CHAPTER 4
1042 Words
A Dangerous Gamble
Lucy’s pulse was a wild drumbeat in her ears as she stood frozen between the two men.
Lucas—the only man who had ever shown her kindness.
Ray—the man who now owned her, the one who refused to let her go.
The tension between them was suffocating, a silent war unfolding right before her.
Ray’s piercing blue eyes locked onto Lucas, his lips curling in an almost amused smirk. “You’ve always been a disappointment,” he said smoothly. “But this?” He chuckled, shaking his head. “This is outright betrayal.”
Lucas didn’t flinch. His stance was solid, and protective’s not a deal to be traded,” Lucas said, his voice steady. “And she’s not yours to keep.”
Ray exhaled slowly, as if bored. Then, in a single swift movement, he pulled out a sleek black gun from his jacket.
Lucy’s breath caught.
The weight of the moment crashed over her like a tidal wave.
She had thought she was merely escaping a life of captivity.
Now, she realized this was a battle of survival.
A Silent Plea and an Ultimatum
The air in the dimly lit corridor turned ice cold.
Lucy’s eyes darted between the gun in Ray’s hand and Lucas’s tense expression.
Lucas took a slow step forward, carefully positioning himself between her and the danger.
“You’re going to shoot me?” he asked, tilting his head. “Over her?”
Ray’s smirk didn’t falter. “Do you think I won’t?”
Lucas didn’t respond. Instead, he turned slightly—just enough to meet Lucy’s gaze.
And in that instant, she understood.
He wasn’t asking for permission to fight.
He was asking if she trusted him.
Her throat tightened. Did she?
Ray clicked the safety off, and the metallic sound made Lucy’s decision for her.
“Lucas, don’t—”
Too late.
Lucas lunged.
A sharp bang shattered the silence.
Lucy screamed.
Blood on the Flood
The shot echoed through the hallway, bouncing off the walls like a violent whisper.
Lucy’s hands flew to her mouth, her breath frozen in her lungs.
For a split second, nothing moved.
Then Lucas stumbled backward.
A dark stain blossomed across his shirt, just above his ribs.
Lucy’s stomach lurched. “No”
Lucas didn’t fall. His face twisted in pain, but he didn’t fall.
Instead, he clenched his jaw, straightened, and punched Ray in the face.
Ray staggered, caught off guard by the sheer force of it.
Lucas moved fast—his instincts sharper than the pain radiating from his side. He grabbed Lucy’s wrist and ran.
She barely kept up, her mind struggling to process what had just happened.
He’s hurt. He’s bleeding.
And yet, he was still fighting for her.
The Labyrinth of Lies
The corridors twisted into a maze of endless doors and staircases.
Lucas’s grip on her hand was tight, but his steps were slowing.
Blood dripped onto the pristine white floors.
Lucy’s heart clenched. “Lucas, stop. You’re hurt.”
“I’ll be fine,” he gritted out, but she could hear the strain in his voice.
He pushed open a door, revealing a dimly lit study. Books lined the walls, a fireplace crackling in the corner. It was a stark contrast to the chaos behind them.
Lucas pulled her inside and shut the door, leaning heavily against it.
Lucy moved instinctively, pressing her hands against the wound. The warm, sticky blood seeped between her fingers.
“You’re not fine,” she whispered, her voice shaking. “You need help.”
Lucas exhaled, his expression unreadable. “We don’t have time.”
She shook her head. “We can’t just keep running. He’ll find us.”
Lucas’s lips twitched, almost in amusement. “You think I don’t know that?”
Before she could respond, he reached into his pocket and pulled out something small.
A key.
Lucy frowned. “What’s that?”
Lucas met her gaze, and for the first time, there was something almost broken in his expression.
“A way out.”
A Key to the Past
Lucy stared at the key, her mind racing.
“Out of the mansion?” she asked cautiously.
Lucas hesitated. “Not exactly.”
A chill ran down her spine. “Then where?”
His fingers tightened around the key. “Somewhere Ray doesn’t want you to see.”
Her heartbeat stuttered. “What are you talking about?”
Lucas exhaled sharply. “You think Ray married you for fun?” His jaw clenched. “Think again.”
Lucy shook her head, confusion warring with fear. “Lucas, what are you saying?”
He hesitated as if deciding whether to tell her the truth.
Then, in a low voice, he said, “You weren’t the first.”
Lucy’s blood ran cold.
“What?”
Lucas’s eyes darkened. “Ray’s had a wife before.”
A weight settled on her chest.
A wife? Before her?
Lucas took a shaky breath. “And if you don’t get out now, you might end up just like her.”
Lucy’s body turned rigid.
“What happened to her?”
Lucas hesitated—then slowly, painfully, said:
“She disappeared.”
The Door That Shouldn’t Be Opened
Lucy’s head spun.
A wife before her? A woman who vanished?
What had she been dragged into?
Lucas pressed the key into her palm. “There’s a hidden room in this house,” he murmured. “One Ray keeps locked at all times.”
Lucy’s fingers curled around the key, the cold metal biting into her skin.
“What’s inside?” she whispered.
Lucas met her gaze.
“Answers.”
A sharp pounding on the door made them both jolt.
Ray.
Lucas’s hand shot to the gun holstered at his waist. His eyes hardened.
“You need to go. Now.”
Lucy’s breath came in shallow gasps. “I’m not leaving you.”
Lucas smirked despite the pain. “I’ll be fine.”
Lies.
She knew they were lies.
But she also knew this was her only chance.
The pounding grew louder.
With one last glance at Lucas, Lucy turned and ran.
Toward the hidden room.
Toward the secrets Ray never wanted her to find.
- Writer
