Trigger Warning: This chapter contains distressing content. Please read with care.
...
Ella struggled against the man. Her nails scraped his arms, legs kicking uselessly beneath her. "Get off me," she gasped, voice broken.
The man laughed, amused, as if her struggle was but a foreplay to him, "You escaped back then. Not this time!"
In her muddleheaded state, Ella could barely make sense of those words. But when the man yanked her back from her neck and pulled her close to his face, her heart chilled.
"Remember me, Ella Yu?"
"You…" Ella's eyes widened as she looked at the bearded man.
"What? Do I look shabby now? Back then, I was at the peak of my career, photographing for one of the most popular magazines. If not for you, would I have ended up like this?"
''I… didn't…Ah…" Before the words could escape her mouth, the back of her head banged the door.
