from the nightmare slowly faded.
Gunshots.
Running.
The cliff.
For a moment she didn't know where she was.
The wooden ceiling above her slowly came into focus. The faint smell of old wood and herbs filled the room.
Her grandmother's house.
Beside the bed, an old lamp glowed softly, casting warm light across the small room.
Sarah turned her head.
Her grandmother sat in a chair beside the bed, leaning slightly forward with worried eyes. She had clearly not slept.
When she noticed Sarah moving, the old woman stood up immediately.
"Sarah!" she said softly, relief flooding her voice. "You're finally awake."
Sarah tried to sit up, but pain shot through her body immediately. She winced and held her side.
"Easy, child," her grandmother said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Your body is still weak."
But Sarah shook her head slowly.
"Grandma…" she whispered.
Her voice sounded fragile.
"What happened that night?"
The question hung in the air like a heavy weight.
Her grandmother froze.
For several seconds she didn't speak.
Instead, she slowly returned to the chair beside the bed and sat down again.
Sarah watched her carefully.
"You told me something before the wedding," Sarah continued quietly. "You said we would run away together."
Her grandmother nodded slowly.
"You promised you would never let me marry a devil like Luca."
A shadow crossed the old woman's face.
"I remember," she said softly.
"Then why didn't you come?" Sarah asked, confusion filling her voice.
Her hands tightened around the blanket.
"I looked everywhere for you that night. When I reached the altar and you weren't there, I thought something terrible had happened."
The old woman lowered her eyes.
"Something did happen," she said quietly.
Sarah's heart skipped.
"What do you mean?"
Her grandmother took a slow breath before speaking.
"I saw him."
Sarah frowned slightly.
"Who?"
The old woman looked up.
"Luca."
Just hearing his name made the room feel colder.
Sarah felt a chill run through her spine.
"What was he doing?" she asked.
"He was standing near the back entrance of the villa," the grandmother said slowly. "Watching everything."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"He was looking straight at me."
Sarah's brow furrowed.
"What happened then?"
"I knew immediately that something was wrong," the old woman continued. "The way he looked at me… it was as if he already knew our plan."
Sarah's breathing became slower and heavier.
"Our plan to escape."
The grandmother nodded.
"Yes."
She clasped her hands together tightly.
"The moment he saw me trying to leave the villa, he ordered the guards to stop me."
Sarah's eyes widened.
"They held me there," the old woman said bitterly. "Luca told them not to let me go until I told him where you were."
"What?" Sarah whispered.
"I told him I didn't know," the grandmother said firmly. "I refused to say anything."
Her voice hardened slightly.
"But he didn't believe me."
Sarah felt anger rising inside her chest.
"What did he do?"
"He kept me there," the grandmother said.
"For hours."
The memory clearly disturbed her.
"They questioned me again and again."
Sarah clenched her fists.
"Did he hurt you?"
The old woman shook her head slowly.
"No."
She paused.
"That's the strange part."
Sarah leaned forward slightly despite the pain.
"What do you mean?"
The grandmother looked confused even now.
"After several hours… Luca suddenly returned."
Sarah's heart pounded.
"And?"
"He told the guards that you had been found."
The words made Sarah freeze.
"Found?"
The grandmother nodded.
"Yes."
"He said everything was fine and ordered them to let me go."
Sarah's mind raced.
"That doesn't make sense."
"I know," the old woman replied quietly. "I didn't understand it either."
Her hands trembled slightly as she continued.
"But the moment they released me… I ran."
She looked at Sarah with emotion in her eyes.
"I ran as fast as I could."
"I didn't stop to ask questions."
"I only wanted to find you."
Her voice softened.
"I went straight to the hospital first, thinking maybe you had been taken there."
Sarah frowned.
"But they wouldn't let me in."
"Why not?" Sarah asked.
"I don't know," the grandmother admitted. "They simply told me there was no patient with your name."
Sarah looked down at her hands.
"That's strange."
"Yes," the old woman whispered.
She reached forward and gently held Sarah's hand.
"But when I finally came back here… and saw you alive…"
Tears filled her eyes.
"I thanked God."
Sarah remained silent for a long time.
Her mind replayed the grandmother's words again and again.
He said you had been found.
But if her grandmother had been held by the guards the entire time…
Then who had Luca been talking about?
Sarah's eyes slowly narrowed.
A disturbing thought entered her mind.
Could someone have pretended to be my grandmother?
No.
That didn't seem possible.
She knew her grandmother too well.
There was no way she could mistake someone else for her.
Unless…
Someone wanted her to believe that lie.
Sarah slowly lifted her gaze.
And for the first time since waking up…
A dangerous thought crossed her mind.
Maybe Luca had been playing a much bigger game that night.
While Sarah was recovering at her grandmother's house, far away another storm was quietly building.
Elana's condition was getting worse.
Much worse.
The doctors had moved her into a secured hospital room earlier that day after her behavior became increasingly unstable. They said it was only temporary, just until she calmed down.
But to Elana, the room felt like a cage.
When she opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was the door.
Locked.
Her chest tightened immediately.
A sharp wave of panic spread through her body.
She tried to sit up, but the restraints tied around her wrists stopped her.
Her eyes widened with fear.
A low, broken sound escaped her throat…not words, just a strained cry that trembled with panic.
One of the nurses quickly walked over.
"Elana, it's alright," she said softly. "Please try to stay calm."
But Elana's breathing had already become fast and uneven.
Her fingers trembled violently as she struggled against the straps.
The more she pulled, the tighter they felt.
Her eyes darted around the room like a trapped animal searching for an escape.
The locked door.
The narrow window.
The machines beside the bed.
The memory of being locked up before rushed back into her mind like a nightmare she could not escape.
Her body shook.
Another strained sound escaped her throat as tears filled her eyes.
Two nurses hurried into the room after hearing the noise.
"What happened?" one asked.
"She woke up again," the first nurse replied. "She's panicking."
Elana shook her head violently, trying to tell them something.
Her hands moved quickly, desperate and uncoordinated.
But the nurses didn't understand.
"It's okay," one of them said, trying to calm her. "No one is hurting you."
But that wasn't what frightened her.
Elana suddenly jerked her arm hard against the restraint.
A metal tray sitting on a nearby table fell to the ground.
CRASH.
The loud sound echoed through the room.
Glass shattered across the floor.
The nurses stepped back in surprise.
"Elana!" one of them said.
But Elana's eyes were fixed on the door.
Her breathing became even faster.
In her mind, the sound of the lock clicking shut was not the hospital's attempt to keep her safe.
It was a memory.
A terrible memory she had never escaped.
The more they locked her inside the room…
The more something inside her began to break.
Her hands trembled violently as she clutched the bedsheet.
The door to the hospital room suddenly burst open.
Luca stepped inside, his expression dark and irritated.
The sound of broken glass still echoed faintly across the floor. A metal tray lay overturned beside the bed.
Two nurses stood nearby, trying to calm the situation.
"What is happening here?" Luca demanded sharply.
One of the nurses immediately straightened.
"Sir, she woke up and became agitated again. We had to restrain her for her own safety."
Luca's gaze shifted toward the bed.
The moment he saw the figure sitting there, his jaw tightened.
The woman's wrists were tied down with restraints.
Her breathing was uneven.
Her hair was messy, falling across her pale face.
"Sarah," Luca said coldly.
He had come to reprimand her.
After all, she had run away from the wedding.
She had caused chaos at the villa.
And now she was destroying things in the hospital.
But as he stepped closer, something stopped him.
The woman slowly lifted her head.
Tears streamed silently down her cheeks.
She wasn't fighting.
She wasn't struggling anymore.
She was crying.
Not loudly.
Not with screams.
Just quiet, helpless tears sliding down her face like a child who had finally broken after holding in too much pain.
A small, broken sound escaped her throat.
Not words.
Just raw emotion.
Luca froze.
He had never seen Sarah like this before.
In his mind, Sarah had always been strong.
Stubborn.
Fierce.
A woman who would argue with anyone and refuse to back down.
Someone who looked like she could move mountains if she decided to.
But the person in front of him now looked fragile.
Almost frightened.
For a moment, Luca didn't know how to react.
Elana's shoulders trembled as another tear rolled down her face.
She looked up at him helplessly.
Something inside Luca shifted.
Without thinking, he quickly moved to the bedside.
"Sarah…"
His voice softened.
He pulled her into his arms.
"It's alright," he murmured quietly. "Stop crying."
The nurses stared at each other in confusion.
They had never seen Luca behave like this.
He held her carefully, one hand resting gently on the back of her head.
"It's fine," he said again, his voice lower now. "You're safe."
Then his expression darkened as he looked at the restraints.
His eyes flashed with anger.
"Who tied her like this?" he demanded.
The nurse hesitated.
"Sir… she was becoming violent and…"
"Remove them."
His voice was cold and commanding.
The nurses quickly rushed forward.
Within seconds, the restraints were unlocked and removed from Elana's wrists.
Elana stared at her hands in shock.
She slowly looked up at Luca.
Confusion filled her tearful eyes.
Because none of this made sense.
This was the same man who had threatened her countless times.
The same man who once said he would kill her if she disobeyed him.
Yet now…
He was holding her gently.
Protecting her.
Comforting her.
Elana didn't understand why.
But what she didn't know was that Luca was looking at her and seeing someone else entirely.
In his mind…
The woman in his arms was not Elana.
She was Sarah.
His runaway bride.
And he had no idea the real Sarah was somewhere far away… still alive.