Chapter 3 THE FAILED ESCAPE

The woods were so rough at night. I almost slipped and fell from the Slippery roots, hidden rocks, and patches of wet leaves that made every step a risk. But Renzo didn't stop. He moved like he knew every nook and cranny of the land, protecting and guiding me with a grip that never shakes. My legs ached, but I didn't stop. The rush of fear and hope couldn't allow me to stop, it made me forget the burning in my muscles. Even the night air, which I used to find comforting, felt sharp and cold now, like it was warning us we were running late.

Still, somewhere deep in me, hope stirred.

I was doing it. I was leaving. With Renzo.

The farther we got from the house, the lighter I felt. That heavy fear that sat on my chest for days started to fade, replaced by something new a rush. Like rebellion. Like freedom.

Then it happened.

We'd barely gotten past the last slope when a bright light cut through the trees ahead of us. My heart jumped straight into my throat.

"Stop," Renzo whispered, yanking me back fast. He pulled me behind a wide tree trunk and pressed me close to the bark. "Don't move."

The light grew stronger. An engine rumbled closer, slow and steady. A vehicle. It crept along the narrow dirt path, searching. I held my breath.

Did they already know?

Were we that easy to find?

The beam of the headlights scanned the forest, sweeping over where we'd just run from. Then it moved again this time right at us.

"There they are!" a voice shouted from the vehicle.

Everything inside me froze.

I didn't even have time to react before Renzo pushed me farther behind the tree and stepped out into the open.

"Run, Ariana! Go back to the house! I'll draw them off!" he shouted. There was something in his voice I hadn't heard before panic, maybe. Or something worse.

But I couldn't move.

Two men got out of the SUV, tall and dressed in black. I couldn't see their faces, just their shadows stretching across the leaves. They moved fast. Too fast.

"Step aside," one of them barked. His voice didn't have any feeling in it. Just... cold.

"You're not taking her," Renzo snapped. He stood firm, fists clenched. There was a fury in him I didn't expect-something deeper than just fear for me.

"The girl's part of the deal," the second man said, reaching toward his waist. I caught a flash of something metal there. "Move, or this gets ugly."

Renzo looked like he was about to say something, but he didn't. He just charged.

The next few minutes were chaos.

Renzo fought like a different person quick, brutal, almost trained. He wasn't some wandering tradesman. Not with moves like that. He hit hard, ducked fast, landed punches that sounded like bone against bone. But they were two. And bigger. And prepared.

Then came the crack. One of them slammed the butt of a gun or maybe a flashlight into his head. Renzo let out a raw cry and dropped to his knees, grabbing the side of his face. Blood leaked through his fingers.

"Renzo!" I screamed and ran from my hiding spot, but I barely made a step before someone yanked me back.

"No! Let me go!" I shouted, struggling against the man dragging me toward the car.

Renzo looked up. His eyes met mine. They were glassy, unfocused. "Ariana don't " he tried to say, but the other man kicked him again. He crumpled.

"Put her in the car," one of them ordered.

I thrashed. I kicked. I screamed. But they didn't care. One of them lifted me like I weighed nothing and shoved me into the back seat of their SUV. The door slammed shut behind me with a heavy thud.

From the window, I saw Renzo trying to crawl up. His mouth was moving. Maybe calling my name. I couldn't hear. The glass was too thick. The car pulled away. That was the last I saw of him on the ground, bloody, alone.

The ride was quiet. I sat there, shaking, pressing myself against the door like I could phase through it and disappear. I wasn't crying just from fear. It was the confusion too. And the pain. Something about the way Renzo fought... the way they looked at him... it didn't add up. There was something he hadn't told me.

By the time the SUV pulled up in front of the house, the sky was starting to shift. That soft, pale light before sunrise had begun to show. It used to make me feel like a new day was coming. Not now. Now it just felt cruel.

They pulled me out of the car. My legs almost gave out. I could barely stand.

My father stood on the porch, stiff as stone. Greta was beside him, her mouth curled into something bitter and smug.

"She was trying to escape," one of the men said. No anger. No emotion. Just a report.

Greta's eyes flared. "Ungrateful little witch," she hissed, then slapped me hard. My head snapped to the side. Pain bloomed across my face.

"You think you can throw everything away?!" she screamed. "After everything we've done?!"

She hit me again. Then again. Her hand rained down on my face, my ear, my cheek. I could taste blood. I swayed, trying not to fall. I didn't cry. I didn't speak. I just stood there and took it.

My father didn't move. He didn't stop her. Didn't flinch. Just stared, like I wasn't even there.

"Enough," one of the men said, sounding more annoyed than protective. "She's needed in one piece."

Greta stepped back, breathing hard. Her eyes sparkled with satisfaction.

"There she is," Nevio said, flatly. "As promised."

He wouldn't even look at me.

They grabbed my arms again. I was too tired to fight. Too broken.

And then another figure stepped out from the shadows by the car.

Taller than the others. Broader. He wore a sharp black suit and carried himself like he expected the world to listen when he spoke. Even in the dim light, I felt his presence. Strong. Cold.

His eyes met mine. They were dark. Focused. Empty. The kind of eyes that watched without blinking.

He didn't say anything. Just gave a short nod.

The men moved again, guiding me to the open door of the SUV. The inside looked rich. Quiet. Like another world entirely. I stepped in because I had no fight left.

The door shut behind me with a soft click. It sounded final.

Through the window, I saw my father still standing on the porch. Still not looking at me. And Greta, beside him, smiling like she'd just won.

The car pulled away.

That was it. My old life, my home, even Renzo it all stayed behind in the dirt and shadows.

I wasn't Ariana Aldo anymore. I wasn't a daughter. Or a girl. I was payment. Property. Something passed off like a debt.

And now, whatever came next was up to him.

The man who didn't speak. The one they called the monster.

Leone Maurizio.

Why do I have to go through all this torment? Some time ago , I was dreaming of a freedom that wasn't there and now I am being caught, will this be my end? And Renzo who appeared to be my knight in whatever armor he came with is down...I hope he is fine, my lips were shaking from the cold and from the fear of what is ahead of me.

The look on the monster's face, yes, I called him a monster, it is only a monster who would demand humans as a payment, I am not some kind of property for crying out loud " urghh!!"

I screamed out of frustration and annoyance. I wish I am not this helpless and hopeless. If there is any word that would describe how I was feeling it would be "disgust" . Yes, I am disgusted by people around me that I almost threw up.

Let's not talk about my father. If my life is a story or a movie you would need a pack of tissues, because you are going to cry.

I drifted to sleep, not because I was only tired but because I had given up on hope. Hope isn't a thing.