As Emily walked down the long hallway of the hospital, her thoughts drifted back to the warmth of Eric’s presence and the relief of seeing Lily recovering so well. She smiled to herself, already looking forward to calling him later.

But before she could take another step, a strong hand grabbed her arm, yanking her off her path. Before she could scream, another hand clamped over her mouth, muffling her cries. In an instant, she was dragged into a stairwell, her body twisting in panic as she fought to break free.

“Shut the hell up and come with me nicely,” a familiar, sinister voice hissed in her ear.

Emily’s heart raced. Luke. She struggled harder, kicking at his legs and twisting her body, trying to get away. But Luke tightened his grip, pulling her closer. “Didn’t I tell you to make this easy?” he snarled.

His patience gone, Luke jabbed a needle into Emily’s neck. She gasped, her body going limp almost instantly as the world around her blurred and darkened.

Luke brushed a strand of hair from her face, a twisted smile on his lips. “Sorry, baby. You made me do this.”

Without another word, Luke hoisted her unconscious body into his arms and carried her down several flights of stairs, moving quickly toward the parking garage. He let out a laugh, dark and mocking. “Heavier than I thought you’d be,” he muttered as he reached his car. He threw Emily into the back seat and slammed the door shut before speeding off toward his private villa.

As he drove, Luke’s expression was one of triumph. “This time, I’ll keep you, Emily. You’ll be mine,” he whispered to her sleeping form.

An hour later, Luke’s car pulled up to a long, private driveway, flanked by high walls and security guards standing at attention. The villa, perched by the beach, was isolated, with no one in sight for miles. The gate closed behind him as he parked the car, shutting Emily off from the outside world.

Luke stepped out and gave a satisfied look to his security team. “She won’t be going anywhere this time,” he said, his voice dripping with arrogance.

Emily stirred in the back seat, but the drug was still strong, and she slipped back into unconsciousness before her eyes could focus. Luke grinned as he scooped her up and carried her inside the villa, navigating down a long, lavish hallway before placing her gently on a plush bed in one of the rooms. He smoothed her hair back, almost tenderly, before locking the door behind him as he left.

Two hours later, Emily began to wake, her eyelids fluttering as a sharp pain pulsed in her head. Her vision was blurry, the edges of the room swimming in and out of focus. As her eyes cleared, she blinked at the unfamiliar surroundings. Confusion quickly gave way to panic.

Where am I? she thought, her heart pounding in her chest. She tried to sit up, but her legs gave out beneath her, and she collapsed back onto the bed, weak and disoriented. Panic gripped her as she looked around the room, trying to piece together how she had gotten there.

Just as her mind began to race with fear, the door flew open, and in walked Luke, a wicked grin plastered on his face.

“Hello, my dearest,” he said, stepping closer. “We’re finally together.”

Emily’s stomach twisted in horror, and her heart sank at the realization. She was trapped. With him.

“What do you want with me?” she demanded, her voice shaky but defiant.

Luke chuckled, shaking his head. “You know exactly what I want, Emily.”

“If you want my body, take it,” Emily spat, her voice dripping with contempt. “Just let me go afterward.”

Luke’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t be vulgar, Emily. Of course, I want your body, but I want more than that. I want your love.”

Emily recoiled as he moved closer, her skin crawling at his words. “You’ll never have anything from me,” she snarled, and with a burst of courage, she spat in his face.

Luke’s playful demeanor vanished in an instant. His hand flew to her cheek, striking her hard across the face. Emily cried out, clutching her face in pain.

“You little bitch,” Luke growled, his voice filled with fury. “Don’t ever spit at me again. You’re going to learn how to behave. Be the good girl I know you can be.”

Emily glared at him, her anger burning brighter than her fear. “And if I don’t?” she shot back.

Luke’s face twisted into a cruel smile. “Then I’ll show you what real hell feels like,” he said, his voice cold and threatening.

Emily turned her face away, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a response. But Luke wasn’t done. He grabbed her chin roughly, forcing her to look at him.

“Look at me,” he demanded. “You’ll listen to me eventually. Everyone has their breaking point.”

“Dream on,” Emily hissed through gritted teeth.

Luke, his patience gone, forced his lips against hers in a violent, unwanted kiss. Emily recoiled, pushing against him, and in a desperate act, she bit down on his lip, drawing blood.

Luke pulled back, his hand flying to his mouth as he cursed under his breath. “You little—!” He stopped himself, taking a step back. “Fine. Stay here and think about how you can learn to obey.”

He stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him and locking it again.

As his footsteps faded down the hall, Emily collapsed back onto the bed, tears welling in her eyes. Despair clawed at her insides, but she forced herself to stay calm. There has to be a way out of here. I have to get away from him.

———————————————————————————

Meanwhile, miles away, Eric paced the floor of his living room, his mind racing. He checked his phone for what felt like the hundredth time, but there was still no word from Emily. It was far past her usual working hours, and she hadn’t called him like she always did.

“Why hasn’t she called me yet?” Eric muttered, his anxiety growing. He had already tried calling her three times, but each call went straight to voicemail.

His gut twisted with a deep, unsettling feeling. Something was wrong.

Unable to shake the feeling, he grabbed his phone and called Tim.

“Hey, Eric,” Tim answered. “What’s going on?”

“Tim, something’s wrong,” Eric blurted, the words tumbling out in a rush. “Emily hasn’t called me, and I’ve been trying to reach her for hours. Her phone’s going straight to voicemail.”

Tim tried to calm him down. “Maybe her phone died, Eric. You could be panicking over nothing.”

“No, Tim, she would have charged it by now,” Eric insisted, his worry sharpening into dread. “I think it’s him. It’s Luke. I can feel it.”

Tim cursed under his breath. “S***, I forgot about that bastard. You think he—”

“If he’s touched her, I’ll lose my mind,” Eric snapped, his voice breaking with fury.

“Calm down. We’ll figure this out,” Tim said, his voice steady. “Let’s call the gang, see if they can track her. I’ll check the hospital’s surveillance footage.”

Eric nodded, already dialing the number. “I’m calling them now.”

Before Eric could make the call, his phone rang. He answered it immediately, his heart pounding.

“Hello?” Eric’s voice was tense.

“Boss, it’s an emergency,” the gang leader’s voice came through the line. “My men followed Miss Leroux to a private villa by the beach, about an hour away from here.”

Eric’s grip on the phone tightened. “Who was with her?”

“It was the same guy—Luke,” the gang leader confirmed.

Eric’s fury boiled over. “How could you let this happen?”

“I’m sorry, sir,” the gang leader replied nervously. “He had already thrown her in the car and taken off before we could intervene.”

“So he kidnapped her right under your noses!” Eric roared, barely able to contain his rage.

“Please, sir,” the gang leader pleaded. “We’re casing the villa now. We’ll find the best opportunity to rescue her.”

Eric took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. “Send me the location. I’m coming there now.”

A moment later, his phone buzzed with the coordinates.

Eric grabbed his keys, threw on his shoes, and stormed out of his house, his heart pounding with a mix of fear and anger. He typed the address into his GPS and sped off, the car roaring down the road.

As he drove, his mind raced with images of Emily—her sweet smile, her laughter—and then, horrifying visions of her trapped with Luke. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, his foot pressing down harder on the gas.

Just hold on, Emily. I’m coming for you. I won’t let him take you. Not this time.