BEFORE THE FALL
930 Words
Amara Bello
Before that night…
Before the rain, the blood, the fear—
Amara Bello’s life had been simple.
Not easy.
But simple.
She lived in a small, aging apartment on the outskirts of the city, the kind where the walls were thin and the power went out more often than it stayed. It wasn’t much, but it was hers. A space she had learned to survive in.
Every morning, she woke up before the sun.
Every day, she worked.
And every night, she told herself it would all be worth it someday.
Amara wasn’t the kind of girl people noticed.
She didn’t have expensive clothes or loud confidence. She didn’t walk into rooms expecting attention.
But she had something else.
Quiet strength.
The kind that showed in small ways.
Like how she always gave extra bread to the street kids outside the café, even when her boss complained.
Or how she smiled at strangers, even on the days she felt like breaking.
Or how she kept going… no matter how hard things got.
She believed in good.
In kindness.
In the idea that people could choose to be better.
And maybe that was her biggest flaw.
Because the world she was about to enter—
Didn’t believe in any of those things.
Luca Moretti
They called him many things.
A ghost.
A shadow.
A devil in a tailored suit.
But the name that stuck—
The one whispered in fear—
Was Il Fantasma.
Luca Moretti didn’t build his empire overnight.
He took it.
Piece by piece.
Blood by blood.
By the time he was twenty-five, he controlled more than most men twice his age could even dream of. Money flowed through his hands like water. Power followed him like a shadow.
But power didn’t make him dangerous.
What made him dangerous…
Was the absence of hesitation.
Luca didn’t believe in mercy.
Mercy created weakness.
Weakness got people killed.
So he cut it out of himself long ago.
He trusted no one.
Felt nothing.
Needed nothing.
And if something—or someone—became a threat…
They disappeared.
Simple.
Clean.
Final.
People like Luca didn’t change.
Didn’t soften.
Didn’t fall.
The Collision
Two completely different worlds.
One built on survival and hope.
The other on control and fear.
They were never supposed to meet.
And yet—
One wrong turn.
One moment of curiosity.
One second too late to run—
And everything changed.
Now… the Escape Begins
Amara didn’t sleep.
She couldn’t.
The room they had thrown her into was too big… too quiet… too unfamiliar. The bed alone looked like it cost more than everything she owned combined.
It didn’t matter.
None of it mattered.
Because she wasn’t free.
Her eyes darted to the door.
Closed.
Locked.
Guards outside—she had heard them earlier. Heavy footsteps. Low voices.
Her hands trembled slightly as she sat up.
Think, Amara.
Panic wouldn’t help her.
Crying wouldn’t help her.
If she wanted to get out of this—
She had to be smart.
Slowly, she slid off the bed, her bare feet meeting the cold marble floor. The room was dim, lit only by a soft lamp in the corner.
There was a window.
Large.
Elegant.
And possibly her only chance.
Hope flickered in her chest as she moved toward it, her heart beating faster with each step.
“Please…” she whispered under her breath.
She reached it.
Pulled at the handle—
Locked.
Her stomach dropped.
“No, no, no—”
She tried again. Harder this time.
Nothing.
Tears burned her eyes, but she forced them back.
Keep thinking.
Her gaze scanned the room quickly.
There had to be something. Anything.
Then—
The door handle clicked.
Amara froze.
Her heart stopped.
Slowly…
The door opened.
And he walked in.
Luca Moretti.
Her breath caught instantly as his presence filled the room like something heavy and unavoidable.
He didn’t rush.
Didn’t speak.
He just stepped inside, closing the door behind him with quiet finality.
Watching her.
Always watching.
Amara took a step back instinctively.
“I need to go home,” she said quickly, her voice shaking despite her effort to stay calm. “You made a mistake. I won’t say anything, I swear, I just—”
“You tried the window first.”
Her words died instantly.
He moved closer.
Unhurried.
Like he already knew how this would end.
“It’s locked,” he added calmly, as if she hadn’t already figured that out.
Amara swallowed hard. “Please…”
Now he was right in front of her.
Too close.
“You’re wasting your time,” he said.
“I have a life,” she whispered, desperation creeping in. “People will look for me—”
“No one is looking for you.”
The words hit harder than a slap.
Her chest tightened.
“That’s not true—”
“It is.”
His voice didn’t rise.
Didn’t change.
But it crushed everything in its path.
Silence filled the room.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Amara’s fists clenched at her sides.
“I’m not staying here,” she said, a little stronger this time.
Something shifted.
Barely.
But she saw it.
Interest.
“You don’t have a choice.”
“I’ll find one.”
For a second—
Just a second—
There was something in his eyes.
Not anger.
Not softness.
Something sharper.
More dangerous.
“Try,” he said quietly.
And that was the moment Amara realized—
Escaping Luca Moretti…
Wasn’t going to be easy.
But she was going to try anyway
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