It was supposed to be a normal night.
I locked the front door.
I was sure I did.
But in the morning, something felt wrong.
The air was different.
Heavy.
My body felt stiff.
My head hurt.
My vision was blurry.
Then I realized—
No bed.
Cold metal under my wrists.
I tried to move.
I couldn't.
My arms were tied to a chair.
My ankles too.
Rope—tight, but not cutting into skin.
Just secure enough.
My heart exploded in my chest.
I blinked rapidly, trying to focus.
No contact lenses.
Right.
I always took them out before sleeping.
The room came into view slowly as my eyes adjusted.
A basement.
Concrete walls.
One dim lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. A single metal door at the top of a short stairway.
No windows.
No escape.
Panic started climbing up my throat.
Viktor's fear tried to take over.
But this time it felt worse.
Because I knew exactly what had happened.
I forgot to lock the door.
Just once.
One mistake.
Footsteps echoed above.
Slow.
Deliberate.
The basement door creaked open.
Light spilled down the stairs.
Two silhouettes appeared.
My breath stopped completely.
'No.'
'No, no, no—'
They stepped down.
First one.
Then the other.
The light revealed their faces.
My father.
Alive. Smiling.
And beside him—
Uncle Gregory.
Both of them wearing wide, satisfied grins.
The kind of smile that says
'we've been waiting.'
My body went cold.
My father tilted his head slightly, studying me like a project he had finally finished building.
"Well,"
he said calmly.
"Look at you."
Uncle Gregory chuckled softly.
"Blonde hair suits him."
My breathing turned shallow.
"You…"
I whispered.
My voice shook despite trying to control it.
My father walked closer.
Slowly.
Not rushing.
He didn't need to.
"You really thought you could disappear?"
he asked, almost amused.
Gregory leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"The apartment was cute,"
he said.
"We almost admired the effort."
My wrists tightened instinctively against the ropes.
"Why?"
I asked, forcing the word out.
My father's grin widened slightly.
"Because you belong with us."
The words hit harder than any slap.
Gregory stepped forward now, crouching in front of me so we were eye level.
"You don't understand how expensive it was to find you again,"
he said quietly.
"But family always finds family."
My vision blurred.
Not from the lack of lenses.
From tears.
They weren't shouting.
They weren't angry.
They were calm.
And that terrified me more than anything.
My father reached out and gently lifted my chin with two fingers. Not violent. Controlled.
"You look healthier,"
he said.
"Good."
My heart pounded so loudly I thought they could hear it.
Gregory glanced at the ropes.
"Don't worry,"
he said.
"We're not here to make noise."
My stomach dropped.
My father turned slightly toward the stairs.
"We'll talk upstairs later,"
he said.
"For now, just sit tight."
They began walking back up.
The basement door creaked closed.
The light dimmed again.
Leaving me alone in the cold.
Tied.
Blurry-eyed.
Breathing fast.
For a moment, I didn't move.
Then something inside me shifted.
Fear was still there.
But so was clarity.
This wasn't random.
This wasn't desperation.
This was planned.
They waited.
And now they had me exactly where they wanted.
I swallowed hard.
Jake was in danger.
But Viktor…
Viktor remembered this place.
And that meant one thing.
I had to survive long enough to escape again.