ADORA’S P.O.V

Before I could even understand what he meant, two men stepped forward. Their hands were rough and strong as they gripped my arms. I gasped, struggling to pull away, but their hold only tightened.

“You can't do that!” I shouted, taking two steps backward.

My swollen eyes cried out for mercy, even though I was so proud to plead for it.

“Daddy!” But it was like no one was listening.

“No! You can’t do this!” I shouted, twisting my arms as I tried to break free. “Let go of me! I’m not going anywhere with you!”

The men had moved without question. The first two were holding me like I was some sort of criminal, then the rest closed in. Their steps were careful. Not a shoe scuffed the floor. They did not look at each other. Their faces were blank. It felt more like I was screaming at robots, like they had been trained not to think. Only to obey commands.

My father reached out, his voice breaking into the space between us. “Adora… ” he started, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He fell back a step; he looked to me to be so small and useless. His already red eyes begged for mercy.

I felt my skin burn under their grip. My hands shook as panic rushed through me, my heart pounding so fast in a way I could hear it.

“I’m not going to marry you!” I screamed, my wide eyes glaring at Elkana. “I don’t care about your crazy arrangement with my father or whatever this is! I don’t care what my father did, I’m not involved in it!”

My voice cracked, but I didn’t stop. “Get your hands off me! Leave me alone!”

They dragged me a few steps toward the door. My heels scraped against the floor. I could hear my own breathing; it was shaky and wild. I tried to fight them, I had my legs kicking and my arms twisting, but their grip was too strong.

One of my men moved toward the door. He held it open wide.

“Daddy!” I cried out, turning my head. “Daddy, do something!”

That was when I saw him. I sighted my father, miserable on his knees, crawling toward El-Cana. His face was pale, his palms were wide open like he was asking for something, his hands trembling as he reached for the man’s leg.

“Please,” he begged, his voice breaking. “Please don’t harm my daughter. I’ll do anything, please, she’s all I have.”

But El-Cana just stood there, tall and still, his cold eyes watching everything. He didn’t even flinch when my father grabbed his leg. He looked down at him like he was nothing.

“Daddy!” I screamed again, trying to pull away, but the men didn’t stop. They kept dragging me, step by step, toward the open door.

“Let me go!” I shouted, kicking harder now. “Let me go! I don’t want this! Please, let me go!”

“Ahhhhh!!” My voice echoed through the house. I could hear the noise of my father’s cries mixed with mine. It felt like the walls themselves were closing in on me.

One of the men pulled harder, and I stumbled forward. My arm ached from his grip, but I didn’t stop fighting. “You can’t take me!” I cried, tears running down my face. “You can’t!”

But they didn’t listen. They didn’t even care!

My knees hit the cold floor as the men dragged me close to the door, and I looked back one last time. I could already feel my dress torn, my hair had fallen loose, and my heart was pounding so hard I could barely breathe. I tried to grab the doorframe, but one of them pulled me back roughly.

“Please!” I shouted again, but my voice was weak now. It was like the sound was trapped inside me.

My father was still on the floor, holding onto Elkana’s leg, his face was drenched with tears.

“Please, I’m begging you,” he whispered. “Don’t hurt her. She’s very young, and she’s innocent.”

Elkana’s eyes stayed cold. He didn’t move. He just stood there, standing still. His face didn’t change, not even a little. It was as if he couldn’t even hear my father.

He said nothing. He only nodded once to his men.

That was the moment I looked up, and our eyes met.

He looked down at me with those cold, dark eyes, and my breath caught. There was no sign of pity in his eyes; there was no regret at all. His stare was sharp and steady; it was full of control. And then the weirdest thing happened, he smirked at me. Just a small, slow curve of his lips, but it was enough to leave goosebumps on my skin.

Were we enjoying this? He looked like he was.

It was like he found satisfaction in watching my father beg and plead for mercy; it was like he found satisfaction in watching me struggle. His eyes stayed on me as if I were already his. There was power in his silence, cruel, heavy with power, and that aura filled the room.

If there was something I wanted to do, it was to tell him he was a monster, but the words stuck in my throat. My hands trembled, my chest felt tight. My mind couldn’t make sense of what was happening. It didn’t feel real. It felt like a bad dream I couldn’t wake up from.

My father’s voice grew weaker. “Please, she’s very young,” he said again, trying to hold onto Elkana’s leg. “I’ll do anything, just don’t harm her.”

Elkana didn’t even look down at him. He kept his eyes on me. His expression was calm and seemed almost pleased. Like everything was going exactly the way he wanted.

I could see what kind of man he was; he was heartless and proud, and more, he was dangerous. The kind of man who didn’t feel sorry for anyone. The kind of man who made others cry just to feel powerful.

A cold shiver ran through me. I didn’t even recognize my own voice when I whispered, “This can’t be real.”

But it was real. Every second of it. The sound of my father’s crying, the rough hands on my arms, the way Elkana stood there like a dark king who ruled everything around him.

For the first time in my life, I felt completely powerless. I knew, deep inside, that nothing I said could change what was happening. I could fight, I could scream, but to him, it didn’t matter.

Elkana turned slightly, giving one last look at my father still on the floor. And then, without saying a single word, he kicked my father's hand.

That small gesture was all it took.

They began to pull me again. My tears blurred my sight, but I could still see his smirk. It was burned into my mind. The smirk of a man who had already won.