Kidnapped - A Beautiful Blessing

hmic thud of hurried footsteps against sun-scorched pavement. The air hung heavy with heat, thick and suffocating, pressing down like a tang

en balancing bags of groceries, children weaving through th

sh

he relief was fleeting, swallowed instantly by the oppressive heat. Sweat trickled down the curve of her neck, dampening the edge of her dupatta where it clung to her skin. Her slender arms,

as wa

nt she wasn't sure

th aggressive urgency. There was an anticipation in her stance, subtle yet undeniable, as if she were teetering on the

water to a stray dog-a frail creature with ribs jutting out beneath its patchy fur. She had watche

r, thick with dust and the acrid scent of exhaust fumes, pressed into her lungs like an unwelcome weight. The cacophony of the street-eng

sudd

ouc

t could have been an accident. But then it came again. A palm grazing along her

ough her despite th

n her throat. The sensation of that touch clung t

edges of her books, knuckles whitening as so

y, her stomach twisting wit

ling at the corner of

or's exp

s voice a sickly sweet dr

of her dupatta, nails pressing int

gust. Hel

owed it down, forcing herself to remain still. She knew this feeling too well-the bi

ted to

y he thought he could touch her as if she

he di

her breath shallow. As if looking away would make her disap

uld still

king over her like a stai

People passed by, lost in their own hurried lives

red for a fract

fused

r of how easily dignity could be stripp

s still w

smir

to see if sh

sudde

t in t

torm. A presence. Unseen yet undeniably potent, weaving throu

was wa

r ghosted down her spine, a sensation that warned of an appro

he scene. Dark, calculating, and brimming wit

etrayed him-his jaw clenched, his broad shoulders

was f

itation, maneuvering the sleek black car through the chaotic mess of honking rickshaws, restless pedestrians, and sun-scorched

was happening, the car door swu

th

im.

ri

im. The heat, the noise, the entire world seemed to shrink

e movement. His crisp white shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, teasing a glimpse of bronzed skin, but nothing

that stole the bre

Pier

led wit

d in the air, thick and seething, cra

d, his bravado wavering under the weight of realization.

didn't

n't ha

the man's collar. The movement was effortless, fluid-like a predator

landed with a si

ent, vivid red against the dull, sunbaked ground. The man's head sn

over the m

ent curiosity. They didn't interfere. They wouldn't dare. They

was rel

gain. And again. And again. Each strike was precise, coldly methodi

th caught in

the raw brutality of it, should se

t did

sn't a

ked. Stunned

layers of logic and reaso

hing

g unexpl

plit lip, his eye already swelling shut, his breaths coming in desperate, broken gasps. But

Sa

dn't loo

she had to

d herself to speak, her voice b

y air, almost swallowed by the ch

an's collar slackened, his knuckles no longer pressing into flesh and bone with the sa

nt honking of cars, the muffled shouts of bystanders, the uneven ri

terrifying yet captivating about the way he looked at her, as if he were trying to read

r her words, her tongue heavy, her thoughts tang

under

ith a dull thud. The man groaned, but Sasha barely registered it. She was too focused on the m

readable, the air between them thic

ded, his voice smooth yet l

aged inside her, but beneath it, something de

for a fraction

t fully knowing

urface reflecting the glow of nearby streetlights. A

lightly as she settled in. The scent of rich leather and faint cologne w

roundings, Darius slid in beside her,

t distant now, muffle

ss. She barely registered the driver adjusting the air conditio

the raw dryness in her throat. It felt like the first

was unwavering, heavy with so

o say something-anything-to break

strange dizziness crashe

bs grew

tilted at

ingers slipping from the

nly as it had begun, ev