Sophia's cheek still burned with embarrassment. Especially the way Kane had looked at her after the punishment like he saw straight through her.
Then his phone buzzed.
He glanced at it
I'm in the basement.
Kane stood. "I have somewhere to be. I'll send Sonia to show you around the condo."
He left without another word.
Not long after, Sonia appeared. Sonia gave her a tight smile. "I'll show you around."
They walked in silence. Then Sonia stopped. "Wait here. I need to get something."
Sophia waited. And waited. Her legs ached from standing. Her head ached from thinking.
She was tired of waiting.
She decided to keep strolling.
Then she heard it a scream. Raw. Agonized. Loud.
Something in her gut told her not to look. She remembered: it was her curiosity that brought her here in the first place.
But something else urged her forward. Something darker.
She looked.
Kane.
He had a man pinned. He drove a blade into the man's eye. Once. Twice. He was laughing not a normal laugh. Manic. Unhinged.
Sophia stumbled back, ready to run.
Fate wasn't on her side.
"Sophia."
Kane's voice stopped her cold. He didn't even turn fully. "Come here. Watch."
She shook her head, tears already spilling. "Please… I don't want to see this. Don't make me ..."
It hit her then. The memory. The man she was forced to kill. Her hands shaking. The blood. The sound he made.
She was shaking now too.
Kane wasn't listening. He dragged the blade down. Cut off a finger. Slammed it into the man's stomach. His hand disappeared inside the wound and ripped something out.
A heart.
He held it. Still laughing. That same manic sound.
Then he set the body on fire.
The smell hit her. The heat. The sound.
Sophia felt her body go numb. Her vision tunneled.
Then everything went black.
***
*Awakening*
Sophia's eyes fluttered open.
For a moment, everything felt distant. The ceiling above her was unfamiliar. The bed too soft. Too quiet.
Then it all came rushing back.
The scream. The blood. The laughter.
Her body jerked upright, breath tearing out of her.
"No…" she whispered, shaking her head.
But she could still hear it. That scream. Echoing like it never stopped.
Her hands flew to her ears, pressing hard, like she could block it out.
"He… he ripped out his heart…" Her voice cracked.
Her chest tightened until it hurt.
"And I'm marrying him."
The words were unreal. Impossible.
But true.
Tears blurred her vision.
"He's a monster," she whispered.
Her breathing went shallow, shaky.
"I can't do this. I can't…"
The image replayed. The knife. The blood. The way he laughed.
Her stomach turned.
"What if my child becomes like him…" The fear bled into her voice. "No. I can't. I won't…"
She shook her head, harder this time.
"No."
Her eyes hardened.
"I have to leave."
The thought locked in her chest. Clear. Strong.
"I need to escape before the wedding."
Her heart hammered as she shoved herself out of bed. Her legs were weak, but she forced them to hold her.
"I didn't do anything to deserve this," she whispered. "Who did I offend…?"
No one answered.
Of course not.
She moved fast to the door, fingers trembling on the handle.
"Just get out. Just leave," she murmured.
She yanked the door open
And walked straight into someone.
Her body collided with a solid chest.
Sophia gasped, stumbling back as she looked up ...