Mia's fingers trembled as she frantically shoved the photos back into the black bag. She could barely breathe. Every rustle outside the room sounded like the approaching toll of a death sentence.
The exact moment she zipped it shut, the door swung open.
There stood Enzo. He was leaning against the doorframe, holding a glass of wine. His eyes narrowed, as if measuring Mia's every move.
"Love? What's taking you so long? Bea and the others are looking for you," his voice was calm, but there was a strange weight behind every word.
Mia forced a smile—one that didn't reach her eyes.
"Oh, nothing... I was just looking for a comb. Shall we?"
Enzo approached. Every step he took on the parquet floor felt like a hammer hitting Mia's chest. When he reached her, he grabbed both of her shoulders. His palms were ice cold.
"Why are you so pale? And why are your hands freezing?" Enzo asked, slowly stroking her cheek with his thumb.
"I-it's probably just the Aircon," Mia lied.
Enzo's gaze shifted to the laptop bag beside her. For a heartbeat, the world stopped. Mia knew that Enzo knew. But in an instant, his "Sweet Enzo" mask returned.
"Alright, let's go out. I don't want to keep our guests waiting."
Outside, everyone was having a blast. Ken and Jojo were opening wine, laughing about their college antics. But to Mia, every laugh felt like an echo inside a coffin.
They sat at the dining table. Enzo sat right next to her. She could feel his knee pressed against her leg—the "Double Tape" that used to give her security now felt like iron chains.
"Cheers to Mia and Enzo's 12 years!" Bea shouted. "I wish everyone had a love like yours, right? Just think, from elementary until now, nothing has changed."
"Actually, a lot has changed," Enzo interjected while slicing the steak on his plate.
The sound of the knife scraping against the ceramic made the hair on Mia's neck stand up.
"I've become... more possessive. Right, Love?"
Enzo looked at Mia. "Because in this world, so many people want to take the things that are precious to me. So I have to be careful. I have to... clean up."
Mia choked on her water.
"Clean up?" Jojo asked. "You're an architect now, right? Why are you the one cleaning?"
Enzo laughed—a cold, lifeless sound. "Metaphorically, Jojo. Cleaning the surroundings. So my Future Mrs. Galvez stays safe."
As the chatter continued, Mia felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She discreetly pulled it out under the table.
It was an anonymous message from an unregistered number:
"Mia, don't go to Tagaytay tomorrow. A proposal isn't the only thing he has planned. 'END' is his codeword for the 'Final Solution.' Escape while there are still people in the house."
Mia dropped her fork. It clattered loudly on the floor.
"What's the matter, Love?" Enzo asked. He was no longer looking at his food. He was staring directly into Mia's eyes.
"Nothing... it just slipped," Mia replied. She leaned down to pick up the fork, but under the table, she saw something that made her breath hitch.
Stuck to the bottom of Enzo's shoe was a smear of dried mud and... a single strand of blonde hair.
Sarah. Mia's coworker who had been missing since Monday—all because of a joke Sarah made about having a "crush on Mia." Sarah had blonde hair.
After dinner, the group said their goodbyes. Mia wanted to scream. She wanted to tell Bea, "Don't leave me here!"
But she felt Enzo's hand grip her waist tightly—a grip that wasn't affectionate, but meant to keep her from moving.
Once everyone had left, Enzo locked the door. A double lock.
"So," Enzo began, slowly loosening his necktie. "Are you ready for our anniversary trip tomorrow?"
Mia turned to face him, trying to hide her terror.
"Enzo, I don't feel well. Can we just stay here?"
Enzo stepped closer. He placed his hand on her neck—not to choke her, but to feel the frantic thrumming of her pulse.
"You're a bad liar, Mia. I know you saw the files," he whispered into her ear.
"But don't worry. Everything I did, I did for us. Those people? They were the filth in our perfect world. I just ended them for you."
Enzo kissed the tip of Mia's nose.
The silence inside Mia and Enzo's condo unit was no longer what it used to be. Before, this silence meant peace; now, it felt like a rope slowly tightening around Mia's neck.
Mia buried half of her face in the soft pillow. She could smell the familiar scent of detergent and Enzo's cologne—a scent that used to feel like home, but now smelled like a morgue. Beside her, she could feel Enzo's rhythmic breathing.
In... Out... In... Out...
Every breath seemed to whisper, "You're mine... You're mine... You're mine..."
Slowly, Mia opened her eyes. She tried to stretch her leg, but she heard a faint clink. The sound of metal.
Mia's entire body froze.
Carefully, she lifted the blanket. There, beneath the white fabric, she saw a thin silver chain fastened to her ankle, the other end padlocked to the foot of their bed.
"Are you awake, Love?"
Enzo's voice was like coffee—warm, but bitter. He didn't move; he just stared at the ceiling while still clutching his pillow.
"Enzo... what is this?" Mia's voice trembled as she pointed at the chain. "Why am I chained up?"
Enzo sat up. In the dark room, the only light came from the blue neon signs outside the building.
"So you won't get lost, Mia. You know how 'Double Tape' works, right? When the stickiness loosens, you need reinforcement. That chain... that's our reinforcement."
"You're insane! Let me go!" Mia screamed.
She tried to kick him, but because the chain was so short, she only cried out in pain as the metal bit into her skin.
"Don't struggle, you'll only hurt yourself," Enzo said softly, sounding genuinely concerned.
He leaned in and cupped Mia's cheek. "I'm doing this because I love you. From elementary school when I protected you from bullies, to college when I did your plates so you could sleep... all of it was for you."
"You killed my father, Enzo! How can you say you love me when you murdered the only person who loved me before you came along?"
Enzo stood up and walked toward the window.
"Your father? He was an obstacle, Mia. He planned to take you away from me back then. He wanted you to study abroad after high school. I couldn't let 그 happen.
No one takes you away from my side. Not even your father."
Enzo turned around, and for the first time, Mia saw the true face of the man she had loved for 12 years. No emotion. No remorse. Just a cold machine whose only purpose was to possess her.
"In Tagaytay, that's where we'll finish everything," Enzo said as he pulled a small syringe from the drawer. "There, no one can bother us. Not our friends, not the law. Just the two of us, Mia. Until the very end."
Mia felt the cold sting of the drug entering her veins. Her vision began to blur, and the last thing she heard was their song playing softly from Enzo's phone.
"Tomorrow, we proceed with the plan. In Tagaytay, that's where we finish everything. That's where you'll give me your 'YES'... because you don't really have any other choice."