Chapter 61


    Surviving Tears started to wet my blindfold and flow down my cheeks, tears of fear and helplessness. I


    had never been so lost in my entire life. I shifted my weight from one frozen foot to another without even


    fully knowing what the ce that I was locked in looked like. “Focus, Cora! Focus! You need to think!” I


    shouted at myself, forcing out thest ounce of my strength.


    I could still hear those vicious menughing outside my door, but I knew that they were getting ready to


    evacuate, and they would leave me here as soon as all the explosives were set. I heard one of them


    saying that the trigger would be ced on the door handle, and as soon as someone opened the door


    from the outside, the whole building would blow up. I knew that Aren wasn’t stupid enough to walk in


    without checking the whole ce, but what if he acted irrational and hasty? I was on the edge of a panic


    attack, but I couldn’t allow myself to lose my senses.


    Breathing deeply, I took cautious steps toward the wall and then started rubbing one of my cheeks up to


    my temple against it, trying to take my blindfold off. The wall was rough, and it kept scratching my skin


    each time I touched it, but I kept going, trying different angles until I got rid of the fabric that covered my


    eyes.


    I wanted to scream in joy when I could finally see, but that was nearly the first step to freeing myself. I


    turned around and looked at the ce. It was some kind of storage with tall metal shelves and tons of old


    paper documents. The floor and walls were raw and covered with dirt. I kept looking for something sharp


    to cut the rope around my wrists, but I couldn’t see anything useful. Suddenly, I noticed that one of the


    edges of the metal bars, forming the shelves, seemed sharp. I turned my back toward the shelf and


    pressed the knot between my wrists against the metal bar. With careful movements, I slowly cut the rope,


    trying not to make too much noise and rm my guards, still present behind the door.


    “Hey! How long is it gonna take?! I heard that this guy is already on the way here!” one of the men


    outside the door shouted.


    “Fuck you, Dave! If you want it faster,e here and help!” I heard another voice yelling further in the


    corridor.


    “No thanks!” He responded and chuckled coldly. “I think I’ll go and y with our princess in the


    meantime…”


    I swallowed and froze, staring at the door. “Hey, man… You’re not really nning to go inside there, are


    you?” someone standing close to the door asked.


    “Why not?” Dave asked. “You can join if you like, Matt. The bitch will die here anyway, so why don’t we


    have some fun?”


    I shook my head, terrified. I prayed that someone would stop them, but I only heard themughing


    eagerly at that bastard’s idea. I started rubbing the rope against the metal bar again, faster this time. My


    hands were almost free when I heard someone typing tonal digits to


    unlock the door. “No.” I made a barely audible sound as my instincts forced me to cower in fear.


    The door handle went down… but the door didn’t open.


    “What the fuck, Matt?!” Dave snapped. “I thought you knew the code!”


    “Hey! Don’t me me! I was told that it was a universal code for every door in that building! Try it again!”


    Matt growled.


    My breath was shallow and hectic. My tears kept flowing down while I cut the rope, despite wounding my


    hands in the process. I heard the tones of the code again. I clenched my teeth and rubbed the rope


    harder until the final string was cut. The door handle went down a bit…


    “Oy! We’re done! Let’s go!” Someone’s voice sounded loudly across the corridor.


    “Fuck!” Dave roared and kicked my door. “Sorry, princess! We’re leaving!” I heard their heavy footsteps


    be quieter as they were getting further away from my door. When it turned to silence, I copsed


    onto the floor and wept. I was tired, drained physically and emotionally, but some inner voice told me to


    stand up. I had to get out of that room, and I had to do it now!


    I took a deep breath, forcing my exhausted brain to function. I looked at the door lock. There was a


    number pad by the door. If only I had my phone with me, I could easily analyze the system and figure out


    the code or bypass it in no time, but at that moment I felt lost. I once heard about a way to open a


    maic lock using a ma, but I would have to build a ma first…


    I looked at the shelves filled with documents, hoping for any office supplies like metal paperclips. It would


    be amazing if I could find a battery and a copper wire, but what were my chances of finding those in the


    ce I was locked?


    I couldn’t find anything. It turned out that there was nothing but endless tons of printed paper on those


    shelves. I looked behind it and under it but still found nothing. A huff soaked with frustration escaped my


    throat while my eyes shifted to the door handle.


    “They wouldn’t leave the door open… would they?” I asked myself as I stared at the number


    Pad.


    I chuckled nervously, thinking that I would be the luckiest prisoner on Earth if that had happened. I


    stepped closer to the door and ced my trembling hand on the door handle. “Here goes nothing,” I


    muttered before yanking the door open. I burst out in hystericughter, looking back at my way into the


    corridor. My heart pounded erratically. I only prayed that there was still time and that I could warn Aren


    that he shouldn’t go inside. I stepped out of the room and walked toward the stairs, recalling the route I


    had been led. There were long meters of wires stuck to every wall with small packages that looked like


    explosive materials. Shivers ran down my spine just by looking at them. I had no knowledge of what


    could trigger them to blow off, so I decided to step cautiously and try not to touch anything


    Suddenly, I heard amotioning from outside. It was getting louder-filled with


    furious shouts, the sounds of a fight, and gunshots. I turned my head to the source and looked outside


    the window. It looked like two military-like groups were fighting each other…or had fought each other.


    One of the groups, wearing all ck, surrounded the area, and the other group was forced to surrender.


    None of those people tried entering the building; they must have known about the bombs inside, but who


    were they? I prayed that they were the “good guys.” I stood by that window, desperate to see any signs


    of hope…


    “Aren…” My heart fluttered at the sight of him as the leader of the all-ck team.


    He didn’t see me. He was standing there, one floor below me, wearing a pair ofbat pants and a


    ck fitted shirt. Was I crazy to admire how sexy he looked at that moment? He was giving his people


    orders while looking at something that looked like the building ns. I had to let him know that I was


    there. I stepped away from the window and carefully examined its frame and everything around it. It


    didn’t seem like the window was connected to the explosives, but still, I was trembling in terror as I was


    opening it.


    “Aren!” I shouted as tears flooded my face again.


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    He ran closer to my window. “Cora!” He smiled, relieved before calling out, “We cannot go inside to get


    you! You will have to jump down, sunshine!” I swallowed, looking at the ground over 20 feet below me.


    “J-jump down?”


    He nodded. “This is the only way! We had already checked; every single door was wired!”


    I took a deep breath, processing my surroundings. There were more than five wires going right below the


    windowsill. It was possible that touching any one of them could cause the explosion. I needed to move


    carefully and swiftly lift my sore and numb body to sit on the window frame. The fitted mermaid dress


    wasn’t exactly helpful… My heart ached as I grabbed the silk trim of the dress and tore it, making a long


    slit so that I could move my legs more freely. I grabbed the long back of the dress and put my first leg up,


    standing on the windowsill.


    “That’s it, sunshine! You can do it!” Aren encouraged me.


    His voice made my heart pound faster. I looked down and saw his men, stretching a jumping sheet for


    me while he was reaching out his hands as if he was ready to catch me. I couldn’t wait until I found


    myself in his strong arms. Going beyond the limits of my strength, I finally managed to sit on the frame


    without touching any wires.


    “Sunshine,e down and I will catch you… I will always catch you,” he said softly, but I could hear him


    as if he stood right beside me.


    As terrified as I was, he made me calm. I pushed myself against the frame and jumped down. I


    remembered that my dress resembled a pair of beautiful wings, making me float in the air before I fell on


    the sheet. I barely registered how I found myself in Aren’s arms less than a secondter.


    “I told you that I would catch you,” he said, nuzzling against my cheek and leaving sweet little kisses.


    I corrected, “You didn’t catch me. They did.” I pointed at a group of his men, folding the jumping sheet.


    He leaned closer and gently bit my earlobe. “Don’t argue with me, wife.”


    I wasn’t going to. I smiled at him, put my arms tightly around his neck, and closed my eyes.