Sophia’s POV
I woke up suddenly, my eyes snapped open and I immediately scanned the room, my heart pounding rapidly in my chest. My mind was all over the place as I struggled to remember why I had woken up with panic. It felt like I had woken up from a bad nightmare that only my subconscious was aware of.
I checked the wall clock in Ivan’s room. It was 2:48 am.
BANG!
There it is, the reason I’d woken up with such fright. The deafening sounds of gunshots reverberated through the darkness.
BANG! BANG!
Another round of gunshots were fired, causing my heart to somersault. Fuck! I was in danger. What could be going on? It’s been barely two days since Ivan left for Norway. Was this a rivalry fight? How did the guards let them in? This mansion was heavily guarded.
God, please I’m not ready to die yet. I say a silent prayer as I climb down from my bed. I tried to turn on the light switch but the power was out.
Shit!
The moonlight shone in through the window, serving as the only source of light. I opened the door slowly and cautiously walked into the hallway. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins as I struggled to grasp the situation.
The sound of commotion grew louder with each step I took further down the hallway, and I could feel fear gnawing at the pit of my stomach. I turned left at the end of the hallway and my heart almost stopped at the sight in front of me.
A body lay sprawled on the floor, blood pooling around the motionless body, across the body, two other bodies lay lifeless on the floor, their weapons still clutched in their hands. I took a closer look.
Mila?!
My breath came out in a ragged gasp.
“Mila! Oh God!” I cried out, forgetting I was meant to stay quiet and hidden. I rushed to her side. “Fuck! What happened?”
Her eyes fluttered open and a weak smile tugged at her lips, her face was pale with pain. “I… I’m okay,” she whispered. “I… I was injured, I don’t think… it’s fatal but I can’t move. You… you need to get out of here.”
BANG! BANG!
I shook my head, tears welling up in my eyes and I reached out to try and lift her. “No, Mila, I can’t leave you here,” I insisted, my voice trembling as I tried hard to fight back tears and fear. “I have to help you out of here. You’re coming with me.”
I tried to pull her arm around my shoulders so I could lift her, her breath coming out in short and painful gasps. “No, no, Sophia, stop.” She shook her head trying to move away from me. “There’s no time, they’ll be back in any minute, I’ll delay you,” she rasped. “Please, go. Just go, please don’t worry about me.”
I hesitated for a minute, torn between running for dear life and leaving Mila behind. But I knew she’d made up her mind. Reluctantly, I nodded, swallowing back the lump in my throat. “Okay,” I whispered. “But I’ll come back for you, I promise. Please hang on, please,” I pleaded, tears falling rapidly from my eyes.
She gave me a weak smile. “Thank you, Sophia,” she murmured. “Please stay safe.”
I stood up from her side, and with one last glance at Mila, I turned and ran, my heart threatening to explode with how fast and hard it was pounding in my chest.
I ran down the hallway as I desperately searched for a way out, I soon realized I had no idea where I was or how to escape. I’ve never been outside the bedrooms and kitchen before now. I frantically scanned the dimly lit corridors for a sign or anything.
Suddenly, I was pulled roughly into the dark. A hand with a napkin clamped over my mouth, cutting off my scream. I started feeling dizzy and I turned to look at my attacker-a woman?
“Gotcha,” she whispers. I struggled against her grip but I was too weak to move. Whatever was on the napkin she held over my mouth and nose was fucking me up.
And then, without warning, everything went black as the world faded away into darkness.
I blinked my eyes open, the raging light of the afternoon sun stabbing my whole body and face like a knife. Groaning, I pushed myself up from the rough, hard floor, my head aching.
Where was I? How did I end up here? How long was I out for?
My eyes adjusted to the bright light, and I took in my surroundings: an empty, half-finished building, with dust and tools scattered across the floor. Fuck I was in the middle of nowhere.
But then my gaze fell upon a piece of paper and a burner phone lying beside me. I reached out and picked the letter up and read it.
“Be rest assured, you’d be found dead if you tell a soul where you’ve been these past months. Use the phone attached to this letter to get yourself home.”
Who were these people who invaded Ivan’s mansion and rescued me? It certainly wasn’t Dad cause the letter had asked me to not disclose anything to the police. Not that I would have turned Ivan in though. Was I stupid? Yes. But I simply couldn’t rat Ivan out.
My mind raced back to Mila. What if she didn’t make it? My stomach sank at the thought of that. I didn’t even know the way to the mansion, and neither could I defend myself if I wanted to save her.
Shaking off the guilt and sadness I felt, I focused on the task at hand. I had to get out of here and return safely. I picked up the phone and dialed the number of the only person I knew could be of help. Daisy.
The phone rang for what felt like hours. To my relief she finally picked.
Tears of relief and joy sprang to my eyes. It’s been so damn long.
“Hey…hey Daisy?” I whispered as I broke into ragged sobs. “I-I, it’s me, Sophia.”
I could hear a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the call, followed by a moment of silence. “Baby? It’s that really you?” Her voice shook.
“It’s really me.”
“Oh God, where are you? What’s going on?” She asked. “I’ve been trying to find you, I met with your dad severally. Oh God, I’m visibly shaking! What really happened?”
“I’ll explain everything later, right now, I need to find a way back home and I don’t know where I am at the moment. Is there a way to help me out?”
“Sure, fuck, I’m so happy you’re alive. We will find a way to locate you and get you on a flight back to London,” she said assuringly.
Hours later I was on the last-minute flight back to London. Daisy and I had somehow managed to figure out where I was dumped and she booked a flight for me after that.
Once settled into my seat on the plane. I let myself drown in my thoughts. It’s stupid, but I didn’t feel excited going back home, relieved, yes. But I wasn’t excited, a pang of sadness tugged at my heart. I felt like I was leaving something behind, something important. Something that was never mine in the first place.
The thought of never seeing Ivan again hurt me more than I’d like to admit. Which was silly because it wasn’t supposed to be so, I’d always wanted to escape, to go back home.
No one in their right mind would have sex with their captor and enjoy it. No one in their right mind will care for their captor.
But I guess I was suffering from a severe case of Stockholm syndrome.