Chapter 8

Marcella

The world shattered into jagged fragments of betrayal as my mind still showed me the images Killian left me with. The image of my sister and my fiancé, entwined in an illicit embrace, scorched into my retinas. A sob clawed at my throat, desperate for release, but the tears... they refused to come, as if even my grief betrayed me.

Killian's words echoed in the hollow chamber of my mind, a cruel taunt now. My arms ached from their relentless struggle against the bindings, muscles trembling with exhaustion. The coarse rope bit into my skin, a constant reminder of my captivity, of my helplessness.

I should've eaten when I had the chance, nourishment abandoned in the wake of my spiraling despair. But hunger was a distant second to the more pressing pain blooming in my lower abdomen. The need to relieve myself had grown unbearable, yet the thought of succumbing to such a basic human function while bound to this bed was too humiliating to bear.

But the human body has its limits, and mine had reached its breaking point. With a silent prayer for forgiveness from whatever shred of pride I had left, I let go. Warmth spread beneath me, a mortifying contrast to the cool air around. Shame flushed my cheeks, a heat that finally thawed the frozen wells of my unshed tears—yet still, they wouldn't fall.

Exhaustion draped over me like a leaden cloak. One day. Just one day in captivity and I was already fraying at the edges. Ana's voice, sharp and scornful, haunted me: "You're weak, Marcella." Maybe she was right. Maybe I was weak.

Hours dragged by, each second punctuated by the rhythmic drip of a leaky faucet somewhere in the darkness. Then, the door creaked open, and Jonah's looming figure filled the doorway. His presence alone was enough to suffocate the air from the room; his size was monstrous, his aura terrifying Humiliation sweeped in me when his eyes moved down to the wet spot. My face turn bright red and I wanted the ground to open and drag me down to the bottoms of hell.

Yet, when our eyes met, I could swear there was a flicker of something softer in those steely depths. Wishful thinking? Perhaps.

"Please," I croaked, my voice raspy from disuse and thirst. "Let me go. I'm hurting."

Jonah's shadow moved closer, a mountain of muscle and menace. He regarded me with an unreadable expression before he spoke, his voice low and gruff. "You were told not to be stubborn. You didn't listen."

His words stung, a harsh reminder of my failed attempts at defiance. What little fight I had left dissipated like smoke.

"Please..." It was barely a whisper, the last ember of my will flickering out.

And then, somehow, amidst the fear and the shame, my consciousness slipped through my fingers like grains of sand, and the darkness took me under.

When consciousness finally beckoned me back, it arrived with a jolt, ripping me from the comforting abyss. The room, once silent and oppressive, now buzzed with an electric tension. Shadows danced on the walls, cast by dimly flickering candles, their wavering light revealing the figure of Killian standing before me.

I realized my arms which were tied previously were now lying beside me. I looked down and saw my clothes were different from the ones I was in before. And the bedding was changed too. Shame crossed through me again when I thought how miserable I was.

His piercing gaze bore into my very soul, a mix of contempt and concern etched across his rugged face. His presence exuded an air of danger, the kind that demanded both fear and reluctant trust. He was a man enshrouded in mystery, a paradoxical blend of darkness and honor.

"Marcella," he began, his voice a low, gravelly rumble, "What is the meaning of all of this?"

Words stuck in my throat. So instead, I pleaded with my eyes. Let me go.

He narrowed his eyes as if he knew what I was begging of him. “Last chance Marcella. You will eat everything on this plate, and we will discuss what will happen next.” I wanted to believe him, to cling to his words like a lifeline, but the wounds of betrayal ran too deep. How could I trust anyone after what I had witnessed? The betrayal of both my sister and the man I loved cut far more than skin-deep.

"I just want to leave. I can't live like this. This is worse than what Anan has ever made me feel. I don't know anything about where Ana is or what the fuck Mack did" I replied, my voice heavy with anger. "How can I know anything about them?"

Killian's expression shifted slightly, a slight softness beneath the hardened facade. But can monsters have any soft sides? "Marcella, there are layers to this world that you've only begun to unravel. Your sister, your fiancé – they may be pawns in a much larger game." He paused, his eyes searching mine for a flicker of understanding. "But you, my dear, you possess something powerful within you. It's time to confront the darkness and reclaim your true strength."

His words hung in the air, resonating with a truth that simultaneously terrified and intrigued me. What was this hidden strength he spoke of? All I felt was humiliation and hurt. I peed the fucking bed and havent stop crying. Was he merely playing on my fragile emotions, or was there a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos that surrounded me?

"I don't know how. I have never felt this weak," I finally said, the vulnerability in my voice matching his own. "I don't want to be in this situation. What happened in the alley, I did not speak of it with anyone. I swear."

A wry smile tugged at the corner of Killian's lips, an enigmatic sign of approval. "I know mia belleza. That is not my concern. My concern right now is to find your sister and I need your help. I need you to tell me where she can go?"

My mind went blank. My sister. her betrayal hurt more than Macks. She was my little sister. My ana who i raised as a daughter. Can i help them? What would he do with her? Her words the day I was taken came rushing back. The hate in her voice was enough to shake me to my core. She knew they were following her. She led them to me.

Sensing my fear Killians face went hard. All the softness he showed me vanished immediately as he sensed my hesitance.

"I don't know" I said, my voice filled with a newfound resolve. "She has a habit of running away for weeks. I never know where she goes. I saw her that day after weeks the day big g…" I realized what I did a sec too late.

He tsked. “She was there wasn't she? Yesterday?"

I looked at him and that was somehow enough for him to know.

“Fuck.” He roared and the sudden sound from his calm exterior scared me to the core.

“I thought you knew.” I said. I don't know how the words were out of my mouth but I couldn't stop. “She said you were coming after her so she came to me to get some money to run away. I refused and sudden we heard a sound from the other room. She ran from there out the window and the next second, big guy was there and here i am.” i took a deep breathe. “I swear I don't know where she is now.”

“Jonah!" Killians suddenly called out and Big guy came in. “That bitch was with her yesterday when you picked Marcella up.”

“Kidnapped me” I whispered. Killian snapped his head towards me and held up his finger in warning. How could he hear me? I barely whispered.

“I need every footage you can find near her house.” Something in his voice set my back straight.

“You will hurt her?”

“I will kill her.” With those final words he left the room in a flash leaving me behind again with the agony of not knowing and a mind full of confusion.