Chapter 1 : Heartbroken

My heart shattered as I stared at the photo. Tears streamed down my face. I''d left him because he abused me—three years of constant put-downs. The physical fights happened every so often, depending on how drunk or high he was. I''d finally had enough and walked away. He begged me to come back, but I refused. Just six weeks later, he was with someone else.

The photo showed him cuddled up with some girl caked in makeup. I''d been replaced. Why did I feel jealous? I was the one who left. He was a drug addict, alcoholic, and abuser—definitely no catch. But it was the way he showed her off that got to me. He never did that with me.

He kept me hidden, always saying if I just fixed this or that about my appearance, then I''d be stunning. Then he''d claim me publicly. Then he''d think about marrying me. I set my phone aside, watching the screen go black.

I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. Was I really the monster he said I was? My dark brown curls fell to my mid-back—the only thing he ever claimed to like about me, or at least the only thing I remembered him complimenting. My olive skin looked pale and sallow now. My big brown eyes had dark circles underneath. He used to say I always looked scared. Well, yeah—he terrified me. How else was I supposed to look?

My lips were small and pink, slightly full. I bit my lower lip, dreading work tomorrow. How was I going to function? I was a doctor in the ER at the public hospital on the south side of Iris Isle, where I lived. I''d started med school at eighteen—pretty standard here—so at twenty-five, I was already qualified and working.

Work was a blur. It was my last day of a six-month contract. Iris Isle had been struggling financially for years, and we were understaffed because the public hospital couldn''t afford to hire more people. HR called me in to officially tell me my contract wouldn''t be renewed. I''d seen this coming. I nodded and wished the secretary a good day.

The tears could wait until I was alone in my room. I was drowning in student loan debt, and my dad''s gambling addiction had pushed me even deeper as I helped him pay off loan sharks.

I still had to work my final shift. It was already dark when I clocked out. Lightning lit up the hill where the hospital sat. I picked my way carefully down the hillside in the rain, thunder booming overhead. I had my jacket on with the hood up, but I couldn''t risk walking on the road in this black jacket at night—I''d get hit by a car.

I slipped on the wet grass and slid the last few feet down the hill. My knees and palms smacked against the wet pavement. I winced. Cars rushed past. I was soaked—I''d forgotten my umbrella at home.

I ran along the sidewalk toward the taxi stand. Empty. Damn it. I waited in the rain, shivering. Something felt off. I looked around—nobody there, but I felt like I was being watched. I shook it off, figuring it was just paranoia.

A car pulled up in front of me. The window rolled down, revealing cold, gray eyes so pale they almost looked white. The only way I could tell they were irises was because the whites were bloodshot.

"Get in," said a male voice.

It wasn''t a taxi—just some stranger''s car. Maybe it was the heartbreak, the crushing debt, losing my job, or just the rain, but something made me get in. The car was cool inside, brand new. The window went up and the door clicked shut, locking me in.

The guy with the bloodshot gray eyes had a crooked nose and thin lips. His scraggly beard was flecked with gray, though he didn''t look much older than thirty-five. His eyebrows were so high they gave him a constant surprised look. He was balding, trying to comb thin black hair over the bald spot, but he kept it long—just past his shoulders. White t-shirt, blue jeans. He glanced at me.

"You were easy to find," he croaked, laughing nervously.

"What?" I said, goosebumps breaking out all over.

"Don''t bother screaming or asking a million questions," he warned.

I stayed quiet. The door was locked, but he looked thin enough that I could take him. I was slender but had more meat on my bones than him. He was definitely taller though—about six feet, more than half a foot taller than me. I reached into my scrubs pocket for the scalpel I kept there for cutting stitches. I unwrapped it quietly, but somehow he heard that impossibly soft sound over the rain, thunder, and AC. His eyes met mine in the rearview mirror.

"Don''t even think about it," he said, narrowing his eyes.

The downpour was so heavy I could barely see ahead. We pulled up to huge iron gates. My heart sank. It was now or never—I couldn''t let him take me past those gates. Who knew what was waiting for me in there?

"Look out!" I screamed as loud and convincingly as I could.

"What?" He yelped, slamming the brakes. The car screeched to a stop.

I stabbed him in the eye with the tiny blade. Blood spurted from the socket. He let out a blood-curdling scream. I lunged for the controls on his side, hitting the button that unlocked all the doors. I heard the locks click open and bolted out my door into the rain, slamming it on his outstretched fingers. He screamed again.

I ran away from the iron gates, not sure where I was. This area was completely unfamiliar—some fancy neighborhood. The houses were spread far apart with perfectly manicured lawns getting destroyed by the heavy rain. Elegant flower beds were turning into muddy streams. I ran down the street as fast as I could and spotted a guard booth. This was a gated community.

I ran to it, waking up the sleeping guard. The guy jerked awake and literally snarled at me. I jumped back, shocked at how animal-like he was. He stared at me.

"I need help," I pleaded. "This man tried to kidnap me."