I gasped, feeling the sharp sting as my clothes tore. I bit my lip so hard it hurt. “I didn’t… I really didn’t.”
The second blow landed before I could catch my breath and warm blood seeped down my spine. My vision blurred and my ears were ringing, but I kept shaking my head. Everyone around me looked so cold, so indifferent, I couldn’t even open my mouth to protest.
The hits kept coming, harder and heavier, and I clenched my teeth, refusing to say I’d done anything wrong. When the last strike hit, I finally couldn’t fight anymore. Darkness swallowed me and I felt myself go completely limp. I thought I heard Christopher shouting my name, his voice urgent, desperate, but it faded into nothing.
...
When I woke again, the hospital lights were harsh and the window outside was dark. Moving my fingers sent sharp pain ripping up my back and I groaned.
“Melissa!” Christopher’s voice was right beside me, tight with panic.
I barely turned my head. He bent down, grabbing my hand like it would steady me. “Fuck, you’re awake. How the hell are you feeling? Does it hurt that much? Talk to me!”
I pulled my hand back slowly, silent.
“Why are you so stubborn?” His voice softened, edged with frustration. “One word, one tiny admission, and we could have ended all this. Why do you have to be so stubborn and make me feel like I’m fighting against a goddamn wall?”
“I didn’t frame her…”
His expression froze, disappointment cutting through him. “Melissa… I won’t blame you. But you can’t keep acting like you don’t give a damn. You can’t keep being so unrepentant.”
I closed my eyes and said nothing. I knew he wouldn’t believe me anyway.
He stayed a moment, watching, before finally sighing and leaving the room. I didn’t see him again for the rest of my stay. Every day I stared at the clouds outside, barely noticing the nurses when they changed my dressings. I wanted to ask for help but my voice always caught in my throat.
...
When the doctor finally said I could go home, I packed my small bag and stepped into the cold early autumn air. Pulling my coat tighter, I started to flag a taxi.
Then a hand clamped over my mouth, a sharp chemical smell filling my nose. I struggled, but my limbs felt heavy, my vision swimming.
When I woke again, I was hanging, wrists raw from the ropes. My head throbbed as I blinked and saw Lillian across from me, tied up too, holding her daughter who was wailing.
“Woke up, huh?” A masked man’s voice came, grating and loud. “I’ll follow orders. Remember the last payment, okay?”
Before I could even speak, the warehouse doors slammed open. Christopher stormed in, face pale, fury sharp. “Put them down! I don’t care how much you want! Just drop them now!”
The kidnapper shook his head, smirking. “Nope. Money won’t work. Employer says he doesn’t want cash. He wants a choice.”
Lillian’s tears fell freely. “Melissa… why did you do this? Tying me up is one thing, but the baby? Why hurt her?”
I shook my head, voice cracking, “It wasn’t me! I didn’t—”
Christopher’s gaze cut to the air cushions they’d carefully set under me, his jaw tight and eyes cold as ice. “Melissa, stop messing around. Tell them to stop. Now. I mean it. Stop this shit.”
The kidnapper waved that stupid knife like he was god, his voice sharp: “Hurry the fuck up and choose or I’ll start cutting ropes wherever I want.”
“No!” Lillian shook her head, tears falling fast. “Sister Melissa, please, just let them put the baby down. It doesn’t matter what happens to me. I’m not afraid, but please, she’s just a kid.”
I wanted to tell her it wasn’t my choice, that I wasn’t doing this to her, but I couldn’t get a word out before the bastard barked again: “Choose, now! Or it’s her life and the kid’s.”
Christopher’s voice tore through the chaos, raw and angry: “Melissa! Stop messing with them! I don’t care what you’re trying to prove! I fucking love you, and you don’t have to keep doing this! Don’t hurt the kid!”
“I didn’t—” I tried to shout, my throat tight, my chest aching, but the knife pressed against Lillian’s rope, and the kidnapper’s hand shook impatiently.
“I choose Lillian and the baby!” Christopher yelled, furious and desperate. “Put them the fuck down!”
The rope fell and Lillian collapsed into his arms, sobbing and shaking, murmuring, “Chris, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
Christopher held her tight, muttering, “Shh, I’ve got you. It’s okay, it’s over. You’re safe now, both of you.”
I barely breathed, watching him, hoping for something, anything. “You… you’re leaving me?” I whispered, voice trembling, but he didn’t even glance at me.
He sighed, muttering, “Melissa, I’m not chasing you today, but this better be the last time you pull this shit.” He rubbed his temples and put his arm around Lillian. Then he walked off, not noticing the bastard hadn’t finished with me.
The kidnapper grinned like he’d won a prize. “Such a gift, Miss Davenport, so generous of you.”
I felt the rope snap beneath me before I could even react. Pain exploded through my body, every bone screaming. I screamed too, my voice cracking, but the bastard was gone and the warehouse was silent except for the car engine fading in the distance.
When I woke, the cold hit first. My whole body felt broken. My hands shook as I tested them, every movement sending fire through my muscles. I tried to crawl, my legs barely moving. Somehow, my phone was still in my pocket.
I unlocked it, hands trembling. There it was. A message from Christopher, sent hours ago. Melissa, let’s both calm down for a while.
And then… the immigration confirmation. My application was approved. My hands shook as I read it over and over. I could leave, finally leave this nightmare.
I booked the next flight without thinking. Back home, I grabbed my luggage, already packed. This “home,” that place full of lies and fake smiles, meant nothing anymore. Christopher had posted pictures of our two families eating together on Instagram Stories. I stared at the photo, my lips twitching with bitter humor.
I sent him a message. I typed, I’ve prepared a surprise for you. You can open it when you get home.
Then I pulled out the SIM card, snapped it in half, and threw it in the trash. I looked once at the gift box on the table, neat and meaningless, and walked out.
No looking back. No more pretending. Finally, I could take a breath, and maybe, just maybe, start living for me.
