Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Viktor swore under his breath, looking at the closed door.
“There’s no basement. We checked,” Nikolay added, his eyes wide.
“What the fuck is this door then?” I growled. Without waiting for an answer, I bent down and opened the heavy latch. When it came undone, I pulled the door open, and it hit the floor with a loud bang.
“Stairs,” Nina muttered. “What the hell? It leads to a basement.”
I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t even if I tried. My tongue felt heavy, my body numb. She was in there. I knew it. I felt it.
Nikolay came to stand in front of me and turned his phone on, putting on the torch. I took the first step, my heart racing, pumping wildly.
We descended the stairs in the dark, only Nikolay’s and Viktor’s phones used as flashlights. As soon as we reached the landing, Nina pressed her hand against the wall, looking for a light switch.
A few seconds later, the basement was illuminated.
The basement was incomplete. No wall or tiles. It looked more like a fucking dungeon.
My legs trembled as I took a step further inside. Another step. A few more and I stopped.
A foul smell touched my nostrils, and I shuddered. The smell was horrible. It was almost impossible to breathe. It smelled like days of piss and vomit. Ayla. Was my Angel here? In this place?
My heart squeezed painfully, and I stepped forward on shaky legs. The further we ventured in, the worse the smell got.
I heard Nina gag behind me. “I think I’m going to be sick,” she gasped.
“Fuck, what is this?” Viktor growled.
I wasn’t dying. I was very much alive, but in that moment, it really felt like I was dying. The thought of Ayla being in a place like this was almost unbearable.
When I finally reached the far side of the basement, I stopped dead in my tracks, my stomach twisting painfully.
“No,” I whimpered, my eyes widening at the sight in front of me.
When I heard them swear behind me, I knew they were seeing what I was seeing.
She was turned away from us, facing the wall. I didn’t see her face, but I knew it was her. I felt it in my heart.
She was there. My Ayla. She was right there in front of me. She was lying on the cold hard floor, pushed against the wall. There were chains around her ankles and wrists.
And she was barely covered, her white dress ripped until nothing covered her body.
“No. No. No!” I rushed forward, ignoring the burning ache in my leg. Falling down beside her, I was too afraid to even touch her body.
Ayla looked so fragile. So small. So broken. She’d lost weight, some of her bones practically showing. I reached forward and gently pushed her greasy hair out of her face.
Her face was covered in dirt, and it appeared slightly bruised.
“Ayla?” I whispered brokenly, softly touching her cheek. So cold. She was so cold, freezing.
My heart stuttered, and I frantically looked behind me. Their faces were masks of horror. “She’s cold. She’s so cold,” I repeated.
I looked back at Ayla, my mind and heart going crazy. Agony coursed through my body. It hurt. Everything hurt. It wasn’t my leg, but it was my heart that hurt the most.
My Ayla. My sweet Angel.
She laid frozen, so still. Too still.
I felt my heart break. When I lost her, I thought I was in pain. But now…now I knew what real pain felt like.
And my Angel went through worse than that.
“Angel,” I whispered, leaning next to her ear. “It’s me. Alessio. I’m here now.”
A small guttural cry escaped my lips when she didn’t answer. I was desperate to see her beautiful green eyes. To hear her sweet voice.
I needed her.
And I knew, she needed me just as much, if not more.
I couldn’t protect her. I’d failed her, and the thought felt like a bullet through my heart. I had been careless, and she had to pay the price.
My eyes pricked with unshed tears, and I slowly leaned forward. As gently as I could, I wrapped my arms underneath Ayla.
I gathered my Angel in my arms and pulled close to my chest. Her hair was matted with vomit and other things I didn’t even want to think about.
I rocked back and forth, holding her to me, begging her to open her eyes.
I gently pressed my arms over her body, looking for any other bruises. My vision blurred as everything hit at once. All her pain and suffering. Her face was turned toward my chest, and I placed a kiss on her nose. “Angel,” I whimpered.
My eyes followed my hands.
Oh fuck no. Fuck no! No!
My heart stuttered painfully. I forced myself to breathe. I shook as my eyes took in what I was seeing.
My stomach cramped, and I held Ayla tighter to my chest.