Forced Marriage: Vengeful Heiress Falls in Love

Emily didn’t stop running. Her lungs burned, and every breath tore through her chest as the city lights blurred around her. Footsteps thundered behind her heavy, relentless, and getting closer. “Miss Emily!” a voice shouted, but she ignored it. Her fingers shook around her phone, its screen cracked from how tightly she held it. Even as she ran, she couldn’t forget the images from the video clip sent from an unknown number that burned into her memory. There was her father calm, cruel, and steady holding a syringe as he injected a chemical into her mother’s IV drip. And then her mother, lying on the bed, shaking violently as if electric waves were coursing through her body. Her arms flailed, and her eyes were wide with panic and shock. Then, just as suddenly, she went still. Her limbs stiffened, paralyzed by the drug. She wanted to move, to escape, but her body refused. Her life seemed to slip away slowly. Her chest rose and fell unevenly, and before she took her last breath, her eyes found her father’s. They were filled with pain, betrayal, and disbelief. And he… smiled. A cold, evil smile.And now he sent his bodyguards after her why? Did he want to kill her too? Or did he find out that I know he killed mum? Emily stumbled as her heel caught on the pavement. Panic surged through her, and she glanced back to see three bodyguards her father’s men. They were chasing after her,they were hunting, bloodthirsty and relentless. How did they find me so fast? The thought sliced through her fear. I only told one person I was coming back. Sarah. Her oldest friend. The one who had held her at her mother’s funeral. The one who had sworn, “I’ll always have your back.” A cold truth settled in her stomach, colder than the night air. She told him, Sarah must have told her father .She sold me out. The betrayal was a physical blow, stealing her breath. But there was no time to grieve. Only to run. She pushed herself harder, weaving through pedestrians, knocking into shoulders in the crowd, and ignoring the curses hurled at her. Someone grabbed her arm”Hey watch it!” but she tore free and ran blindly, her heart pounding so loudly she could hear nothing else. Her ankle screamed from a stumble, and she swerved into a narrow alley. The downtown streets gave way to decaying brick walls, broken chainlink fences, and the smell of rot. Up ahead, an abandoned warehouse loomed, dark and silent. She dove inside, where dust hung thick in the air and broken crates and debris littered the floor. Emily pressed herself against a stack of old, mildewed sacks, clamping a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. She heard footsteps approaching. Her father’s men must have traced her to the warehouse . Footsteps echoed through the space. “Check everywhere,” a voice ordered. “She can’t have gone far.” Her heart thumped violently in her chest as one of the bodyguards kicked a pile of debris near her feet. She froze, holding her breath. After what felt like forever, a voice grumbled, “She’s not here. Move to the next block.” The footsteps faded, and silence descended. Emily slumped against the sacks, letting out a shaky breath. Just as she began to relax, her phone vibrated violently. The screen showed: SARAH. The name felt like a slap. How dare she call now. “No, no, not now” Emily fumbled to silence it, her fingers trembling with rage and hurt. But before she could, a shadow moved in the doorway. Fear shot through her, and she bolted for a broken window at the back of the warehouse. Glass crunched under her shoes as she hauled herself through. “There! Go!” The chase began again. She ran into the streets, the bodyguards’ shouts exploding behind her. Their eyes glinted in the neon light, cruel and predatory. Her phone rang again, Sarah’s face flashing on the cracked screen. Emily swiped to answer, her voice a venomous gasp. “You told him.” “Emily! Where are you? What are you talking about?” Sarah’s voice was small and panicked against the city noise. It sounded so real. “You told my father I was here,” Emily panted, weaving through a deserted parking lot. “Was it for money? Did he pay you to betray me too?” “Emily, listen to me, you need to” Sarah pleaded, but Emily couldn’t listen. She shoved the phone to her hsnd saving her energy to run, letting Sarah’s lies fuel her fury. Her mind flashed again to the video the chemical in the drip, her mother shaking uncontrollably, then stiff and paralyzed. Her last look, filled with pain and betrayal. First her father, now her best friend. Everyone she trusted was a monster. She ran onto a main road. Traffic roared around her, headlights blinding her, tires screeching. “Emily, talk to me! Are you okay?” Sarah’s voice was desperate, a perfect performance. A hand grazed her jacket. She screamed and lunged forward straight into the road. Time slowed. Engines roared. Neon lights streaked red and white. Tires screamed across the asphalt, the sound of car brakes stopping.Her phone flew from her hand, and Sarah’s voice shouted through it : “EMILY!”.