THE DAY MY LIFE WAS SOLD
Alice
The first thing I noticed was the silence.
Not the peaceful kind.
The kind that makes your skin crawl before you even understand why.
"Please... I don’t understand what’s happening."
My voice broke as rough hands dragged me through the back exit of the building. My workplace. The place I thought was safe just minutes ago.
Now it felt like a trap.
“Wrong person,” I choked out, struggling against their grip. “You have the wrong person!”
No one answered me.
No one even looked at me like I mattered.
Just men in dark suits. Cold faces. Firm hands that didn’t care how much I fought.
My heart was already hammering so hard I could barely breathe.
“Let me go!” I screamed again.
That was when I saw the car.l
Black.
Long.
Waiting.
Like it had been waiting for me all along.
“No…” My voice dropped into a whisper. “No, no… this can’t be happening."
They pushed me forward.
I resisted.
It didn’t matter.
The door opened.
And they threw me inside.
The moment the door slammed shut, everything outside disappeared.
For a few seconds, no one spoke.
The car didn’t move.
It just sat there.
Like whatever was about to happen needed silence to feel complete.
My hands were shaking violently in my lap.
“Where are you taking me?” I finally asked, my voice barely holding itself together.
No answer.
“Please,” I tried again, turning toward the man beside me. “This has to be a mistake. I don’t know what’s going on. I swear I don’t"
“You should’ve told your brother to run further."
My body froze.
“…What?”
My brother.
Hearing his name in this place made my stomach drop instantly.
“What did you just say?” I whispered. “What about my brother?”
The man didn’t even look at me.
“Your brother borrowed something."
“Borrowed?” I repeated quickly. “Money? If it’s money I can work,I can pay it back, just give me time”
A low laugh cut through the air.
Cold.
Unbothered.
“This isn’t about money.”
My breath caught.
That was when he finally turned to look at me.
And I wish he hadn’t.
His eyes were empty.
Not angry.
Not emotional.
Just… final.
“He stole from the wrong people,” he said. “Then he disappeared.”
My throat tightened.
“No… that’s not true. My brother wouldn’t do that.”
“Three months,” he said.
My chest tightened instantly.
Three months.
That’s how long he had been gone.
No calls. No messages. Nothing.
But I had told myself he was fine. Just running from life like he always did.
Not this.
Not something like this.
My voice dropped. “Where is he?”
The man leaned back in his seat.
“You’re asking the wrong question.”
The car finally started moving.
I didn’t even notice when.
The world outside blurred past me, but I couldn’t focus on anything except the pounding in my chest.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked again, quieter now.
No answer.
Minutes passed.
Maybe longer.
Then the car stopped.
My body went rigid.
I didn’t want to look out the window.
But they pulled me anyway.
And the moment I stepped out
My breath disappeared.
A mansion.
No.
That wasn’t the right word.
A fortress.
Tall gates. Armed guards. Cold lights. A place that didn’t feel alive… it felt like it owned death.
“No…” I stepped back instantly. “No, I’m not going in there.”
A hand grabbed my arm.
“Move.”
“I don’t know you people!” I fought. “Please...just let me go!”
But my voice didn’t matter here.
Nothing I did mattered.
They dragged me inside anyway.
