Dreams Can Come True

102. Tempting proposal

Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind us. "David, let her go now." We turned and saw Jacob approaching, his gaze resolute as he came toward us. But David tightened his grip and began to speak.
"Ah, Jacob," he sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. I struggled against his hold, but it was futile. David was much stronger than me. "Did Bill not trust you alone anymore?" he whispered in my ear, his words biting and full of menace. A shiver of fear ran down my spine. What was his plan?
David then addressed Jacob, his voice dangerously smooth. "Old friend," he began, his tone deceitful. "We're not going to make this difficult, are we?" His eyes glittered with a dark intensity as he looked at Jacob.
Jacob was not intimidated by David's presence. He responded calmly. "I'm asking you one more time nicely, David. Let her go," he said with a calm determination that gave me courage.
But David seemed unimpressed by Jacob's words. On the contrary, he almost seemed to relish the power he had over us. With a mocking grin, he continued his menacing tirade. "Tut-tut," he taunted. "What if I promised to bring your family here, Jacob? Would you turn a blind eye then?" His words were laced with a threatening undertone that made me shudder with fear.
David's words cut through the air like a knife, and I felt a wave of nausea and fear wash over me. How could he make such a horrifying proposal? My heart pounded wildly in my chest as I stared at Jacob's shocked expression. I knew Jacob was faced with an impossible choice. How could he refuse to bring his family here, knowing they would be safe? It was as if I watched in slow motion as hope slipped from my grasp.
In the depths of Jacob's eyes, I saw the struggle, the torn nature of his soul. He was not a heartless criminal like David, but a man who wanted to protect his loved ones from the world's evils. It was an impossible choice he had to make, a choice between his loyalty to me and his responsibility as a husband and father.
I felt powerless, like a spectator in my own tragedy. It was as if time froze as we stood there, trapped in the grip of David's threat. I knew there was no chance Jacob would choose me. How could I ever blame him for choosing his family, his blood?
"What?" Jacob exclaimed, his face contorted with shock and disgust. "I am a powerful man, Jacob," David continued, his voice hissing like a snake. "I can have your family here by the end of the week," he went on with a grin that made my stomach turn with revulsion and fear.
The threat in David's words was palpable, and I felt a wave of fear and despair wash over me. This was not a situation I could rescue myself from. I looked at Jacob, hoping he would find a way to get us out of this, but the expression on his face spoke volumes. He looked defeated, overwhelmed by David's power.
David seemed to savor Jacob's uncertainty and fear. "Well, well," he began after a moment of silence, his voice hissing with triumph. "Turn around slowly, Jacob, and leave." As Jacob slowly turned, I felt David's hands slide under my shirt. His cold fingers brushed against my skin, and I felt a wave of disgust and revulsion wash over me at his touch. Tears burned behind my eyes as I struggled with the pain of lost hope and the loneliness that surrounded me.

In the darkness behind my closed eyelids, I tried desperately to shut out reality, hoping it was all just a terrifying dream that would fade once I awoke. But then the silence was abruptly broken by a deafening scream, a sound that cut through bone and marrow and made my heart pound with fear. It felt as if the ground beneath me was suddenly pulled away, and I was roughly thrown against the cold, hard floor, a shock that reverberated through every fiber of my being.
My entire being seemed to shake from the impact as I lay there, helpless against the force of the attack. The world around me seemed to whirl, muted and distorted by the echoes of my own breathing. My ears rang from the blow, and I dared not open my eyes, afraid of the horrors that would await me if I did.
Then I felt a presence above me, a hand gently holding my head as if trying to protect me from the chaos around us. "Elise, stay with me, stay with me," the voice sounded, filled with panic and concern. But even through the fog of pain and confusion, I could feel the urgency in his words, a plea not to give in to the darkness that threatened to overwhelm me.
I was lost in a world of silence and darkness, where there was no pain, no fear, or sadness. Everything seemed to fade away, dissolved in the calm emptiness of my thoughts. I no longer knew whether my eyes were open or closed, but it didn't matter. All I felt was peace, a release from the chaos that had become my life.