2
814 Words
Leah woke up to silence so heavy it pressed against her chest.
The room was large, far larger than anything she had ever slept in before. White walls, tall windows, silk curtains drawn back just enough to let morning light creep in. The bed beneath her was soft, expensive, unfamiliar. Nothing about the room felt like hers. Nothing about the house felt like home.
For a moment, she didn’t move. She lay still, staring at the ceiling, hoping—irrationally—that the night before had been a nightmare. The blood, the gunshots, the driver’s body slumped over the wheel, the man’s cold voice telling her to marry him or die—it was all just her mind breaking under exhaustion.
But then she heard footsteps.
Reality settled in.
She is in his house
Leah sat up slowly, her body stiff, her head throbbing. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, expecting chains, ropes, something physical to match the fear curling inside her. There was nothing. Just polished floors and quiet authority in the air.
The door opened gently.
Two women stepped in, dressed in simple uniforms. Maids. One carried a tray of food. The other carried folded clothes.
“Good morning, madam,” one said softly.
Madam.
The word burned.
“I want my phone,” Leah said immediately. Her voice was firm, sharper than she felt. “I want to call my fiancé.”
The women exchanged a glance.
“That won’t be necessary,” the second said, her tone polite but final.
Leah stood. “You don’t understand. where's he, I need to speak to him”
“He’s waiting for you downstairs, you'll meet him when you've eaten and dressed properly” the first maid replied calmly. “Please sit. Breakfast will get cold.”
Leah ran towards the door then the door opened but she wasn't the one that opened it.
Luca Russo stepped inside.
He was clean now, dressed in dark clothing that fit him like it was part of his body.
“You can call him,” Luca said quietly.
Leah turned sharply. “What?”
“I said you can call him,” he repeated. “If you think that will change anything.”
Her hands trembled, but she held his gaze.
“You'll call him and tell him that you're calling off the wedding, I'm sure you don't want him involved in this whole mess”
“Bring her phone.”
The maids obeyed instantly.
When Leah’s phone was placed in her hand, it felt heavier than it should have.
She dialed Victor’s number with shaking fingers.
It rang.
Once.
Twice.
“Call off the engagement or you die” Luca whispered
Her heart pounded.
“Victor,” she whispered when he answered. “Victor, please listen to me.”
On the other end, Victor frowned slightly, distracted. He glanced at the woman beside him, her legs tangled with his, her laughter soft and careless.
“Leah?” he said. “What’s wrong? I’m busy.”
Busy.
“I’m Sorry,” Leah said, her voice cracking. “I’m calling off the engagement”
Victor shifted, rolling his eyes slightly as he muted the call for a second.
“Give me a minute,” he murmured to the woman. “She’s always dramatic.”
He unmuted the call. “Leah, calm down. Where are you?”
“I can’t explain everything,” she said quickly. “They’re forcing me to marry someone. A dangerous man. If I don’t, they’ll kill me.”
There was a pause.
Victor didn’t panic.
He didn’t ask questions.
He sighed.
“Leah, you’re being ridiculous,” he said. “Marriage? Kill you? You’ve been watching too many crime shows.”
She heard it then.
The movement. The breath that wasn’t his. The quiet sound of someone else in the room.
Her stomach dropped.
“Where are you?” Leah whispered.
Victor didn’t answer immediately.
“Leah,” he said, his tone impatient now, “I can’t deal with this. If you want to call off the wedding, do it. Don’t drag me into your mess.”
He ended the call.
Just like that.
Leah stared at the screen long after it went dark.
The silence in the room was unbearable.
Luca said nothing.
He didn’t gloat. He didn’t smirk. He simply watched her, his face hard, distant. As if he had expected this outcome all along.
“You see,” he said finally, “some men run when things get difficult.”
Leah’s knees gave way.
She sank onto the edge of the bed, her phone slipping from her fingers. The last thread of hope she had been holding snapped cleanly in two.
“Our marriage is in 6 days remember you said you'll do anything to live”
Luca turned and left the room without another word.
- Writer
