PROLOGUE

"Please Arleen, I can't lose you to him…I can't…"

My eyes were wide as I watched the man I once loved looking back at me with all sincerity. His eyelids were wet due to how much he had cried.

Was it madness? I couldn't fathom.

When did his love for me reach this extent? I wondered to myself as I took a step backward when he inched closer.

"Stay away from me Damion…don't come any closer!" My voice shuddered as I warned him. I could feel my lips trembling as tears gathered in my eyes.

What did he take me for? A fool?

He had taken advantage of my love and now he was claiming to love me…how?

"I hate YOU!" I screamed out in frustration before sprinting off.

"ARLEEN!!!"

I heard him call after me but I didn't turn back even once.

However, I couldn't see where I was running due to the heavy rain falling and the dim environment. I was completely wet from head to toe but I didn't mind it one bit.

"ARLEEN PLEASE!"

My heart shuddered in my chest as I felt conflicted. Before I knew it, he had caught up with me and without wasting a second, he wrapped his strong arms around me from behind, hindering me from moving.

In anger, irritation and disgust, I struggled against him to let me go but he didn't, rather, he buried his nose at the nook of my neck and whispered; "I love you."

My heart burned with so much emotions but I was too mad to pay attention to his feelings. I was hurt beyond control.

"Let me Go!" I cried out.

"I LOVE YOU, ARLEEN!" He repeated but in a more intense tone

I was tired of his lies and deceit to a point I felt suffocated.

Without thinking, I stamped my heel on his left foot and it made him groan and loosen his hold around me. Before he could hold me again, I ran like a mad woman away from him.

"ARLEEN!" I heard him scream my name in anger.

With the way he sounded, I could tell he was furious but I didn't care. I just wanted to get away from him for good.

Nevertheless, the more I ran, the more I felt breathless and the rain made things difficult for me.

"ARLEEN! WHERE ARE YOU?"

I stopped in my tracks when I heard another voice amidst the heavy rain…it was Clifford!

Oh thank goodness he was close by.

"CLIFFORD!"

"CLIFFORD!! WHERE ARE YOU?"

As I ran in the direction I thought he was, it then occurred to me that I should not have screamed because it did not only let Clifford know where I was but also Damion.

What a complete mess!

"Arleen?" I heard Clifford's voice more clearer and it made me realize he was close.

As I ran, the heel of my shoes dug deep into the damp ground and it made me regret running into the woods for safety in the first place.

To complicate things, as I tried to find my way to Clifford, I came in contact with the woman I dreaded the most…Beverley.

The sky grumbled as if telling me I was in deep trouble and I could tell from her fierce look that she was going to do something despicable. And as if to confirm it, she pulled out a gun from her coat's pocket and pointed it directly at me.

"You're a nuisance I need to get rid of, Arleen," she spoke.

"Don't do this Beverley…I'm not at fault here…"

"SHUT UP!" she yelled at me.

My eyes widened when she pulled the trigger without hesitation and it went straight into my upper right arm.

"Ahhh!!!" I yelped as I felt the bullet dig deep into my skin.

Without wasting another second, she pulled the trigger again and I felt a sharp tear in my thigh, causing me to fall on my knees while holding the injured spot in anguish.

"AHHHHH!!!" I couldn't help but scream and crouch in pain. Thankfully, before she could kill me, Clifford came right on time to stop her.

My mind was muddled in pain so I didn't bother checking how he was faring with her. I felt my consciousness slowly begin to leave me due to the pain and that was when someone lifted me up in his arms. It was Damion, the man I tried so hard to get away from.

I heard a loud bang in the air and my heartbeat increased in fear. Another one followed and it made me tremble in fear for Clifford's life.

I tried to focus my attention on my surroundings but the bullets in my body didn't let me, it made me feel like I was going to die at any moment.

"I got you okay? Just stay with me…I won't let anything happen to you…" Damion kept saying reassuring words to me but I didn't pay attention. I was in this plight all because of him.

"Le..let m-me go…" I struggled to speak but he didn't budge.

"Let me do the right thing, Arleen. Just let me," he pleaded.

"Argghhhh," I groaned in pain as I felt so much discomfort to a point I couldn't think straight anymore.

"Clifford!!!" I shrieked his name when the thought of losing my life crossed my mind.

"I am here, forget Clifford!" He sounded irritated but I was too weak and in pain to answer back.

I felt everywhere slowly go dim as I began to lose consciousness. I was afraid but I couldn't overcome the overwhelming exhaustion.

Before I could close my eyes and give in as I had lost so much blood, I thought of what led to this. I thought of the possibility of me dying or not seeing Clifford again.

Now the question was; Why was all this happening to me?

How did I end up here?

How did I even get caught up in all this?