Everything was dark.
So dark that Lia Thompson couldn't tell if her eyes were open or closed.
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Her head was pounding.
A dull ache throbbed behind her eyes.
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For a moment, she couldn't remember what happened.
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Then slowly—
Pieces returned.
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The walk home.
The black car.
The phone call with Ryan.
The men.
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Her heart immediately started racing.
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Lia tried to move.
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And froze.
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Her hands were tied tightly behind the chair.
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The rough rope dug into her wrists.
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Panic shot through her chest.
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"Hello?"
Her voice came out small.
Weak.
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No answer.
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The warehouse remained silent.
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Lia swallowed hard.
Trying not to panic.
Trying not to cry.
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Ryan was looking for her.
Right?
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Ava was probably worried.
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Someone had to know she was missing.
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Suddenly—
CRRRREEEAAAK.
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A door opened somewhere nearby.
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Lia's heart jumped.
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"Ryan?"
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Hope instantly filled her voice.
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"Ava?"
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Footsteps echoed through the darkness.
Slow.
Heavy.
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Getting closer.
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Closer.
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Closer.
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Then someone stopped directly in front of her.
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Lia couldn't see their face.
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Because a black blindfold was still covering her eyes.
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For one brief second—
She convinced herself it was Ryan.
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That he'd found her.
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That she was safe.
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Then the blindfold was suddenly pulled away.
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Bright light hit her eyes.
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Lia winced immediately.
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When her vision finally cleared—
Her stomach dropped.
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It wasn't Ryan.
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It wasn't Ava.
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It wasn't Ethan.
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It was one of the men.
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The same man from before.
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The one who had grabbed her outside.
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Fear crawled up her spine.
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The man pulled a chair over and sat directly in front of her.
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Studying her.
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Like she was some kind of problem he needed to solve.
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"You awake now?"
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Lia didn't answer.
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"what's your name"
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The man sighed.
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"We can do this the easy way."
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Silence.
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"Or the difficult way."
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Lia's fingers curled into fists behind her back.
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"Lia Thompson and What do you want from me?"
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The man leaned forward.
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"Ryan Blake."
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Lia froze.
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The man noticed immediately.
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"Good."
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A small smile appeared on his face.
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"At least we're talking about the same person."
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Lia's heart pounded.
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"What about him?"
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The man's expression hardened.
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"You leave him."
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Silence.
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Lia blinked.
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"What?"
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"You heard me."
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The man folded his arms.
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"You disappear from his life."
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Lia stared at him.
Unable to believe what she was hearing.
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The man continued calmly.
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"You stop calling him."
"You stop seeing him."
"You stop talking to him."
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A pause.
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"And this all ends."
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For a moment—
Lia actually laughed.
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Not because it was funny.
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Because it was ridiculous.
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"You kidnapped me..."
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Her voice trembled.
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"...for that?"
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The man didn't answer.
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And somehow—
That answer was worse.
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Lia slowly lifted her head.
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And despite how scared she was—
Despite the tears threatening to fall—
Despite everything—
She still said:
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"No."
The word hung in the air.
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"No."
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The man's expression hardened immediately.
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For a few seconds—
Nobody spoke.
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The warehouse felt colder.
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Lia's heart was pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears.
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The man slowly stood up from his chair.
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"You should think carefully before answering."
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Lia swallowed.
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Fear was clawing at her chest.
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But she forced herself to look at him.
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"I'm not leaving Ryan."
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The man's jaw tightened.
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"You don't seem to understand your situation."
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Lia let out a shaky breath.
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"No."
She whispered.
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"I understand it perfectly."
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The man stared at her.
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Then suddenly laughed.
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A humorless laugh.
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"Interesting."
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He began pacing around the room.
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Like he was trying to decide what to do with her.
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Lia's stomach twisted.
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The silence was almost worse than the threats.
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Finally—
The man stopped.
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"You think Ryan Blake will choose you over his family?"
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Lia didn't answer.
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"You think you're important enough for him to risk everything?"
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The words hurt.
More than she wanted to admit.
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Because deep down—
The same fear had crossed her mind before.
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Ryan was rich.
Powerful.
Connected.
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She wasn't.
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The man noticed the hesitation in her eyes.
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And smiled.
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"There it is."
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Lia clenched her fists.
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"No."
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The smile vanished.
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"No?"
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Lia lifted her head.
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"He already chose."
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The man frowned.
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Lia's voice shook slightly.
But she kept going.
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"He stayed."
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A pause.
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"When everyone else left..."
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Another pause.
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"He stayed."
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For some reason—
That answer made the man angrier than before.
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His patience finally snapped.
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"Enough."
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The warehouse echoed with his voice.
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Lia flinched.
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The man took a step forward.
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Then another.
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Then another.
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Until he was standing directly in front of her.
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Lia instinctively leaned back.
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Fear flooding through her body.
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But she refused to look away.
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The man stared at her for several seconds.
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Then suddenly—
He turned around.
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"Leave her."
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One of the other men looked confused.
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"What?"
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"Leave her."
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The man rubbed his forehead.
Clearly irritated.
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"She's stubborn."
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Another man laughed.
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"Give her time."
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The leader nodded.
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"Exactly."
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He looked back at Lia one last time.
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"We'll ask again."
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A pause.
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"And next time..."
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His expression darkened.
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"You'll answer correctly."
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The warehouse door slammed shut behind them.
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And Lia was alone.
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Completely alone.
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The silence returned.
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This time it felt even worse.
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Because now she knew they were coming back.
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And she had no idea how long she could keep pretending she wasn't terrified.
The warehouse fell silent.
Too silent.
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Lia sat alone in the darkness.
The only sound was the faint buzzing of the light above her.
Buzz.
Buzz.
Buzz.
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Every few seconds it flickered.
Making the shadows dance across the walls.
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Lia hated it.
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She hated the darkness.
She hated the silence.
She hated being alone.
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Most of all—
She hated being scared.
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A tear slipped down her cheek.
Then another.
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Slowly she lowered her head.
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"Ryan..."
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His name came out as barely a whisper.
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She remembered his stupid jokes.
His annoying smile.
The way he always found a reason to make her laugh.
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A broken laugh escaped her lips.
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"You idiot..."
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The words trembled.
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Because for the first time—
She realized just how much she missed him.
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The warehouse suddenly felt even colder.
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What if he couldn't find her?
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What if nobody found her?
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The thought made her chest tighten painfully.
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Lia squeezed her eyes shut.
Trying not to cry.
Trying to be brave.
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But bravery was hard when you were alone.
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Very hard.
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Minutes passed.
Or maybe hours.
She couldn't tell anymore.
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Then—
The warehouse door opened again.
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Lia immediately looked up.
Fear returning instantly.
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The men were back.
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The leader walked inside first.
His expression unreadable.
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The others followed behind him.
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Nobody smiled.
Nobody laughed.
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And somehow that scared her even more.
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The leader stopped in front of her.
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"Have you changed your mind?"
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Lia's heart pounded.
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She already knew her answer.
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But saying it felt harder this time.
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Because she was tired.
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So tired.
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Her knee hurt.
Her wrists hurt.
Her head hurt.
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And for one terrible second—
She wanted to give up.
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Just so all of this would end.
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Then she remembered Ryan's face.
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The way he smiled whenever he saw her.
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The way he looked at her like she mattered.
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And suddenly—
She found her courage again.
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Lia lifted her head.
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"No."
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Silence.
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The leader stared at her.
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Then slowly—
His expression darkened.
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"You really are making this difficult."
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Lia swallowed.
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Tears filled her eyes.
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"I'm not leaving him."
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The leader took a step closer.
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Lia's breathing became uneven.
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Another step.
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Another.
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Until he was standing right in front of her.
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"You think he'll come for you?"
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The question shattered something inside her.
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Because the truth was—
She didn't know.
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She wanted to believe he would.
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But what if he couldn't?
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What if he was searching right now and still couldn't find her?
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The thought hurt more than anything.
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A tear rolled down her face.
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The leader noticed.
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"There it is."
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Lia immediately shook her head.
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"No."
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Her voice cracked.
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But she forced the words out anyway.
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"He'll come."
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The men exchanged looks.
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Then one of them laughed.
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A cruel laugh.
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"Keep dreaming."
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Lia squeezed her eyes shut.
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Please.
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Please come.
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Please find me.
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Please...
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The leader suddenly reached toward her.
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And instinctively—
Lia jerked backward.
The leader suddenly reached toward her.
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And instinctively—
Lia jerked backward.
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Fear took over.
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"Don't touch me!"
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Her voice cracked.
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The man frowned.
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" hay Lia , stop moving."
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But she wasn't listening anymore.
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Her heart was pounding too hard.
Her breathing was too fast.
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All she knew was that she wanted away from him.
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Away from all of them.
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The chair scraped violently across the floor.
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Lia tried to push herself back.
Further.
Further.
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Then—
CRACK.
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One of the chair legs caught against a broken wooden plank lying on the concrete floor.
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Everything happened in a split second.
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The chair tilted.
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Lia's eyes widened.
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"No—!"
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CRASH!
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The chair flipped backwards completely.
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The back of her head slammed against the concrete floor.
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A sharp pain exploded through her skull.
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For a moment—
Everything went white.
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Then black.
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A small cry escaped her lips.
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The entire warehouse froze.
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Even the men looked shocked.
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Nobody expected that.
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Nobody.
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Lia's vision blurred instantly.
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Something warm trickled down the side of her face.
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She weakly lifted her hand.
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Blood.
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The sight made her stomach turn.
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The room started spinning.
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The leader cursed under his breath.
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"Damn it."
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One of the other men stepped forward.
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"Boss—"
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"I said move back!"
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For the first time—
The leader actually looked nervous.
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Because this wasn't supposed to happen.
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None of this was supposed to happen.
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Lia tried to sit up.
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The moment she moved—
A wave of dizziness hit her.
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She nearly collapsed again.
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Tears filled her eyes.
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Not because of the blood.
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Not because of the pain.
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Because she was scared.
So scared.
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"Ryan..."
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His name escaped her lips weakly.
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Almost like a prayer.
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A desperate hope.
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The men exchanged uneasy looks.
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One of them laughed nervously.
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"Looks like your prince isn't coming."
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Lia squeezed her eyes shut.
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A tear rolled down her cheek.
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Then another.
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And another.
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Please.
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Please come.
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Please.
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The warehouse door suddenly exploded open.
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BANG!
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The sound echoed through the entire building.
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Every head turned.
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Lia's eyes opened slowly.
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Her blurry vision struggled to focus.
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Then she saw two figures standing in the doorway.
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One tall.
One furious.
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And one voice she would recognize anywhere.
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"LIA!"
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Ryan Blake.
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The relief that hit her was so overwhelming it almost hurt.
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He came.
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He actually came.
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And beside him—
Ethan Carter stood frozen.
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His eyes immediately landed on the blood near Lia's head.
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For the first time that night—
Both boys looked absolutely terrified.
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And suddenly—
The men realized they had made the biggest mistake of their live