Chapter 1
“Would you still love me… even if I’m a criminal?”
He took my hand.
My heart began to race the moment I looked into his eyes — green and cold like a blade, yet burning straight into my soul.
I was a young student, almost done with my studies, just a few days away from graduation. I had always struggled with communication. Shyness had followed me since early childhood, shaping the way I saw the world. I never allowed myself to be in a relationship, not after everything I had witnessed. The constant conflicts between my parents had ended in a painful divorce. After that, the memories I shared with my father slowly faded, leaving behind an unbearable emptiness.
My mother, a policewoman, decided to move to another city in an attempt to escape her past.
“My darling, listen… I know it’s not easy,” she said softly. “One day, you’ll understand that not everything goes as planned.”
I looked at her with sad, empty eyes. She noticed it immediately and tried to comfort me, but before she could say more, duty called her. An impossible mission. She answered the call, grabbed her equipment, and prepared to leave. Before stepping out, she turned back toward me and apologized — for everything. Then she disappeared behind the living room door.
After finishing packing my clothes into the suitcase, I put on my headphones, grabbed my phone, and left the house to breathe. Music filled my ears, isolating me from the world. Cars passed by, people rushed around me, all moving as if time itself controlled them.
“I hate this world… no one ever pays attention,” I whispered.
Tears streamed down my face. I wiped them away as quickly as I could, but the pain refused to fade.
Hours passed. I found myself alone in a park, sitting on a swing, with no one around.
“Great… it’s already dark. I should go back before Mom gets worried.”
I stood up and checked my phone. No messages. Anger rose inside me, but I forced myself to stay calm. On my way back, the shop lights glowed in the night, the cold biting my skin. I focused only on my thoughts.
That was when everything changed.
I didn’t hear the footsteps behind me.
I didn’t have time to scream.
In a single moment, I was taken hostage.
