Chapter 15

"Do try the walnut brownies. They are delicious," said Tara.

"Thank you," I said, taking the plate from her. "Looks good, too."

Tara, a lovely lady of about thirty, was the wife of Ace's manager. She was a professional cook and owned a restaurant in the main city.

Owing to Tara's pleasant company, time had passed pretty smoothly for me until now.

She had missed the party at our house because her four-year old son had been unwell, and she could not leave him with the babysitter.

I took a bite of the brownie. True to its appearance, the brownie was delicious. The chocolaty goodness immediately melted in my mouth, leaving behind crunchy bits of walnut.

"Dalia."

My jaw clenched but I put on a smile to greet the host of the party.

She had seen me earlier but had chosen to ignore me. When we arrived, she had hugged Ace and planted a kiss on his cheek. Then she had stared at me, turned her head away at my greeting and gone ahead to greet the other guests.

"Christina," I said, flashing her the fakest smile I could. Why had she decided to change her attitude towards me all of a sudden?

"How are you?" she asked, smiling back. Like always, her tone made my blood run cold. Her smile made my stomach churn, and I put the brownie back on the table.

"I'm fine, thank you," I said, eyeing her left wrist which was well hidden under the kimono sleeves of her dress. "What about you?"

"As good as ever," she said, then proceeded to whisper something in her maid's ear. The girl nodded and left.

Okay. So, she is going to join me and Tara? Crap.

Thankfully, Christina directed the conversation to Tara and soon they both were deeply engrossed in their tales, occasionally laughing. Christina's entire demeanor had changed. She, quite obviously, behaved differently around people other than me. Her genuine smile, keen interest and care almost made her seem charming.

But what have I done to her? Why does she not behave like that with me? Why does she make my heart fear so much?

Christina was right next to me, but her eyes were on Tara. I tried to join the conversation for the sake of being polite but found myself tuning out within seconds.

My phone vibrated in my hand, making my heart skip a beat.

It must be Mom.

I had been waiting for her to send the details of my flight.

Trying not to draw anyone's attention, I casually unlocked my phone and opened the messages. Sure enough, it was Mom. She had sent a few pictures of the ticket, booking confirmation, and the details of the airport cab that would come to pick me up.

At 11 AM tomorrow.

Be ready.

Don't be late.

Take care.

Love you.

Inevitably, I smiled, my heartbeat quickening. This was it.

I will be out of this place soon.

I closed the messages and placed my phone on my lap.

"Of course, of course. Your ideas are always brilliant," Tara was saying.

I glanced at Christina and found her staring at me. The smile faded and my momentary joy left me. She raised her eyebrow slightly but quickly covered it up by laughing at something that Tara said.

The look in her eyes…did she know? Had she seen the messages? She could have. She was right next to me.

Crap. Crap. Crap.

Now what? She'll definitely mention it to Ace. But not necessarily, right? I mean, why would she bother about me and my life?

But that look.

"Hey, you all right?" Tara placed a hand on my arm.

"I-I'm fine, yeah," I said, reaching for a glass of water. "Don't worry."

"Okay," she said and shrugged. "You looked worried, so I asked."

"Yes, Dalia, I noticed too," said Christina. "Everything good?"

"Of course." I took a sip of water, trying to calm myself. Their eyes on me did not help.

"Anyway," said Tara, resuming the conversation.

Mentally thanking her, I regained my composure.

Don't worry, Dalia. Everything will be fine. Stay bold, stay confident.

***

The party had almost come to an end. About half of the guests had already left, including Tara. With her gone, I was left alone. I wanted to leave, too, but I did not dare mention that to Ace, who was nowhere to be seen.

Christina was near the front door, bidding farewell to her guests.

Standing next to the refreshments table, I scanned the remaining crowd. I did recognize a group of three women from the previous party, but they were all on their phones, looking bored.

"Dalia," said Ace, coming up in front of me.

Where did he come from?

"I need a moment with you," he said. His lips were set in a tight line, his eyes were icy, and his jaw visibly clenched. He looked ready to kill me. "Will you come with me for a minute, please?"

"W-Why?" I asked, taking a step back.

Ace smiled at a couple nearby and gently took hold of my arm. "See you soon, Mr. Farhad." He waved at the man.

Mr. Farhad waved back. "Of course." He laughed and left with his wife.

Ace's hold tightened, his nails digging into my skin. "Move."

Careful about the people around, he discretely nudged me. With my heart in my mouth, I began to walk.

What if he has found out? He will kill me.

I stopped walking.

"Move," he said, gritting his teeth. "You have already done enough. Don't test me more."

He knows.

He knows.

My stomach dropped.

It can't happen.

No.

How…?

A sharp pain in my arm drew me out of my trance. Ace's nails had drawn out blood.

"Trust me, you don't want me to force you. Walk," he said again.

Mom…what do I do?

If I go with him, I don't know what he'll do to me.

I looked around at the people.

This is my only chance. I should scream. I should draw attention to us. It's okay if they think I'm mad. Someone will believe me. At least one person will call the police or try to help me.

My eyes stopped on Christina. Her gaze was fixed on me.

She will never help-

A shrill scream filled the air. It was Christina. All heads turned and people rushed towards her. I saw her pointing at something in the garden and then I was pulled along by Ace.

A cry escaped my throat but was muffled by Ace's hand. He dragged me by the arm and took me away from the main hall. I tried to kick him, but he shot me a death glare which instantly made me stop.

"Bloody idiot!" He pushed me into a room, closing the door behind him.

Christina was cruel. She knew what Ace was doing. She had diverted all attention towards her so that Ace could force me without anyone noticing.

Ace grabbed a roll of tape and some rope that was on the bed.

"No. What are you doing? Why—”

He slapped me.

I lost my balance and fell on the floor, barely escaping from hitting my head on the wall. He had used all his strength.

He is furious.

Lord save me.

Before I could recover, he had cut off a piece of tape and taped my mouth. I screamed but all I heard was a muffled, incoherent sound. Then he tied my hands and feet with the rope.

"You better not move," he said, glaring at me. "You are going to regret this, Dalia. I told you to obey."

With that said, he left the room. I heard a key rotating in the lock.

He had locked me in.