The Sinful Contract

“When is he sending the money?” a rough voice asked.  

“Not yet, but soon. He wouldn’t just let his wife die like that, would he?” another man replied, amusement lacing his tone.  

Helena felt their silent chuckles, mocking her even though she couldn’t see them. A thick blindfold covered her eyes, shrouding her world in darkness. She didn’t know where she was, but the damp, musty scent and the biting cold of the wall against her skin told her everything—this was an abandoned place, far from the city, far from help.  

She shifted, testing her restraints, but the robe tied on her was too tight  for her to even move a finger. Fear settled deep in her chest, but she clung to one desperate hope—that her husband would pay the ransom.  

Then, a scream tore through the silence.  

“Let me go! Let me go!” A high-pitched scream pierced the air, the frantic voice dripping with rage. “Let go of me, you bastards! You think you can get away with this? Once I get out of here, I’ll find you all and make sure you rot in hell!”  

The voice was familiar. Helena’s chest tightened. Why was she here? 

It had been over two months since she had been kidnapped. That day, she had been on her way home from college, eager to share exciting news with her husband. But the driver was different. He had claimed to be a temporary replacement, hired for the day. She should have called to confirm, but she had grown used to David making decisions without informing her. Foolishly trusting.  

That was how she ended up in this nightmare.  

Somewhere along the car ride, she had blacked out. When she awoke, she had been tied to a chair, gagged, and blindfolded. Her pleas to her kidnappers had gone unanswered.  

Instead, they called David. They had handed her the phone, a cruel gesture of proof that she was still alive. She had pleaded with him to save her. But his response had shattered her.  

“I’ll find another way,” he said. “I can’t waste money right now. I need it for a big project.”  

Waste?

She had always known he didn’t love her, but to hear him say that spending money to save her life was a waste … something inside her had broken.  

Still, she had clung to hope. Told herself he was buying time, that he would find another way. But days had turned into weeks, then months. She had remained a prisoner.  

She prayed. Imagined the door bursting open, David storming in to rescue her, gathering her in his arms. But that day had never come.  

Instead, she had been beaten, mistreated. Her meals had been irregular, just enough to keep her alive. Exhaustion had become her constant companion, but her biggest fear hadn’t been for herself—it had been for the life growing inside her. If something happened to her baby, she didn’t know what she would do.  

Then, she overheard her kidnappers speaking.  

Mark and Sanchez—two of the men who guarded her—often engaged in mindless conversations. She had learned their names simply by listening. But that day, their words had made her blood run cold.  

“Finally, we’ll get rid of this woman. Her stingy husband finally agreed to pay the ransom,” Sanchez said.  

Hope had surged through her. She was finally leaving.  

But then Mark scoffed. “Idiot, that’s not what the boss said.”  

A moment later, a woman had been dragged into the room, kicking and screaming. Helena knew that voice. And when Mark spoke again, her suspicions had been confirmed.  

“This woman's husband has a lover. And that’s her.”  

Her breath got caught in her throat. Rose?  

David’s mistress? How was that even possible? 

“The boss found out and decided to kidnap her too,” Mark continued. “Now, her husband will pay the ransom—but he can only take one of them.”  

Sanchez had let out an amused laugh. “Damn. He only agreed to pay after his lover was taken? That’s cold.”  

“We both know who he’s taking home tonight.” Mark chuckled darkly.  

Tears had burned Helena’s eyes as muffled sobs escaped behind her gag. No. This couldn’t be true. David wouldn’t leave her. He was her husband. He had to pay for both of them. She saw that things were getting out of hand and—  

She had clung to that thought. It had been the only hope she had left.  

Rose continued to scream and struggle until a loud smack had silenced her.  

Then, footsteps echoed. 

Moments later, Helena’s blindfold had been yanked off. The sudden brightness had stung her eyes, and she had blinked rapidly, adjusting to the light. When her vision had cleared, her heart had nearly stopped.  

David stood near the door, a briefcase in one hand, his face expressionless.  

Even now, he looked as handsome as ever—his chiseled features, his piercing blue eyes. But there had been nothing warm in his gaze.  

She had tried to call out, but her voice had been muffled by the gag.  

Then, she saw it.  

At that moment, his eyes shifted to Rose.  

His expression had softened. Emotions had flickered across his face—something Helena had never seen him show towards her.  

Dread settled deep in her chest.  

David tossed the briefcase to a man standing nearby, his gaze flicking back at her. But this time, his eyes weren’t empty. They had burned with something else.  

Rage perhaps anger.

But why? Why had he been looking at her like she was the problem?  

The man holding the briefcase smirked. “I need to count it, just to make sure you paid for both.”  

“No need.” David’s voice was calm, cold. “I don’t play games when it comes to someone I care about.”  

A shiver had run down Helena’s spine.  

“But I still have to check,” the man had said with a knowing grin.  

“I paid for one.”  

Silence.  

Then laughter.  

“Oh? And which one did you pay for?”  

Helena’s heartbeat had thundered in her ears. David looked at her, then at Rose. Then, without hesitation, he pointed at her.  

“Her.”  

Air left Helena’s lungs.  

She watched helplessly, as Rose had been freed. The other woman didn't waste any time running into David’s arms, sobbing against his chest. And he—he wrapped his arms around her, shielding her with his suit jacket.  

Helena’s screams had been useless. Her tears had meant nothing. David had turned his back on her and walked away, carrying Rose in his arms.  

Is this really how it ends, David? After everything?  

Tears streamed down her face, burning like fire.  

Sanchez’s voice had cut through her despair. “Well, I guess you’re going to die today.”  

Reality had crashed down on her.  

David leaving hadn’t just meant the end of their marriage—it had meant her death.  

No.  

She refused to die here. Not like this.  

She would fight. She would survive. And she would make David regret every single thing he had done to her.  

That bastard wanted her gone? Wanted to erase her like she was nothing?  

He would learn soon enough—Helena wasn’t that easy to kill.