Chapter Forty-Two
Savannah
It’s been days. At least, I think it has. Time is meaningless in this hell. The bright fluorescent lights overhead never dim, burning into my retinas until I’m forced to shut my eyes against the searing pain. When they aren’t assaulting me with light, it’s the sound. Deafening Italian music blares from speakers mounted high on the walls, the relentless noise battering my mind and body until I want to scream—but I can’t. My voice is hoarse from crying out, from begging for silence, for mercy.
The only sustenance they’ve given me is a tin of dog food, its stench so repulsive I’d rather starve than eat it. The cup of liquid they shove at me smells and tastes like piss, but I’ve forced myself to drink it a few times, just enough to stave off complete dehydration. It’s a cruel game. They know exactly what they’re doing though. The freezing buckets of water they pour over me feel like needles piercing my skin. Lately, they’ve added chunks of ice to the water, making it even more unbearable. My body shakes uncontrollably, my teeth chattering so violently I think they might crack.
Sometimes, they stand in the doorway and watch, their faces twist in amusement. They laugh at my trembling form, taunting me in Italian, their words sharp and cutting even though I don’t understand most of what they’re saying. They take pleasure in my suffering and I hate them for it. I loathe them for the power they hold over me, for reducing me to this.
In the rare moments of reprieve, when the lights and music stop and I’m left alone in the freezing cold, I think of him. Rylan. The man who turned my world upside down. The man who forced me into his home, claiming it was for my safety. At first, I hated him for it, for taking away my freedom. But now, all I can think about is the way he’d look at me, his eyes filled with a mix of determination and tenderness. He cared for me, respected me, and treated me like I was the most important thing in his life. Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with him.
That realization hits me harder than I expect—I love him. Not in the way you casually toss out the words, but deeply, achingly, in a way that feels almost too big to carry. And I never told him. I’d been too scared, too caught up in my own defenses, to admit how I felt. And now, I might never get the chance. The thought tightens in my chest, not with regret but with resolve. If I ever see him again, I’ll tell him. I’ll tell him everything. Because he deserves to know, and I’ll never forgive myself if I let fear rob me of that moment again.
I’ve replayed every moment we spent together a thousand times, clinging to those memories like a lifeline. The sound of his voice, the way his lips would quirk into a small smile when I’d catch him off guard, the warmth of his touch. They’re the only things keeping me sane in this nightmare. I think about the way he always put my needs above his own, how he never hesitated to protect me, even when it put him at risk. He’s everything I didn’t know I needed, and now, he’s all I can hold onto.
But I know I can’t hold on much longer. My body is failing. The persistent cough that has started is growing worse, and every time I hack up mucus, I feel weaker. I haven’t had anything resembling real food or water in what feels like forever. Desperation pushed me to start licking the ice cubes they left behind after dousing me, hoping to trick my body into thinking it was getting water. It worked for a while, until they noticed. Now, the ice cubes are covered in mud and dirt, useless to me.
I’m dying. I can feel it in every cell of my body. Without a miracle, I won’t last much longer. My captors keep demanding information about Vinny, but I haven’t and won’t tell them anything so I can protect Rylan. Each time I refuse, they up the torture. I’m trapped in a cycle of pain and despair, and there’s no escape.
They’ve started leaving marks. Marks that will scar. Cuts along my arms and legs, shallow enough to keep me alive but deep enough to make every movement agony. I can feel the infections setting in, the heat radiating from the wounds, and I know it’s only a matter of time before my body shuts down entirely. The thought terrifies me, but what terrifies me more is the idea that I might never see Rylan again, that I might die here, alone and forgotten.
But even as the hope of survival fades, I refuse to give them the satisfaction of breaking me completely. I cling to the thought of Rylan, to the possibility that he’s out there looking for me. If anyone can find me, it’s him. He’s strong, relentless, and he won’t stop until I’m safe. I’ve come to love him for that, for the way he makes me feel like I’m worth fighting for.
If this is the end, at least I’ll go knowing that someone cared for me, that someone loved me enough to try. I know he loves me because of the way he looks at me, like I’m the only thing that matters. Because he stayed, even when I tried to push him away.
I think of all the moments we shared—the quiet ones, the loud ones, the ones I didn’t realize mattered until now. The way his hand would brush against mine, a silent promise. The way he’d whisper my name like it held the answer to everything. The way his arms wrapped around me, not just to hold me, but to shield me from the world. Love like that doesn’t happen twice. And I can’t bear the thought of losing it before I truly got to hold on to it.
But please, Rylan, don’t let it be the end. Find me. Save me. Before it’s too late.