Serena Gallo..

"Hey, come back here you slut!" I heard Luca's men yell my name for the thousandth time, as I bolted deeper into the woods with three year old Isabella who held on to me firmly.

I had seen something I wasn't supposed to see, a secret held by Luca's family, and now I was on the verge of paying for it with my life and possibly the life of the child I was carrying.

I trembled in fear as we ran through the woods. These men were ruthless, they wouldn't hesitate to hurt even a pregnant woman as long as it meant keeping their family secret.

I tried my best to appear strong, if not for my sake, but for the sake of the little girl who entrusted me with her safety. The closer their voices sounded, the faster I ran, with slow gasps escaping from my mouth.

We had run for so long that I didn't know how deep into the woods we had gone and before us, the trees lined up liked a vast eerie hallway that held scary surprises if you went down it.

I was clutching my bag where I hurriedly stuffed in some snacks for Isabella, which were poking out of the unzipped part of the bag.

The forest was unusually chilly and damp and the dew had dropped earlier than it was supposed to. The bad weather made me regret not taking along a hoodie, especially for Isabella.

"Don't worry love, I'd get us to safety." I whispered as we continued to move. Stopping wasn't an option if we wanted to live.

Isabella nodded at my words, but I could see the doubts in her little eyes. She shouldn't be involved in all these, she was barely three, what she needed was a safe place.

Even I doubted my own words, but one thing was certain, I would ensure the kids were safe no matter what.

I soon found a cabin in the distance, we were already out of Luca's territory, so I had a feeling the cabin belonged to people who might be willing to help.

I turned to Isabella who was now shivering from the cold. Crouching in front her as I held her gaze. "I know you're scared," I reeled off, but I need you to do something for me." I said and she gave a nod to signify that she understood.

"Okay, baby. I need you to hide here," I said, pointing at the garage of the cabin, while I go find help, okay?"

She stayed silent for a while, then finally nodded.

I heaved a sigh of relief. She was a brave little girl and I felt guilty for putting her in danger.

After I made certain she was safe in the garage, I raced to the cabin and began to knock frantically on the door. At the second knock, the voices of Luca's men began to echo again, and I knew I had to distract them.

I ran back through the path in which we had come from, hoping that if anything happened to me, the owner of the cabin would find Isabella and get her help. I ran too fast I didn't even notice I was going down a steep slope with overgrown roots of large trees intertwined together and one of those roots caught my ankle. I was suspended midair for a moment before I fell facedown and a loud yelp escaped my throat.

I clutched my belly, screaming in pain. An unusual amount of blood began gushing out from a flesh wound which was equally painful. I couldn't afford to lose blood now, I was already dizzy from exhaustion of running for over an hour but I couldn't stop now or else Luca's men would find Isabella.

The mere thought of being back there, scared the hell out of me. I'd gladly bear any pain that would be inflicted on me, rather than going back there.

I wiped my blood with the back of my hand and tied the cut with my scarf before I continued running, half running actually, but careful enough not to trip on anything. I knew the next time it happened, it might be fatal.

I had gone a couple of meters again into the woods when I decided to do something about my thirst which I had being ignoring since. I took out my water bottle from my bag, uncorked it hastily and brought the bottle to my mouth.

Fuck! It was empty! I must have drained the whole bottle when I dropped Isla at the garage.

I tried shaking the bottle directly above my mouth literally begging that it still contained a drop of water to cool my parched throat but it was virtually empty. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes because I was so stressed and frustrated.

A sudden noise of ruffling leaves made my heart fly to my mouth and for a moment there I thought Luca's men had finally closed in on me. I immediately decided this was neither the place nor time to cry. I could do that when I was somewhere safe, not when I was being chased after like I was prey, which I was actually.

I kept looking over my shoulder as I continued running in the forest, oblivious to where I was going. A blanket of darkness had covered everywhere now, a darkness so thick I could feel it hugging my skin.

I was still running when suddenly, a tree surfaced from the ground. I ran headfirst into it and slammed my face on it. I gasped in shock as I staggered back. I knew this would happen sooner or later considering how tired I was and the darkness of the forest.

I could see black stars spiraling in my vision as I swayed from side to side, slipping out of consciousness. I was already going down when a pair of arms stopped me from hitting the ground. The only thought lingering in my mind before I finally slipped out of consciousness was how bad it could be if I woke up to Luca's evil grin.

Even in my subconscious, a morbid fear of what Luca would do to me had registered in my mind, but slip into unconsciousness I did.

****

I woke up slowly, my eyes squinting against a harsh, bright light above me. The room felt strange, and a sharp, clean smell filled my nose. I tried to move, but I couldn't, something was holding my wrists down, strapping me to the bed.

A prickly pain in my arm made me look down, and I saw a needle taped to it, connected to an IV drip. My head felt heavy, foggy. Where was I? What was happening?

Then, a different kind of pain settled in my chest, an ache that filled me with panic. Someone was missing.

"Isabella?" My voice came out scratchy and weak, barely a whisper. I tugged against the straps, feeling panic crawl through me. "Isabella!" I called louder, my voice breaking. I yanked the needle out of my arm, ignoring the sting, and started banging my fists against the door. "Isabella! Where are you?" I screamed, feeling my heart race.

After what seemed like forever, the door opened. A woman in a nurse's uniform came in, her face soft and calm. She walked over to me, gently taking my arm and guiding me back to the bed.

"Please, try to relax," she said quietly. "You need to rest. It's important for you—and for your baby."

Her words hit me hard, making me freeze. My hand instinctively went to my stomach. My baby. Memories started flooding back. I'd been running. I'd left everything behind. But… I hadn't left alone.

"My baby," I whispered, my voice shaky. "Is… is my baby okay?"

The nurse gave me a gentle smile. "Yes, he's fine. You're both safe."

A son!

My heart felt like it was in my throat. I hadn't just ran away with Luca's child, but his heir, now my life was over for good.

A rush of exhaustion washed over me, and I felt myself slipping back into darkness.

When I opened my eyes again, the room was quiet and dim. My mind felt a little clearer, but there was still a strange calmness in the air.Then suddenly, I heard a soft voice nearby.

"You're awake," a man said gently. "You have some explaining to do."

I peered up to look at him and almost felt myself losing consciousness again. As I did so, I began to recall recent memories, whilst thinking of how to answer his question.

Where do I even begin? I thought to myself. Perhaps with the basics?

My name is Serena Gallo, I'm 23 years old. My life had been normal, maybe not perfect, but at least a little normal, until the day I met him; Luca. That was when everything changed.