Apollo strode inside, his expression so terrifying that it sent a chill through my entire body. Before I could react, he snatched the suitcase from my hand and threw it across the foyer.

“You think you're running?” he growled, his voice echoing through the mansion. “You seriously think you can disappear after pulling something like this? Tell me, Elara... do you really think I'll let you walk away?”

My heart dropped.

That look...

I knew it too well. Every time Apollo looked at me like that, something terrible always followed.

The coffin.

The punishment room.

The endless interrogations.

Instinctively, I took a step backward.

“W... what are you talking about? I haven't done anything. I don't even know why you're so angry.”

Apollo's jaw clenched.

“You're still fucking lying?” he snarled before storming toward me.

His hand closed around my throat so tightly I couldn't breathe.

Agatha...

She'd disappeared again.

His grip tightened. “If you didn't hide her, then who the fuck did? Were you planning to kidnap her and run overseas before anyone found out?! Tell me where she is, and don't test what's left of my patience!”

I clawed desperately at his wrist.

“Apollo...” I choked out between ragged breaths. “I don't know! I... I swear this time I really don't know where she is. P-please believe me... just this once.”

He laughed.

Cold.

Merciless.

“I don't believe a single fucking word that comes out of your mouth anymore. You've lied too many times already, and I'm done listening.”

Still gripping my arm, he dragged me outside toward the large pond behind the mansion.

My legs nearly gave out.

No...

Please...

Not water.

Apollo noticed the fear draining the color from my face. For the briefest moment, something flickered across his eyes.

He crouched in front of me, his voice lowering.

“Elara... I don't have another choice. Every second Agatha stays missing, she could be suffering somewhere, and I won't gamble with her life. Be good, tell me where she is, and this ends right now.”

His fingers brushed a loose strand of hair away from my face.

It was such a familiar gesture.

One that once made me feel safe.

I shook my head desperately.

“I really don't know. I've told you the truth from the beginning. Please... don't do this. Please don't make me go through this again.”

The last trace of hesitation disappeared from his face.

“Then don't blame me.”

Without warning, he grabbed the back of my head and shoved my face beneath the freezing water.

The icy cold swallowed me whole.

I couldn't breathe.

I thrashed wildly as water rushed into my nose and burned through my lungs.

Then...

The memories came flooding back.

I was thirten years old again.

One of Apollo's enemies had kidnapped me to force my father into a deal.

They tied my hands and threw me into an abandoned reservoir.

Again.

And again.

Every time I managed to gasp for air, they forced my head back beneath the surface.

I truly believed I was going to die but Apollo had found me that night.

He slaughtered every man involved.

Afterward, he'd never allowed me anywhere near deep water.

“If I'm not beside you, stay away from lakes, rivers, or anything deeper than your knees. I already almost lost you once, Elara. I won't let it happen again.”

Back then... He'd sworn to protect me forever.

Now... The same man was trying to drown me with his own hands.

My struggles gradually weakened.

The strength drained from my body.

Maybe...

This was really how it would end.

Just as darkness began swallowing my vision, Apollo's phone rang.

He released me immediately.

I collapsed onto the grass, coughing so violently my lungs felt as though they were tearing apart. Water poured from my mouth as I struggled to drag air back into my burning chest.

Apollo answered the video call without a second of hesitation.

The moment the screen lit up, every trace of color drained from his face.

Agatha was tied to a massive concrete pillar inside an abandoned warehouse. Her wrists were bound behind her back, blood stained the corner of her forehead, and she hung limply with her eyes closed.

A masked man stood behind her with a knife pressed against her neck.

“So you're the famous Don Apollo Riccio,” the man said with a mocking chuckle. “I've heard this woman means more to you than anything else. Prepare one hundred million dollars and transfer it immediately. If you're even one minute late, I'll start cutting pieces off her one by one so you can watch.”

He dragged the blade slowly across Agatha's cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.

Apollo's eyes turned bloodshot.

“Don't fucking touch her,” he roared, his voice echoing across the courtyard. “I'll give you one hundred million, five hundred million, or whatever amount you want. I don't care how much it costs, just don't lay another finger on her.”

The kidnapper laughed.

“Money isn't the only problem,” he sneered as he grabbed Agatha by the hair and forced her face toward the camera. “A woman named Elarisse Redd hired us, but that cheap bitch never paid what she promised. My men aren't happy, so here's the deal. If you know her, break one of her legs. Do that, and the moment your money arrives, we'll send your little princess home alive.”

Apollo didn't hesitate.

Not even for a heartbeat.

He placed his phone on the stone bench nearby, making sure the camera faced us.

Then he pointed directly at me.

“This is Elarisse,” he said steadily. “She's right here. You'll get exactly what you asked for.”

He walked toward me and slowly knelt beside me.

Then...

He pulled me into his arms.

His fingers gently brushed my soaked hair away from my face before his forehead rested lightly against mine.

For one foolish second...

My heart almost believed him again.

“Elara,” he whispered, his voice filled with heartbreaking tenderness. “I'm sorry. I truly don't have another choice, and I'll carry this sin for the rest of my life if I have to. When this is over, I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

I stared at him in confusion.

Before I could understand...

He suddenly grabbed both of my legs.

My eyes widened.

"Apollo... What are you doing?!"

The next second...

Crack!

A sickening sound split the air.

Agony exploded through every nerve in my body.

“Ahhh!”

My scream echoed across the estate as unbearable pain tore through my leg. My vision turned completely white, and I couldn't even draw another breath.

Apollo had broken my leg with his own hands.

Cold sweat drenched my body as I curled into myself, shaking uncontrollably on the ground.

Without looking away, Apollo picked up the phone and turned the camera toward my twisted leg.

“It's done,” he said hoarsely. “You got what you wanted. Now release Agatha and don't you dare touch her again.”

The kidnapper gave a satisfied laugh.

“Good. I'll send you the address. Bring the money, and don't waste my time. If you're late... you'll be collecting her corpse instead.”

The call ended.

Apollo lowered the phone and looked down at me.

For the briefest moment... Something flickered across his face.

Regret.

Or perhaps guilt.

It disappeared almost as quickly as it came.

He crouched beside me again.

“Elara,” he said quietly, “I swear this is the last time. When I bring Agatha home safely, I'll make everything right between us. No matter what it takes, I'll repay everything I owe you.”

I didn't answer. There was nothing left to say.

Apollo stood, ran toward his car, and the engine roared to life.

As the vehicle sped past me, he rolled down the window.

“Wait for me, Elara,” he called. “When I come back, everything will be different. I promise.”

Then he disappeared.

Just like always... He chose her.

Again.

I lay alone on the cold ground for what felt like forever.

No one came.

Every De Sangue soldier had followed Apollo.

The enormous estate was silent.

With trembling arms, I forced myself to sit up.

The pain from my broken leg was so intense it blurred my vision, but I gritted my teeth and refused to collapse.

Inside a nearby storage room, I found an old pair of crutches leaning against the wall.

Using every ounce of strength I had left, I pulled myself upright.

One painful step.

Then another.

Eventually, I managed to call a taxi.

The driver stared at my swollen leg in horror the moment I climbed inside.

“Miss,” he asked carefully, “your leg looks badly injured. Shouldn't we go back to the hospital first? You need treatment immediately.”

I managed a faint smile and slowly shook my head.

“No,” I whispered. “There's somewhere much more important I need to be. Please... t-take me to the airport before it's too late.”

The ride felt endless.

Every bump in the road sent another wave of agony through my body, but I endured every second without making another sound.

I wasn't running anymore.

I was surviving.

Somehow...

I made it.

The boarding gate was already preparing to close when I finally arrived.

Supporting myself with the crutches, I handed my passport to the airline staff with trembling fingers.

A few minutes later...

The plane lifted into the sky.

I sat quietly beside the window as Chicago slowly disappeared beneath the clouds.

I unlocked my phone one final time.

One by one, I deleted every contact connected to Apollo—every trace of him.

Then I blocked them all.

I looked out the window as the city vanished completely behind the clouds.

“It's over. No one will ever hurt me again, and I'll never come back to this place.”

Chicago disappeared into the distance.

So did Apollo Riccio.

The man who had destroyed my entire life.

From this moment on... He no longer existed in mine.