Sylvia woke to pitch ckness all around her.

The air was thick with the coppery tang of blood and something salty and damp, so strong that just breathing made her gag.

She doubled over, clutching at something nearby as she dry heaved.

When she finally steadied herself, she realized her hand was wrapped around a set of cold iron bars. Her palm felt sticky. She pulled her hand back and shuddered-blood.

A shiver ran down her spine. Her fingers trembled as she wiped them off on her jeans, barely able to process what was happening.

Suddenly, a dim light flicked on overhead, casting pale shadows across the small space around her.

Her heart hammered in her chest as she took in her surroundings.

She was locked in what looked like a cell, with metal bars like something out of a medieval dungeon.

Panic surged through her. She nced at her hand again, blood smeared across her skin.

Before she could think too much, a gruff voice echoed from the darkness beyond the bars.

"Told you, there''s no way out."

Yves stepped into the weak light, his shadow looming across the concrete floor.

Sylvia shrank back into the corner, fighting to keep her voice steady. "Mr. Hanson, what the hell is this? You know this is kidnapping, right? If I don''t get home soon, my mom will call the cops."

Yves let out a low, mockingugh. "The cops? Why would she call the cops? Right now, you''re my fiancée. All I have to do is say we went on a little trip overseas-think the police are really going to chase us across the ocean?"

Terror gripped Sylvia, making her dizzy. She pressed her head into her knees, shaking uncontrobly.

Yves seemed to enjoy her fear; his smirk widened as he straightened his suit jacket and sauntered closer to the bars.

"Finally scared, huh? Toote for that. You shouldn''t have ignored me, and you really shouldn''t have messed with Reese''s wedding."

Sylvia''s voice broke as she pleaded, "You... you like Ms. Sanford? Then why did you agree to marry Ms. Winslet''s daughter-me?"

Yves slowly crouched down in front of her, cracking his knuckles. "Ms Winslet says I''m not good enough for her. But I can be her guardian. I

angel-no one gets to ruin myfn1ffe Discover more novels at Find_Novel(./fn1ffe

goddess''s life. Got it?"  s

"I-I get it, please, just don''t hurt me. I''ll do whatever you want, I promise." Sylvia''s tears streamed down her face.

Yves sneered, eyes lingering on her shaking legs. "Rx. I''m not going to touch you. Not yet."

With that, he turned and disappeared back into the darkness.

Sylvia sobbed quietly, listening to the sound of his footsteps and trying to calcte the size of the room.

When she heard the heavy click of a lock, she finally stopped crying, but dread settled in her chest.

How big was this ce? It didn''t feel like any normal house.

She steadied herself against the wall and groped along until she found the lock.

Feeling a flicker of hope, she pulled a bobby pin from her hair and jammed it into the keyhole, recalling every

tutorial she''d ever watched about picking locksin emergencies.  s

Her fingers ached and her nails bent as she twisted the pin, but after a long, agonizing thirty minutes-her fingertips raw and throbbing the lock finally clicked open.

She slipped out into the hallway. The darkness closed in around her, icy and oppressive, but she forced herself to move forward, following the direction Yves had taken.

Suddenly she bumped into something cold and metallic. Heart pounding, she stumbled back, stepping on something sharp on the floor.

With a sudden snap, a bright light zed on overhead.

Sylvia shielded her eyes, blinking against the harsh re. When her vision adjusted, she slowly lowered her hand-and froze.

An operating table stood before her. Or what looked like one, only it had been modified with four heavy

restraints attached. The leather was scratched and gouged, as if someone had fought to get free.  s

Every instinct screamed at her to run.

She turned themp away from the table, and the beam caught on a wall

stered with photographs.

Sylvia pped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with horror as she realized what she was seeing.