Amyra's POV.

I heard the beeps of machines as I slowly regained consciousness. My eyelids fluttered open, and my gaze rested on the man in front of me. His face was partly concealed, but I saw him enough to know that he was a familiar figure.

My head throbbed as I tried to recall who he was, but the effort was too much, and I shut my eyes again. He let out an evil chuckle, and I felt myself floating as he lifted me from the hospital bed. He unplugged the machines and gave me a slap that was resounding and painful. Darkness consumed me once more.

The next time I opened my eyes, I was lying in a dark room. My hands and feet were bound, immobilizing me. I let out muffled screams, realizing my lips were taped shut. Panic surged through me as I felt my heartbeat becoming irregular. Darkness threatened to overwhelm me. It felt like I was going to pass out again but I forced myself to breathe, to think. What happened? How did I end up here?

I tried to piece together the events that led me here. After Reynold's fiancée joined us at the dinner table, I excused myself and left with my driver. Then, a larger vehicle rammed into us.

I remember someone beating me to a pulp after shooting my driver to death. "I could kill you but that would be less painful," I would beat you until you are unable to move a limb." He did as he promised. And when he was done, he conclusively said "Now, I have my revenge." Goosebumps prickled my skin as I wondered who in California hated me enough to do this.

"You're awake, it seems." The voice cut through the darkness. It was the same man, the one who claimed he had gotten his revenge. I turned toward the sound, my heart pounding. He was no longer wearing the hoodie. Now, he stood in front of me, dressed only in underpants and a singlet. The sight of his cold, calculating eyes made my blood run cold.

I wondered what I was doing here, alone with him. I could remember that someone else had come after he beat me up. Whoever it was had saved me from the wreckage and he was probably the one who put me in the hospital. What was I doing here, alone with this cruel man? I made yet another failed attempt to scream but my lips couldn't part. They were taped shut.

The air was thick with the stench of sweat and smoke. The rough ropes cut into my wrists and the cold floor beneath me sent chills up my spine. The tape on my lips was painful and my attempts to speak only made it worse. He bent down and took the tape off my mouth. I had a better view of him as he drew closer to me.

"Who are you and what do you want?" The realization was starting to hit me. This was Charles and he was from my past.

"You can't claim not to know me," He said in response. "It was you who made Reynolds believe I slept with you years back, right?"

I wasn't wrong. This was Charles, Reynold's best friend years ago. I had offended him then, that was undeniable. I had plans to go back to meet with Jim and apologize after fixing my relationship with Reynolds. I knew he had every right to hate me but wanting me dead seemed extreme.

With a stutter, I responded, "I'm sorry, I can explain."

"Too bad, because I don't need it. He refused to hear me out. He swore to frustrate me every day and he has kept to that oath. I see you have become wealthy. He has always been wealthy. I in contrast am wretched. Reynolds frustrates every attempt I make to gather wealth. I, too, refuse to hear you out. I don't care to know why you did it. For all I care, Amyra, I'll take my revenge."

"What do you wish to do to me?"

"Not much. I initially wanted to kill you. But now that I think of it, that's not enough. So I'm going to fuck you until you're dead."

Every sign of weakness that I felt vanished. Panic hit me. Charles meant every word he said. I knew it because His voice was cold and devoid of emotions. He stepped into the silver light that cut through the darkness, revealing a smirk that sent chills down my spine. I looked around me, in search of an escape route. There had to be a way out.

He inched closer to me. His footsteps echoed in the little room. "You don't know how long I have waited for you, Amyra. I have searched everywhere for you. I have hoped and prayed to set my eyes on you again. And today, God has answered my prayers and brought you back to California. You will not leave this city alive."

My heart began to pound with violence, almost as if it were going to burst. My eyes darted around the room. There had to be a way out. This couldn't be the end.

"Nobody will find you, Amyra. You're on the outskirts of the town. Nobody will save you. I will make sure that I use you and then I'll dump you here. Your body will rot and maggots will feed on it."

Slowly, he began to strip for me. I felt my stomach grumble at the sight of his nude body. It gave me the ick. I wanted to throw up at the sight of his genitalia. He made it even more gory by whining his waist while taking every accessory he had on, out of his body.

"You like what you see, don't ya?" His voice was like a sting to my ear. I felt my stomach grumble. He was completely naked and standing before me with a grin. He leaned into me and planted a kiss on my forehead. "You said I raped you, ten years ago. Now, I'm about to rape you."

A bang on the door interrupted him. I shut my eyes and held my breath hoping that this would buy me some time. "Did you think I wouldn't find you?" A figure approached us. "Let her go."

"I don't care who the fuck you are." Charles produced a gun. I couldn't tell where it came from. "If you take another step forward, I'll kill her, kill you and kill myself.”