The Captive Heart

CHAPTER 3

*CHIARA*

My eyelids felt heavy as i pried them open and the room around me comes into focus. I'm met with a blur of colors and shapes, but as my gaze clears, I take in the opulent surroundings. I'm lying on a plush, velvet-covered bed, surrounded by lavish furnishings that whisper luxury.

My head is pounding, and my memories are hazy. I try to sit up, but a wave of dizziness washes over me, forcing me to lie back down. As I wait for the room to stop spinning, I take in more of my surroundings.

The walls are adorned with exquisite wallpaper, its intricate patterns and subtle sheen adding depth and visual interest to the space. A stunning chandelier hangs from the ceiling, its crystals refracting the light and casting a kaleidoscope of colors across the room.

I try to remember how I got here, but my memories are foggy. I recall being with Stefan, and then...nothing. A shiver runs down my spine as I realize I have no idea where I am or how I got here.

I try to push back the dizziness and sit up but my head spinned with the effort, i feel a sharp pain in my neck and i reached up to feel it, then different memories flashed through my head.....Work...the proposal.... Stefan...Omg! Stefan! Is he okay? What happened to me? Was i kidnapped? Why would a kidnapper put me in a luxurious room?

As I struggle to piece together my memories, I notice a figure i had not noticed before standing in the shadows, watching me. My heart skips a beat as our eyes meet, and I feel a jolt of electricity run through my body.

The man steps out of the shadows and i get a clear view of him. His hair that could rival the darkness of night are full and neatly combed and gelled back, his eyes are even darker and emotionless....and cold....and scary...i felt goosebumps rise on my skin and i looked away from his eyes. His chest fills out the black shirt he has on completely and i let my eyes go lower, even the shirt can't hide this man's chiselled body, did i add that his thighs are beautiful and he has to be about 6 foot something? He looks like the man from my nightmares... The one who is dangerous but would make you love the danger. Get back to earth Chiara! This man is probably the one that kidnapped me and I'm here ogling his body....wtf is wrong with me? Did i hit my head?

"I was beginning to think you would never wake up", he says with his sinful voice and moves slowly towards the bed with his eyes not moving from me..... like a predator.

I try scrambling up from the bed and away from him but my disoriented body resists and i fall back on the bed with a huff, my heart thumps rapidly in my chest and my breathing comes out in pants as panic settles deep within me.

"Who are you? Why am I here? What did you do to me?".

He closes in on me and the bed dips as he sits beside me on the bed, he leans down towards me and let his eyes bore into mine and my breath catches from the proximity.

" I've let you have your fun Chiara, I'm taking you now", he leans in and nuzzles his face in my neck and presses a kiss to a sensitive spot, i gasped when I felt electricity erupt from the contact and travel down to my core.

"What.... what do you mean? I don't know you?", my arms felt weak and i couldn't even raise them to try pushing him off. He suddenly pulls away as if he remembered something, he grabs my left hand and stares at my ring with distaste, " Ti avevo detto di aspettarmi, mio Tesoro, but you went and let some other man put a cheap ring on you? You should be punished", i felt another sting in my arm right after he pulls off the ring and throws it behind him and my vision immediately gets blurry and I tried to stay awake but it was a losing battle.

What does he mean? He told me to wait for him? When? Where? How? I don't even know him! Then why does he look so familiar why do his dark soulless eyes look into mine with a familiarity i have no recollection of? Why does he remind me of the faceless man who has been haunting my dreams for the past few weeks? He called me "his treasure" and my brain tries to recall where i heard it before. I blinked trying to fight the darkness trying to pull me under and our eyes meet....His eyes hold a mixture of tenderness and possessiveness.... that is a dangerous combination. My eyes shut completely and his dark eyes find me even in my unconsciousness.

The next time I wake up, i have full control of my body and i try to make the best of it, the windows are sealed shut with just a small slit that showed me it was day time, the main door was locked, there was a bathroom and the window was also sealed shut. I've been restless, i checked everywhere looking for something.... anything that could get me out. I don't think i paid much attention to what I was wearing last time i woke up but it's not what I'm in right now, which means the perverted bastard undressed me ... what else did he do to my body while I was unconscious?

My stomach grumbled in hunger and I almost pulled my hair in frustration , No , don't cry Chiara, you are stronger than that.

It's just been about 5 minutes but it feels like 5 hours, i have checked the walk in closet that is bigger than my whole room at home and it is filled with clothes that are unsurprisingly my exact size. I have a feeling this guy is a stalker and he has been stalking me for a while....but for him to know my cloth size ... what else does he know?

I walk back into the room and the scent of pancakes hit my nose, i look around and find a plate loaded with pancakes on the bedside table and a glass of milk beside it. Someone was here. I run to the door and start banging on it. " Hello! Is anyone there? Let me out!!!".

My knuckles are red and my palm hurts from hitting the door, my throat is sore and my voice hoarse, i attacked the door for about 20 minutes but nobody answered. I accepted my fate just now and went to eat the already cold pancakes. My stomach growled even louder....i was starving and i shoved food into my mouth in an unladylike manner...not like i care, I'm a captive.

"You eat well Chiara".

That voice....he is back.