CHAPTER 001
Camila Duarte's Point of View
As I fell on the slippery ice, my foot slipped out of the flip-flop. My heart pounded against my ribs as I continued to run without stopping to think about my shoe situation. I had to keep running. I had to get away.
Felipe was coming for me. Survival would have been impossible if he had caught me.
The sounds of footsteps behind me amplified as they reverberated across the empty street.
My thoughts became consumed by panic, which disrupted my ability to think with clarity. I pushed my body to speed up although my injured foot hurt and I had no proper support. The piercing cold penetrated my skin as I had no time to focus on it.
A faint light from a gas station revealed itself in front of me. I could make it. It's just a short distance away.
The noise of my flip-flop coming off reached my ears, but I decided to ignore it. I couldn’t slow down now. Their proximity left me with no option but to maintain my speed.
I sprinted for the gas station as my breath came out in quick, icy gasps. My legs started burning from the exertion, but I persisted with my run. I just had to get inside. If I could just reach the door...
I gripped the entrance handle with my hand yet the door remained stubbornly shut. The door remained locked. In a moment of intense fear my hands pulled desperately but the door remained shut.
I whispered, "Come on...come on..." to myself while I silently prayed for the door to unlock.
Tears pricked the corners of my eyes. I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t give up.
The footsteps behind me grew louder. They were close. Too close.
I turned around to run again but understood there was nowhere for me to escape. The parking lot contained only a few vehicles, but I approached them hoping to find help.
I sprinted toward them as my shoes struggled to stay connected to my feet.
The waves of my pain erupted into a sharp jerk that exploded through my head. Air escaped from my lungs in a swift rush as I gasped.
My eyes started to fill with tears, but I couldn't prevent them from falling. Not now. I attempted to release my hair by trying to grab the hand that had entangled it but found the grip intensified. As someone behind me inhaled deeply, their voice soon followed.
“You worthless little thing.”
It was Joaquín. His voice struck me like ice and froze my blood. “You think you can run from us?”
He pulled my hair tighter, and my body fell backward. My desperate attempts to break free through flailing arms failed to free me. His hold was too strong.
A tight fear grip made it hard for me to breathe. With every second that went by, my heart rate continued to rise.
Joaquín dragged me back toward the dark road that I had previously fled. Every limb ached to the point of agony, but he did not stop dragging me.
His firm grip on my arm dragged me back to him and revived the nightmare I had just escaped.
I heard him speak into his phone. “Yeah, I’ve got her. We’re on our way back now.”
I barely registered the words. The way Joaquín twisted my arm, combined with his enraged
voice, captured my complete attention.
The other man who chased me joined us, moving at a brisk pace. Mateo followed us, running breathlessly while his eyes showed intense anger.
“It took you long enough, Mateo. Joaquín sneered at me and pushed me forward while saying, “Mateo, you’re the slow one every time.”
I could feel my pulse racing. It wasn’t just Joaquín I feared. It was Felipe. I became aware of what would happen if I were forced back into Felipe's presence.
I had to get away. I couldn’t go back.
I used whatever strength I had left to try and free my arm from Joaquín's grip. While I kept going without stopping, he grumbled a curse. I moved ahead at a surprising speed despite the pain I felt.
I didn’t wait to look behind me. I gave everything I had to run as fast as I could without worrying about my flip-flop dropping off again.
The distance is just a little further.
I sprinted towards the gas station door, but a shout halted me at the entrance. Mateo’s voice sounded, and my stomach dropped.
I turned, but it was too late. Mateo's hand reached out to grab my elbow and pulled me back forcefully. The pain I felt made it harder to resist as I attempted to escape his grasp.
I screamed, "Release me!" during my struggle to break free from Mateo's grip, but he maintained his hold. The force of his grip left me fearing my arm would break.
With a malicious tone, Mateo said, "Not so fast, princess."
His forceful hand hit my face before I could respond, causing everything to start spinning.
My legs failed to hold me up as I faltered forward. The sensation on my cheek felt like it seared through my skin.
Mateo prevented me from falling by gripping me securely.
“That’s enough,” a voice interrupted.
I blinked, trying to clear my vision. I was unsure about whether the spoken words emerged from my imagination or came from an actual person. Looking at him filled me with disbelief.
A man. Through his clothing, his muscular body definition became visible as the man loomed above us. The man with golden eyes surveyed his environment while I felt an emotion that wasn't fear for the first time in many days.
Hope.
But that hope was short-lived.
Joaquin unleashed a fierce snarl that transformed his lips into a threatening sneer. “Mind your own business,” he spat.
The man didn’t flinch. His gaze never wavered from me. A deep command in his voice instructed me to set her free.
My heart pounded with excitement.
Could he have intended to help me?
Mateo and Joaquín didn’t seem to care. Joaquin pulled me back while holding my arm with a strong grip.
I fought against dizziness that attempted to consume me. I fought to stay upright during this critical moment because I knew it represented my chance.
My body responded instinctively before my mind understood what was taking place. I released my arm from Joaquín's grip, yet this time my motion happened too slowly. Every movement brought fresh pain to my bruised arms as I collapsed onto the cold pavement.
The man swiftly shifted his body to intercept Joaquin's punch. In a split second he found himself fighting against both adversaries simultaneously. I watched in complete awe while my body stayed completely still.
He dodged Joaquín's attacks and struck back without any difficulty. Mateo’s kick ended quickly as the stranger intercepted it by grabbing his foot to twist it.
The sound of shattered bone made me flinch. Mateo released a painful scream during the stranger's relentless assault.
The man's rapid movements prevented Joaquín from establishing any kind of defense. He delivered a punch to Joaquín's stomach and turned his focus toward Mateo right away.
Mateo was sent backward into a hard fall after the stranger launched a powerful kick toward him.
I didn’t know what to do. This man, this stranger... he was powerful.
I instantly retreated to increase the space between us while my legs felt exceptionally weak. I could barely stay upright.
He softened his gaze upon me, which briefly made me consider him trustworthy before I rejected that thought. The sequence of events after my experiences led to a complete lack of trust in him.
I moved forward just a bit more while the cold air made my clothes stick to my skin. While my feet had completely lost sensation, this problem seemed insignificant beside my other problems.
He wasn’t sweating. He wasn’t even breathing heavily. How could someone like that be real?
The stranger gently but firmly asked me if I was okay.
I froze, my stomach tightening in fear.
While drawing away from him, I shook my head. In a quiet whisper, I pleaded with him, saying, "Please don't hurt me."
“I'm not going to hurt you. He used a gentle but firm voice to inform me that we needed to leave.
I remained uncertain about whether I should place my trust in him. My mind raced uncontrollably as fear overwhelmed me, and I tried to make sense of the fast-moving events.
“Please, no,” I begged. “Don’t hurt me.”
The stranger approached, and his shadow enveloped me while I deliberately avoided looking at him. Not now. I yearned to escape, but my body refused to allow me to run. My body was
betraying me.
My vision became obscured by darkness while my feet slipped from under me. Was this the end? Would I ever escape?
I wasn't sure whether this man would rescue me or destroy me.
