Chapter 46 BETH
BETH
They didn’t even know the monster’s name.
The night outside was quiet and calm, the street bathing in the soft glow of the streetlights.
Although there were no heavy black cars or shadows moving in the dark, I still couldn’t shake the feeling that Zaghan was coming.
“He’s not going to find you.” Kenzo’s voice was gentle but firm, breaking through the silence. I didn’t turn to acknowledge him. Instead, my fingers tightened around the windowsill, as if that was the only steady ground keeping me from spiraling into panic.
“You’re safe, Beth,” he added, his steps drawing closer, that soft, calming cologne of his wafting through my nostrils, weaving a sense of comfort into my nerves. “Detectives are involved now. He’s smart enough to know not to come here.”
Kenzo and the detectives all seemed so sure.
Their confidence was almost admirable, if not downright foolish.
They were underestimating Zaghan. They didn’t know him like I did.
They hadn’t lived the most difficult weeks of their life wrapped in his wicked web, tormented by his madness and manipulation.
They didn’t know he was a psychopath who didn’t answer to laws or yield to authority, not even humanity. He moved like a ghost, striking when no one expected him to.
This right here was a game for Zaghan. In fact, they had all unknowingly participated in the game the moment they took me out of his house and he didn’t protest. He wanted them to believe he had been cornered, helpless, at a loss, and nowhere to run.
He wanted them to believe he was so unarmed and had gone into hiding.
But little did they know they had all just become a pawn.
He was coming; on the night they all relaxed and let their guards down. He would creep in like a thief.
But this time…only this time…
I gasped, jumping away from the window as though the cool sill burnt me.
This time, I wouldn’t be his target.
My breath hitched as realisation hit me again, the horror so cathartic, I stumbled back another step, my body trembling.
Zaghan warned me. Some weeks ago—‘I won’t hurt him, you know. He’s basically like my brother-in-law now. Who knows what I’ll do to him if he tries to take you away from me?’
Kenzo had done exactly what Zaghan warned me of. He had barged into his house with detectives and dragged me away from him.
That night, Kenzo signed his death warrant.
“He’s coming.” My palm cupped my mouth, shivering. “I need to go. I have–I have to go.”
My movements were frantic, my gaze unfocused as I turned for the exit.
“You’re not going anywhere.” Kenzo reached for me, his touch grounding me, but not enough to curb the panic surging through me. “He doesn’t know where you are, remember?”
“I know he won’t hurt me,” I cut in, my voice breaking. “It’s you, Kenzo. You broke his number one rule. You took me away from him.”
He exhaled sharply, gripping my shoulders.
“Look at me,” he urged, his voice controlled.
“He isn’t going to touch me. The detectives know everything now.
They know his identity. The Raskovs aren’t just mere people.
The whole of Scotland knows them. He would try to avoid any scandal that would smear his family name. He won’t do anything.”
“You don’t know him.” I tried to pull away but he held on tighter. “He doesn’t care about some fucking cops. Just take me back. I’ll tell him I came willingly. If I go back to him, he won’t have a reason to hurt you.”
Why wasn’t anyone taking my words seriously? Why were they treating me like I was paranoid and going mad?
“You’re scared, understandable.” His voice was calm and insistent. “And that’s okay, judging by what he put you through. But running back to him won’t save me or anybody.”
I shook my head, my vision blurry as a sob pressed into my chest. They didn’t know Zaghan. But I knew him. I knew what he was capable of doing and the lengths he would go to prove a point. But Kenzo and the detectives weren’t listening to me.
“Hold on.” He freed one hand from my shoulder, slipping it into the pocket of his sweatpants to fish out his phone. “If you don’t believe me. Hear what detective Smith has to say.”
He dialed the number and the detective picked on the third ring. He went ahead to update the detective the newest development while I, on the other hand, I paced around, my teeth biting nervously into my nails.
Kenzo turned to me, switching the call to the speaker.
“Beth?” Detective Smith said, his voice steady and reassuring. “Calm down, okay? You need to rest and take care of yourself. Mr. Callan Raskov hasn’t left Glenfallow. His men haven’t moved. We have been monitoring him.”
See? They knew nothing and yet wanted to be a hero. They didn’t even know the monster’s name. It was Zaghan. Not Callan Raskov. Fucking Zaghan. No last name, no middle name. Just Zaghan. A name that was as dangerous as a knife to the throat, pressing in.
“How can you be so sure, detective?” I whispered.
“We’re watching him,” he reassured. “And he knows it too. He’s powerful, yes. But he’s not reckless enough to make any move. He knows we’re keeping eye on him.”
I swallowed hard. And although the panic didn’t disappear, it loosened its grip enough for me to breathe properly.
“He won’t touch Mr. Takahashi,” the detective assured firmly. “He isn’t going to hurt you anymore. And you’ll never have to go back to him.”
I released a gasp of relief, my legs giving out, but Kenzo was quick enough to catch me before I hit the floor.
“He’s not coming.” Mr. Smith’s voice drifted away as Kenzo pulled my trembling body into his arms. “You’re safe.”
And for the first time since last night, I finally let myself breathe a little.
Maybe they were right. Maybe Zaghan wasn’t as powerful as he made me believe.
???
“Don’t put your life on hold because of me, Takahashi,” I whispered as Kenzo tucked me into bed later that night. If I fell asleep now, that would be the first time I was sleeping in days.
Kenzo scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Why are you so fucking dramatic? I’ve only missed school for a week trying to get the detectives to believe my friend was kidnapped, not married off.”
“Still,” I insisted, rolling onto my side, my hand folding under the pillow. “I feel like I’m holding you down. You should go to school tomorrow. I’ll be fine on my own.”
He sighed, running his hand gently through my hair. “Just get some sleep. Your eye bags are making you look like one of those haunted dolls.”
“It better be a hot haunted doll.” I tried to smile, but my lips merely twitched.
“She’s five foot nothing, and she has this really big head like Bratz,” he said, pressing a fist into his mouth to stifle a laugh.
Pulling a hand from beneath my head, I flipped him the middle finger. And this time, I actually giggled softly, and it didn’t make my heart hurt.
“Mrs. Takahashi is watching Gossip Girls without me,” he informed, rising off the bed. “I’m going to join her. I’ll be back. Call me if you need anything, okay?”
“Sure.” I nodded, pressing my face into the soft pillow. “Bye.”
I heard receding footsteps as his ugly ass crocs dragged against the tiled floor, then the gentle sound as the door latched onto the lock.
Kenzo’s mom had been very supportive in a way by not asking questions. Maybe she knew I didn’t wish to talk about it, or Kenzo already gave her the full story. There was always warmth in her kind eyes, hand resting occasionally on my shoulder, giving me a comforting squeeze.
A heavy sigh broke out of my lips as my eyes gently cracked open. The bed was warm and the sheet had been nicely tucked in. I should just sleep, close my eyes, and surrender. But I couldn’t. My mind reeled back to him.
Zaghan.
I hated his gut. He scared me. I was sure of it. Yet my thoughts betrayed me.
He still lingered in the shadows of my mind, his voice like velvet and silk echoing in my ears. A soft whisper against my earlobes. I could feel it, his fingers brushing against my skin, possessive, claiming, stripping my defense.
I loathed his very existence, bitter with the memory of my life that he had turned upside down. So why was my body remembering him so vividly? Why was the ghost of his touch still lingering and sparking something deep in my chest?
Minutes dragged on and my eyelids began to grow heavy. The pull of sleep wrapped around me, dragging me under.
But suddenly, I heard a crash and a sharp cry that cut off too quickly. Then struggles, furniture scraping against the tile, a dull, sickening thud.
My breath hitched, every muscle in my body locked as icy fear slithered through my veins.
I shoved away the covers, my body trembling as I swung my legs off the bed.
The floor was cold beneath my bare feet, grounding me just enough to keep me from collapsing.
My knees almost buckled as I forced myself toward the door.
Every step was slow and hesitant as even the walls themselves seemed to be holding their breaths.
The hallway stretched, darker and suffocating than before. Finally, I arrived at the living room, still bathed in the soft glow of the television light. Gossip Girl still played the echo of laughter, a cruel contrast to the stillness that had settled over the house.
My eyes widened when I saw a shattered vase and pieces of porcelain scattered on the floor, glinting like jagged teeth.
My heart pounded violently against my ribs as I moved further in. And then my world came to a standstill. A strangled scream clawed at my throat, but the sounds didn’t come, never came, only a gasp, though broken.
There they were, right next to each other; Kenzo and his mom.
Rose Takahashi’s body laid unnaturally still, eyes empty, blood pooling around her.
Then there was Kenzo too, blood coating his chest, some spilling from his mouth, fingers twitching.
“No!” The roar that tore from my chest rang louder than a gunshot, shattering something somewhere in the room.
I staggered backward, my hand clutching my head as the room blurred, the ground beneath me shifting. I opened my mouth again but no word came out as my body went lightweight, and I found myself collapsing to the floor, the darkness taking over me.