Chapter 148 

Aria’s POV. 

I waited. 

That was all I could do. 

Every second stretched longer than the last. I didn’t sleep. Didn’t move. I just sat there, back against the wall, hand clutching the edge of the mattress like that would somehow keep me grounded. 

My headaches were worse than before, my body ached and I think.if I don’t sleep anytime soon I would start to hallucinate. But how do I sleep when my heart was beating fast against my chest continuously. 

I sighed to myself, trying to calm my mind when then, quietly the door opened. 

It wasn’t Elias. 

It was the other man. The one I’d spoken to about Raul, the one who had listened when I threw every truth I had at him like a lifeline so he would help.me. I have no idea how long it has been. 

He didn’t speak at first. Just stepped inside and shut the door gently behind him. His eyes swept over me, pausing on the way I clutched my ankle, the way my shoulders curved in from pain and fear. 

He knelt in front of me and pulled something from his coat. A small first aid kit. 

“I brought this,” he said. His voice was rougher now, not in an angry way. Just… tired. 

I didn’t question him. He reached for my foot slowly, waiting for me to flinch, but I didn‘ t. I watched him unwrap the makeshift bandage I’d done days, weeks not sure how long since I did it. His fingers were careful, and he worked in silence, wiping, bracing, wrapping. Not once did he look me in the eye. 

When he was done, he gently set my foot down. “That should help you walk. Not far. But enough.” 

I nodded, swallowing hard. “Thank you.” 

He sat back on his heels, resting his arms on his knees. “You were right, by the way. About Raul. About all of it.” 

I didn’t ask what changed. 

But then he added, “Elias is gone.” 

My heart jolted. “Gone?” 

He nodded. “Slipped out this morning. Said he had something to do. I covered for him. If he’s smart, he’s halfway to the border by now. Hopefully he gets to.hid family..” 

Chapter 148 

A breath escaped me. I didn’t even realize I’d been holding it. 

Good. 

He made it. 

Elias made it. 

And something about that gave me enough hope to keep breathing. 

“I’m happy,” I said softly, wiping at the corner of my eye. “He told me about his daughter.” 

The guard looked at me then–really looked. “We all have something we want to go back to. Even the worst of us.” 

I nodded slowly. “So what now?” 

も 

He leaned in. “There’s a path. A service tunnel under the west wing. I’ll take you through it. Same way Elias got out. No cameras and no guards.” 

I blinked. “And you?” 

“I’ll leave after you do. I’ll disappear.” 

I hesitated, my throat tightening. “Why are you helping me?” 

His eyes lowered, voice softer now, like he was speaking to a memory. “Because I still want to believe I can do one good thing before I go. It’s something I promised my mama. I hope I can fulfill it.” 

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. 

I didn’t say anything. Just nodded, once. 

This man–this stranger who could’ve turned away–was risking everything for me. 

“Ready?” he asked. 

“As I’ll ever be.” 

He slipped the door open slowly. Every creak in the hallway felt like thunder. We moved in silence. I leaned into him slightly, limping, my wrapped ankle aching but manageable. The corridor was dim, the lights buzzing faintly above us. 

Each step brought me closer to air. To freedom. 

To Dominic. 

We turned a corner. Passed a door. Crossed into a hallway with old concrete floors. And there–at the end of the tunnel–a rusted metal hatch. 

He helped me down carefully, guiding me toward the exit. 

I could smell the outside. Faint, damp air. Wind. 

I was seconds away. 

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Chapter 148 

Until a voice sliced through the air behind us. 

“Well, well.” 

We froze. 

That voice–smooth and venom–laced. 

Mikael. 

“I figured one rat might slip through the cracks,” he said coldly, boots echoing as he approached. “But two?” 

My blood went ice cold. 

The man beside me stepped in front of me protectively, drawing the small pistol from his waistband. “Get back.” 

Mikael didn’t stop. 

& 

Behind him, two more guards rounded the corner, guns raised. 

“You’re not walking out with her,” Mikael said, his tone almost… disappointed. “And here I thought you were smarter than Elias.” 

“I should’ve left with him,” the man whispered. 

I reached for his arm. “We can still run.” 

He shook his head once. “Not fast enough.” 

I turned to Mikael, voice breaking. “Please. Let him go. He didn’t touch me. He just—” 

“Spare me the monologue,” Mikael snapped, eyes sharp. “Do you think I care what he did or didn’t do?” 

He signaled one of his men. “Grab her.” 

I tried to run. Fought with every inch I had left. But the other guards moved too fast. 

One of them slammed me against the wall, pinning my wrists while the other grabbed my legs. I screamed, thrashed, but my body was still too weak. 

I looked back. 

Mikael pulled a knife from his coat. 

“No!” I shrieked. “No, please–don’t!” 

He stepped closer to the man who helped me. 

And to my horror… 

The man didn’t run. 

He stood there, tall, proud. Like he knew. Like he’d already accepted it. 

He smiled at me. 

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Chapter 148 

A small, sad, soft smile. 

And then Mikael drove the blade straight into his stomach twisting it inside of him. 

I screamed. 

The sound tore out of me like it had claws. I thrashed harder, my throat raw. 

“No! No, no, no!” 

Mikael pulled the knife out and let the man drop. 

His blood spread fast, soaking into the floor. 

His body twitched once. 

Then went still. 

I sobbed, twisting violently against the guards‘ grip. “You bastard! You monster!” 

Mikael stepped toward me, breathing evenly. “All crimes have consequences.” 

He grabbed my jaw. Forced me to look at the body. “You see what happens when you disobey?” 

I couldn’t stop crying. I couldn’t breathe. 

The man who helped me who wanted to see his son again was gone. 

Because of me. 

And Mikael wanted me to watch. 

“Drag her back,” he ordered. 

They hauled me like a ragdoll, and I didn’t fight anymore. I just kept crying. 

Mikael followed behind, knife still slick with blood. 

I shouted through the tears choking me, my voice hoarse but sharp. “Monster! You are a monster and I am going to watch you die!!” 

He didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink. Just smiled–slow and mocking–like my pain was entertainment. 

“You can watch all you want, sweetheart,” he murmured as he opened the door to the same dark room I’d been dragged from days ago. “But you’re not going anywhere.” 

Then, with one sharp gesture, he nodded at the guards. 

They shoved me in. 

Hard. 

I hit the floor on my side, pain lancing up my hip and through my already–bruised ankle. 

The door slammed shut behind me. 

Locked. Again. 

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Chapter 148 

I didn’t move right away. Just lay there, eyes wide, heart pounding so loud it drowned out everything else. 

I kept seeing his face. 

That man. 

His blood. 

The way he smiled at me–soft, almost peaceful–as if dying was worth it if it meant I got to walk free. 

But I didn’t. 

I didn’t even make it ten feet. 

I curled up, pulled my knees to my chest and shook. Not from cold. But from rage. 

From helplessness. From the guilt clawing its way up my throat until I felt like I couldn‘ t breathe. 

I wanted to scream again. 

But the truth was, I didn’t even have the strength. 

I’d gotten someone else killed. 

And now I was right back where I started. 

Alone. 

Broken. 

And worse than anything. 

Hopeless. Nobody was coming to save me. I can’t even save myself. I brought my knees to my face, ignoring the pain in my ankles and closed my eyes allowing the tears to flow. 

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