Doing the same thing every day becomes exhausting. Living such a monotonous life could push anyone to the brink. But the light in my life the one thing that keeps me going is Alice.
Every morning, I wake up at the same time, wear the same dull clothes, hail a cab, arrive at the office, and sit in a cubicle for twelve long hours staring at a computer screen while enduring my boss's constant nagging. It's enough to drive a sane person mad. But somehow, just being with Alice makes all that pain fade into the background.
Today was her birthday. I wanted to surprise her with a beautiful necklace I'd been eyeing for weeks. Buying it wiped out my personal savings, but I didn't care it was worth it.
I walked into the jewelry store, headed straight for the necklace, picked it up, and paid for it without hesitation.
When I arrived at our shared apartment, the first thing I noticed was a sleek sports car parked out front. That was odd no one in our complex owned a car, let alone a sports car. "Maybe it's a visitor," I thought, brushing off the unease growing inside me.
But then I noticed something else: the front door was already unlocked.
"Alice isn't supposed to be home yet… so who is?" I whispered to no one in particular.
Cautiously, I pushed the door open. And what I saw shattered me.
There she was, Alice. Pressed against the wall, locked in a passionate kiss with a man I had never seen before. They were so consumed by each other, they didn't even notice me standing there.
The bag with the necklace slipped from my hands and hit the floor with a soft thud. Hot tears welled up and streamed down my face. I know what you're thinking how could a grown man cry over a woman? But imagine the one thing keeping you alive suddenly ripped away. Wouldn't you cry too?
I ran. I ran like hell.
Past people. Past buildings. I didn't stop. I couldn't. I wanted to outrun the image burned into my memory. My lungs screamed for air, my heart pounded in my ears, my legs throbbed with pain but I kept going. Hours passed before I finally collapsed from sheer exhaustion, bent over and gasping for breath. I didn't even know why I ran. Maybe I was trying to deny what had just happened.
It was already night when I realized I was deep in a part of town I didn't recognize the slums.
Leaning against a wall, thoughts of suicide crept into my mind. That's when I heard movement.
Down the alley, a group of homeless people stared at me. Their expressions were wary, like I was intruding on their space. Then, suddenly, the screech of tires broke the silence.
A black SUV skidded to a stop, blocking the only exit from the alley. The back doors burst open. Men in black uniforms and visors that masked their faces poured out, brandishing guns. The one in front barked, "Keep quiet and nobody gets hurt!"
I heard a few of the homeless murmur in fear, "It's them again…"
Panic surged through me. From heartbreak to kidnapping things were spiraling fast.
The men moved with military precision. Ex-soldiers, maybe. When they got close, they began knocking people out. One man tried to scream for help he was shot dead on the spot. His body hit the ground before his cry even finished. That's when I knew this was no ordinary kidnapping.
When they reached me, I didn't resist. After seeing someone get gunned down like that, I understood resistance was futile. A blow to the head sent me into darkness.
I awoke with a start, half-expecting to find myself back in bed with Alice in my arms. But reality struck like a freight train.
I had been kidnapped.
I looked around. The room was blindingly white. A single bed sat in one corner, a CCTV camera in another. That was it. No windows, no furniture nothing. I looked down and saw I was no longer in my work clothes. Instead, I wore a sterile hospital robe.
The truth hit me then, heavy and undeniable.
This wasn't a dream. This was real.