Sinner's Paradise|| 18+

Worse fate than death.

                                    Liliana's POV:

I was running, heart pounding, breath ragged, when he caught me. His hand tangled in my hair, yanking me back, and before I could scream, he shoved me into a dark room. The door slammed shut, trapping me in cold, suffocating darkness. I spun around to face him, terror clawing at my chest as he raised his gun, a sinister smirk curling his lips. The shot rang out, deafening and final. Pain exploded in my chest, and as my body crumpled to the cold ground, the world went black.

I jolted awake, gasping for breath, heart racing. But the nightmare didn't end. I was in a different room, unfamiliar and unsettling. The space was vast, with walls painted a deep, dark blue, so dark it nearly looked black in the dim light. The bed beneath me was enormous, dressed in black silk sheets that felt cool and alien against my skin. The floor was tiled in a stark black-and-white pattern, the contrast sharp and disorienting.

The room was devoid of life—no pictures, no personal touches—only a section of books and a desk with a solitary chair. It felt like a place where time stood still, where life had no place.

I was still in my clothes from before, the fabric clinging to me, damp with sweat and tears. I stumbled to a mirror, dread pooling in my stomach. My reflection stared back at me, a stranger's face—eyes red and puffy, cheeks streaked with dried tears, skin swollen and blotchy. I tried to lift my shirt to inspect my body, but pain shot through my arm, forcing a wince. The agony was too much; it broke the fragile control I had, and I crumpled under the weight of my fear.

Tears streamed down my face as the reality of my situation crashed over me. I had been kidnapped. And I had no idea where Mario was, or if any of my family was still alive. The despair was suffocating, and all I could do was cry, helpless and alone in this strange, lifeless room.

Summoning what little strength I had left, I forced myself to get up and wash my face. The man who brought me to this room—one of Luciano's men—had mentioned that the toilet was inside. I made my way to the bathroom, locking the door behind me. The space mirrored the bedroom in color—dark, almost foreboding—and was as vast as it was intimidating.

I removed my top, leaving only my bra, and leaned over the sink, splashing cold water on my swollen face. As I reached for a towel, I suddenly heard footsteps just outside the door. I froze, the sound of running water abruptly cut off as I strained to listen. But the silence returned as quickly as the noise had come. Heart racing, I quickly pulled my top back on and waited, my mind spinning with fear and uncertainty. After twenty agonizing minutes passed without another sound, I cautiously emerged from the bathroom.

As I headed towards the bed, I noticed something that made my blood run cold—a figure sitting in the chair across the room. My heart skipped a beat as I realized it was Luciano. His cold eyes bore into mine, unreadable and unnerving. Startled, I instinctively placed a hand over my racing heart, trying to mask my fear, before grabbing my jacket from the bed and sitting down. The tension in the room was suffocating. He just stared at me, expressionless, making it impossible to decipher what he was thinking.

The silence stretched on until, finally, he broke it with words that sent a shockwave through me. "We are getting married. So, get ready."

Stunned, I shot up from the bed, shaking my head in disbelief. "No," I blurted out, the word slipping from my lips before I could stop it.

Luciano stood and took a step towards me, his gaze piercing. "No?" he repeated, his tone laced with cold finality. "It wasn't a request. It's a demand."

I instinctively backed away, my heart pounding in my chest. "No," I repeated, more firmly this time, though my voice trembled. "I am not interested. Kill me if you will, but I will not marry someone like you."