My pulse pounded in my ears as I climbed the steps to the plane, the weight of the world pressing down on me with every step.
I had to do something.
I couldn’t let this happen.
Once inside, I collapsed into the plush leather seat, trying to breathe and calm the storm inside me. The plane began to taxi, the hum of the engines a low roar beneath me.
I pulled my phone out. I had to make this stop.
One last attempt.
When Alexei’s voice came through the line, it was all cold indifference, as if he didn’t care that my world was crumbling.
“I’m listening,” he said, his tone flat.
I could barely hold it together. “Alexei, we need to talk.”
The silence stretched between us, suffocating.
“You overthought, didn’t you?” he said, and the venom in his voice was unmistakable. “Since when did what you think mean anything to me?”
My fingers clenched the phone so hard I felt my nails digging into my skin. He was pushing me.
“I’m not your property,” I shot back, my voice shaking but fierce. “I can’t do this. I can’t be forced into something I don’t want.”
He laughed—low, dark, devoid of any humor.
“You can’t?” he mocked. “Do you think you have a choice?”
A pause. And then his voice boomed, louder, sharper: “I hope you’re already on that plane. Don’t make me stress, damn it. If you don’t show up at my house when you’re supposed to, say goodbye to your shitty relatives.”
My throat went dry, but I forced the words out, raw and unfiltered: “I’d rather die than be your wife.”
The silence after that was suffocating. His voice, when it came, was colder than ice. “This wedding will happen. Whether you like it or not. And if you try to run, you won’t be the only one to suffer. Don’t test me.”
A chill ran through me. My blood turned to ice. My heart hammered against my ribs as the panic set in. Every part of me wanted to scream, but his words held me in place.
Invisible chains, pulling tighter.
I stared out the window, but the landscape outside was a blur, the world slipping further away. The knots in my stomach tightened. I’m trapped. I’m suffocating.
I turned off the phone—no more.
But I felt my freedom slipping further out of reach every mile I flew.
Suddenly, the plane jerked, and my stomach dropped. The lights flickered, casting eerie shadows across the cabin. Panic spread like wildfire. The pilot’s voice crackled over the intercom, but it barely registered.
“We’re experiencing an electrical failure. Please remain calm while our technical team resolves the issue.”
Calm?
The plane shook violently, and the turbulence hit harder. My pulse raced as the plane rocked beneath me. I looked out the window—nothing but endless, swirling clouds.
Where am I going?
And then the lights went out—complete darkness.
Had Alexei cursed me?
Panic exploded. People screamed. I could feel the weight of the fear in the air. My breath came in shallow gasps. I reached for my phone, which slipped from my hands, hitting the floor with a sickening thud.
I was losing control.
The plane rocked harder. The screams grew louder. Every second felt like an eternity. My heart pounded in my chest as I realized how powerless I was.
Trapped. Bound.
And there was no way out.
Not now. Not ever.
The darkness was all-consuming.
The phone slipped through my fingers, crashing to the floor, but it felt like more than just a dropped device. Everything I had ever known was falling apart around me. The weight of the situation crushed me. I couldn't breathe, think, or escape.
His cold, mocking, and suffocating laugh echoed through the phone. "I can't?" His voice dropped lower and harder. "You think you have a choice? Do you think you can say 'no' and walk away?"
Then, it came—a sudden, booming command, his fury rolling over the line like a storm. "I hope you’re already on the damn plane. Don’t make me wait—don’t make me stress myself out. If you don’t show up on time... say goodbye to your precious relatives."
The words slammed into me. My throat tightened, but I forced the words out anyway. "I’d rather die than be your wife."
The silence after was worse than anything. The kind of silence that made the hairs on your neck stand up. Then, his voice broke through, sharper, colder than ever. "This wedding will happen, whether you like it or not. If you try to run… it won’t just be you who suffers." His laugh was low, venomous. "And I know you’re not stupid."
I could feel the blood freeze in my veins. Panic. Pure, cold panic. It clawed at me, locked me in place. His words were chains, invisible but unbreakable. I wanted to scream, but my body betrayed me, immobilized by his grip.
I stared out the window, trying to find anything to ground me. But all I saw was the endless, indifferent sky, swallowing me whole.
