Elizabeth
I didn’t know how far I’d run.
My feet were soaked, my heels long discarded behind me, and the cold rain felt like knives on my skin. The storm matched the chaos in my chest — each drop felt like another shard of my heart hitting the pavement.
He said he loved me.
And all I could hear was my father’s voice — calm, calculated — telling me I was built to be a tool. Telling me love wasn’t real, just leverage.
And Noah…
He had been everything I thought love might look like. The way he looked at me. The way he held me like I wasn’t broken.
But now I didn’t know what was real.
Not with him.
Not with me.
Not anymore.
I finally stopped near a narrow alley beside the old art museum — breath heaving, body shaking. My hands gripped the edge of a rusted railing as I bent over, trying not to completely fall apart. But it was already happening.
The sob broke out before I could stop it.
I hated him.
I missed him.
I loved him.
And I felt like a fool.
“Liz!” I heard his voice — breathless, desperate, somewhere behind me. “Liz, wait—please!”
I turned, tears mixing with rain, heart clawing at my ribs.
I wanted to run again.
I wanted to fall into him.
But before I could choose—
Something snatched me from behind.
A gloved hand slammed over my mouth. An arm locked around my chest, tight and fast. Panic detonated inside me.
I kicked. Screamed. Bit down on the hand.
“Noah!” I tried to yell, but it came out muffled.
His voice cut through the storm.
“LIZ!”
I saw him, just a blur through the rain — sprinting across the alley toward me, eyes wide with pure terror.
“LET HER GO!” he screamed, rage and fear bleeding into every word.
I fought harder, nails digging into my captor’s arm, twisting and thrashing, but the figure was strong — trained.
“NOAH!” I screamed again, raw, tears and rain blinding me.
I reached toward him.
His hand was almost there.
And then—
A sharp sting at my neck.
Everything spun.
Colors blurred.
Sound warped.
Noah’s voice was the last thing I heard.
“LIZ!”
The last thing I saw was Noah face torn with regret and worry and suddenly the world collapsed around me.