"Echoes of Unseen Fate"

Chapter 21

Break-up
flashback

"I can't do this anymore, Victor. Let's break up," I said, my voice steady even as I braced myself for his response. But he just stood there, completely silent, not a flicker of emotion crossing his face. Seconds dragged on, and the silence grew so thick I could hear my heartbeat pounding in my chest, each beat louder than the last.

Then, suddenly, the silence shattered with his loud, cold, sinister laugh. The sound made the hairs on my neck stand up, and I looked at him, bewildered by his reaction. He started walking toward me, the laughter fading, replaced by a chilling smile that sent a wave of dread through me. Instinctively, I took a step back, but before I could move further, his hands shot out, gripping my arms tightly as he pulled me into him.

"You're not going anywhere, babygirl," he said, his fingers trailing across my face before he roughly grabbed my chin, forcing me to look up at him. Our eyes connected, but it was far from a good moment.

"And we're definitely not breaking up, so forget that," he added, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"I said we are breaking up, and that's final. I'm tired of you being an absolute jerk," I shot back, anger bubbling up inside me. I wasn't one to get angry often, but the way he had treated me made my blood boil. No one deserved to be treated like that.

"Oh, my sweet Amaya, you can forget about getting rid of me. You're stuck with me," he replied, leaning closer, but I instinctively turned my head away.

"You can't make me, Victor," I said, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside me.

"Fine," he said, releasing me, but I stood there, unsure of what he meant. What would he do?

"What do you mean?" I asked, my heart racing.

"Just wait here, baby," he replied, striding toward his room. A couple of minutes passed before he returned, holding an envelope and wearing a cocky grin. He tossed it onto the table in front of the sofa and took a seat, spreading out comfortably, arms resting on the armrests.

I looked at him, confusion washing over me as he nodded toward the envelope, urging me to open it. My mind raced with possibilities as I slowly opened it, but when I saw what was inside, my heart dropped. Everything went black for a moment; my eyes widened in shock, and a gasp escaped my lips as my hands trembled, the contents slipping from my grip and scattering onto the floor and table around me.

The envelope contained a series of photos, but not just any photos-these were nude pictures of me. A shaky breath escaped my lips as I processed what I was seeing. I had no idea how he had obtained these images, and the thought of my privacy being violated left me feeling exposed and horrified. It was terrifying to realize that Victor had access to something so personal.

"H-how did you get these?" I managed to choke out, my voice nearly a scream, still staring at the images spread out before me.

"That's not important, babygirl," he replied, his grin unwavering. "What matters is that we're not breaking up, and you'll do as I say. If you don't, I'll leak these all over the university-and, oh, I'm sure the news would love to cover it. Just imagine how thrilled your mummy and daddy would be to see their Amaya looking so beautiful and doing so well for herself."

Anger, hurt, and betrayal surged through me as I stepped toward him, my heart racing. I bent down slightly, then in one swift motion,I slapped him hard across the face.

In an instant, his face turned to the side from the force of my slap, but he quickly recovered, grabbing my hair tightly. Anger twisted his features as he pulled my face close to his, his breath hot against my skin. He yanked on my hair again, making me let out a whimper, but I refused to look away from him. I wanted to cry, but I wouldn't give him that satisfaction.