"Are you… bringing me here to… to kill me?" she whispered, her eyes wide with dread. "Just like you killed your father? Is that it? You'll kill me and leave my body in the forest, no one will ever find me… You'll just… get rid of me here in the woods?"
The raw accusation in her voice seemed to take Ibrahim aback. For a split second, he was caught off guard. He hadn't expected such a wild accusation to come flying out of her mouth. A flicker of something – surprise? Anger? – crossed his features before settling into a cold amusement.
"My, my," Ibrahim drawled, his voice dripping with a honeyed threat, "Your little brain seems to be working overtime tonight, conjuring up all sorts of dramatic scenarios."
Ava stared at him blankly, even though her vision was useless in the oppressive darkness. Yet, she could feel the weight of his gaze.
"Forgotten so soon, have you, Ava?" he continued, "What happens to those who defy me? Running away from me doesn't come without a price. You will pay for your disobedience, and you will pay dearly. Every. Single. Penny."
Each syllable felt like a heavy stone dropping into Ava's stomach.
Disobedience? Was this his justification, his twisted logic? Here, amidst the suffocating darkness, he wasn't a powerful mafia leader, but a child throwing a tantrum because his toy wouldn't stay put. But unlike a child's tantrum, this one came with teeth, with the very real possibility of a brutal punishment.
"Wh-what are you going to do?"
Answer? No. Ibrahim didn't find it important to answer. Pretending not to hear, he continued with an air of indifference. A cruel game of cat and mouse was unfolding between them. After all, he was a man who believed in actions more than words. He preferred to let his deeds speak for him, often with a possessive and sometimes cruel edge.
A cruel twist of his lips was the only answer Ava got before Ibrahim reached out, his grip on her hand like a steel trap. The yank that followed was brutal, sending a jolt of pain shooting up her arm. She stumbled forward. The high heels she wore clicked frantically against the rough gravel path.
"Let go!" Ava shrieked, "Let go of me, you animal! Monster!"
Her pleas were ignored by the cruel force dragging her forward. He was a storm, and she, a frail leaf caught in its fury.
The threshold of the house yawned open like a hungry maw, swallowing them whole. And the darkness inside was suffocating. Ava stumbled again.
The only sounds were the frantic tapping of her heels against the wooden floor and the ragged gasps escaping her lips. She was a ragdoll to Ibrahim, yanked and pulled with no say in her own direction. She twisted and pulled her hand but.... Her struggles were futile.
Just when Ava thought she couldn't take another step, he stopped abruptly at the very last door, flinging it open with a resounding bang. Before she could even register the sudden change in direction, he shoved her with such force she flew through the air.
Ava hit the bed with a thud, her small body bouncing once, twice, before finally coming to a rest in a tangled heap on the soft sheets.
The air whooshed out of her lungs in a strangled gasp. She lay there, momentarily stunned. Her breath hitched as she tried to sit up.
Then, a harsh light flooded the room, blinding her for a second. Ibrahim had flipped on the switch, bathing the room in a harsh glow.
Ava squinted at him. Ibrahim stood there, the door shut firmly behind him with a heavy thud. He hadn't used his hands; he'd simply slammed it shut with his leg.
Now they were alone... in the room. Ava pushed herself upright on the bed, her back ramrod straight in a pathetic attempt to appear composed. But composure was a distant dream. Her hands trembled like leaves in a hurricane, and her eyes darted around the room like a frightened animal searching for an escape route. There was none. The room was bare, a simple bed and nothing more, as if Ibrahim had anticipated her capture and prepared this lonely cage for her return.
Taking a shaky breath, she forced the words out, "D-don't come near me. Don't come any closer."
Ibrahim remained motionless for a moment. Then, with a predatory grace that reminded her of a wolf stalking its prey, he began to walk towards her.
He shed his suit jacket as he walked, the expensive garment falling carelessly to the floor like a discarded skin. The stark black of his shirt made him seem even more imposing.
He stopped a few feet from the bed, towering over her. "What did you just say, Ava? Dare to repeat those words." The words were a challenge, a dare she couldn't possibly meet.
But she knew better than to defy him. Saying another word felt like a foolish act of defiance. Her bravado, the one she'd used to mask her fear earlier, had vanished without a trace. His dark intensity left her feeling small and powerless.
The next movement ripped Ava from her terrified trance. In a flash, Ibrahim snatched the belt from his pants. Then, with a sharp snap, the belt sliced through the air. The sound – a loud "Thwack!" – made her flinch violently. Her wide eyes fixed on the belt dangling ominously in Ibrahim's hand. He wasn't looking at the belt, though. His gaze was locked on her. That's all he wanted, wasn't it? To see her tremble, to break her spirit, to mold her into the submissive creature he desired. He enjoyed the way she cowered beneath his gaze.
Was the belt a weapon he intended to use on her? The thought was horrifying. She'd never been hit, never even spoken to harshly by her parents, and her brother had always treated her like a princess. Now, the idea of physical pain was a monstrous novelty. A terrifying prospect that made her want to shrink into the mattress. Clinging desperately to the bedsheets, she stammered out another plea, "Don't hurt me. Please… I'll listen to you, I promise. I-I won't run away again... Just don't…" Her voice trailed off....
He began to fold the sleeves, the leather belt still dangling ominously from his other hand. There was no smile on his face, no outward sign of pleasure in her terror.
"Didn't I warn you, little runaway?" he drawled, his words dripping with a possessive anger. "Didn't I tell you not to push me, not to make me unleash this… this other side of myself? A side that wouldn't hesitate to make you truly regret your little escape attempt." He gestured with the belt, the glint of the buckle catching the light.
"You have no idea," he continued, "the depths of my cruelty. You've only ever seen a glimpse of the monster that lives within me. But oh, how you will learn," he promised, "You will learn exactly who owns you, exactly how far I'm willing to go to keep what's mine."
The moment the last word left his lips, Ava bolted. Fueled by pure terror, she scrambled off the bed. She was desperate, desperate to escape from this terrifying man. But her escape attempt was cut short. Her heel caught in the bedsheet, sending her sprawling onto the floor with a yelp of pain. The impact knocked the wind out of her, and her knee throbbed with a sharp sting.
Tears welled up in her eyes, tears she desperately tried to hold back, refusing to show weakness in front of this monster. Her escape snuffed out before it could even begin.
Ibrahim growled, "You never listen, do you, Ava? Still defying me right in front of me?" Ibrahim wasted no time in stalking towards her fallen form. As he reached her side, he knelt down infront of her and cupped her chin roughly. Their eyes locked, and for a moment.
"Don't make this harder than it has to be." he murmured. It wasn't a request, but a command. He grabbed both of her wrists. A gasp escaped her lips as he yanked her arms roughly behind her back and used his belt to bind her wrists tightly together.
"Ibrahim, this isn't right! Let go of me! You don't have any right." Ava struggled.
He tightened it just enough to leave a mark. The belt secured her wrists tightly behind her back. Ibrahim rose to his full height, towering over her. A satisfied smirk played on his lips as he gazed down at her, "Rights, you say? My dear Ava, your concept of rights seems rather… quaint. In this little world we now inhabit, the only right that matters is mine. The right to claim what is mine. Do you have any idea what you've done? The lengths I've gone to, the sleepless nights I've endured, all to bring you back to where you belong?"
Ibrahim ran a hand through his already mussed hair, "You're in deep trouble now, baby girl... A very deep kind of trouble."
What kind of trouble? What lengths had he gone to? Before she could even begin to form a coherent thought, Ibrahim's hand dipped into his back pocket.
What was he pulling out?
A glint of metal caught the light and Ava's heart plummeted.
It was a gun...