I never expected this to happen.
The moment I woke up, I found myself in an unfamiliar house. Heavy chains held me tightly against a bed, and a cloth was tied over my mouth, muffling even the faintest sound. I looked around, trying to see through the darkness—nothing. Not a single ray of light.
It didn't take long to realize what had happened: I'd been kidnapped.
But by who? And why?
I was just a normal high school girl. The quiet type—the kind people rarely noticed. I wasn't rich, and my parents had died so long ago I barely remembered them. There was nothing special about me. Nothing that would make someone want to take me.
I was still lost in my thoughts when I suddenly heard a door creak open. Light footsteps echoed faintly, growing louder with each second. Someone was coming closer. My heart pounded as I braced myself.
The door swung open, and a blinding light flooded in. I squinted, my vision adjusting slowly—and then I saw him.
A boy. Young, maybe my age. Pale skin. Jet-black hair. And then... those eyes. Emerald green.
My eyes widened in disbelief. You...?
He stepped into the room, stopping just a few feet away.
It was Ivan.
The most popular boy in school. Cold. Distant. Untouchable.
What was he doing here? Why me?
Before I could speak, he broke the silence in a soft, almost tender voice.
"Maria," he said, "I've waited so long to keep you like this—away from the eyes of the world. A place where only I can see you."
He moved closer, gently cupping my face in his hands. His fingers caressed my cheek, sending shivers down my spine.
He noticed the confusion on my face—how could he not?
A guy like Ivan. Cold. Distant. Worshipped by half the school and feared by the other half. He'd never even looked my way before. We had never spoken, not once.
And I wasn't anyone worth noticing.
I wasn't a hotshot. I didn't hang out with the cool crowd or get into trouble. I existed quietly on the edges of the hallway, the kind of person who disappeared into the background without trying.
So why?
Why would someone like him go through the trouble of kidnapping me?
I stared into his eyes, those haunting emerald eyes, and something inside me twisted. They made me feel exposed, like he could see straight through me—my thoughts, my fears, everything.
It was terrifying.
I swallowed hard, finally forcing myself to speak through trembling lips.
"Why… why did you kidnap me?"
He leaned in slowly, his face inching closer to mine until I could feel the warmth of his breath brushing against my skin. My heart pounded. For a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me.
But instead, he tilted his head and whispered into my ear, his voice low and dangerously soft.
"I already told you… because I want you all to myself."
A chill ran down my spine.
My breath hitched as he lingered there for a moment—close enough to feel every word graze my skin—before finally pulling away. His eyes met mine again, and a gentle smile curled on his lips.
But something about it felt wrong.
It wasn't kindness. It wasn't warmth. It was something else—something possessive, twisted… obsessed.
And I realized then, no one was coming for me.
Not yet.