May, 2024 [Somewhere in New York]

Laura Lewis (Present Day)

"Just give up, you can't do anything now."

I gazed with my sleepy, tired eyes from the ground to his face. He was 180 cm tall. I had to raise my head above, as he had tied me up in the chair.

"Accept your fate"

He walked in a distance and then turned around. He pointed his gun toward me while loading his gun.

I couldn't hold much longer, I had to close my eyes and tears were starting to fall. After a very long time, I was frightened by someone, by him. How could anyone be so cruel?

"Three"

His husky voice began to count. Still aiming his gun toward me. I started to sweat in fear. Death was so close to me.

"Two"

Tears started to fall heavily. I was about to die. I had always thought that I had time for everything, I just had to focus on my career. But now at the age of 25, I have no time left. This mess is created because of my career, screw career. Things were falling apart from my hand. He is right, I can't do anything now. I have to accept my fate and that is to die. I took a deep breath. A thirst was lingering in my throat. I could feel my mouth dusty.

"One"

When he uttered that word. I instantly opened my eyes and yelled.

"Wait" I sighed, releasing that last breath out.

He grinned while slowly moving his hand down. He puts his gun, behind his back. He walked, coming closer.

"Can we negotiate?"

I begged.

"Why do you think, we can? As far as I know, you are in no position to negotiate." He frowned.

He squatted right in front of me. His brownish hair was lingering on his face.

"I am about to die. I have every right to negotiate now."

I pleaded desperately. I want to live. I am a survivor, my whole life I have been surviving, and in this situation for surviving I can do anything.

"But, I am in no mood to negotiate. You know I am too tired, first dealing with that idiot patient of mine, and then you. I gave him a chance to go back to his loved ones but you poked your fluffy nose in my business that you shouldn't have done. You recorded everything that happened in that room. You think you're smart but you are not. You shouldn't have used your brain in this case."

He scoffs while complaining.

"There must be something that you want."

I glanced at him, wanting him to give me a chance.

"In this world, everyone wants something that they can't get. Tell me about it, we can negotiate it."

I sighed.

"Can't you understand, we cannot negotiate. You don't have a choice, neither do I."

He speaks coldly. He stares into my eyes without breaking any contact.

"I want to live, please."

He was not saying anything except staring at me. A few minutes passed, but still nothing.

"Hey"

"Hey"

"Hey"

I called him a few times but still, he was zoned out. Though my hands and legs were tied up from the chair, he was close to the chair so I tried to kick him with my left leg but I couldn't reach it.

"Hello, earth to the murderer"

I screamed.

"What did you call me?"

He stunned.

"Welcome back"

I smiled awkwardly.

"We can negotiate."

He stood up. I glanced at him.

"Are you saying that I can still live?"

"Might be"

He frowns.

"What do you want in return?"

I asked furiously.

"Marry me"

"What?"

"Do you have a problem with listening? I said, Marry me."

"No" I yelled.

"I didn't ask a question, I gave you an answer."

"I had rather die than marry a murderer." I clench my fist.

"As you say"

He took a few steps backward, looking at me. He took his gun out from his back and started loading it.

"Can't we find another way?" I started to panic.

He aimed his gun at me.

I was startled.

"I promise, I won't say anything to anyone, about what I saw today. Even if you take my phone permanently, I won't mind. But please let me live."

He was still aiming his gun at me.

"I can sign a confidentiality contract. Just let me live."

I panicked watching him not backing out. My tears started to fall again. I cried loudly.

"Don't kill me." Pleading with every bit of ounce that is left on my body.

I closed my eyes for a few seconds. I was so startled that I could hear my heartbeat beating loudly. My time was up. At that moment, I was only thinking about my parents. Although I am only left with their memories, still I have no choice left. If I have to live, I have to say this.

"Fine, I'll marry you."

I finally said it but still, I heard a gunshot firing. I screamed with all my energy. I thought I died. But still, I could listen to my heartbeat. I opened my eyes and saw him standing in front of me, holding his gun but he aimed slightly to the right on the fence. I sighed in relief.

"Are you trying to scare me to the death? Why did you fire? For a moment, I thought I died."

I shouted.

He puts his gun on his back.

"Do we have a deal now?"

He asked while coming forward.

"We have, but first let me talk to my family about this."

"Nice try, but no." He grinned slightly.

I thought he would let me talk to my family and I'd be able to get help from them. But this moron is smart.

"By the way, I thought you didn't have a family."

He took a chair from the right and placed it right opposite me. He sat down while facing me. He was sitting a few inches away from me.

"Who said that? I do have a family."

"Aren't you an orphan?" He asked carelessly.

"Who said? I am not an orphan." I snapped back at him.

"Yeah, you are not an orphan. You still have your step-parents.

He sighed ignoring the eye contact.

"Wait for a second, how did you know that I have step-parents?"

I asked curiously.

"What do you think I was doing when you were trying to save him?"

He uttered while looking at the back, the man who was laying on the stretcher with a monitor machine.

"Did you check on my background?"

I inquired.

"You know that is an invasion of privacy."

"Stop whining"

He spoke abruptly.

"We are going to married tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" I gasped in surprise.

"But, I haven't even notified my family about getting married."

"I said, you can't, and besides you have step-parents. Do they care about you? I don't think so. And which family are you talking about? Let me tell you something, You have been here for a whole day and they haven't even noticed yet. Even If you go missing for a year, they wouldn't care much about you."

He snapped carelessly.

"They haven't noticed yet because of my profession. I am a doctor and I always had to stay at the hospital."

"Are you a doctor? Because last time I checked, you were still a learner. Also, you can say whatever that pleases you to sleep at night."

He frowns while taking out his cigarette and lighting it up.

"At least let me talk to my boyfriend."

I begged.

"You have a boyfriend?"

He asked shockingly while raising his eyebrows.

"Didn't your information source mention about my boyfriend?"

"Well, it says that you had a boyfriend last year. But currently, you are single."

He uttered while picking up the paper from the table and reading it.

The words he declared were true. My boyfriend, Tony Jason, left last year to study in Las Vegas. He promised that he would be back in half a year but he didn't come back and neither did he receive my call or reply to my messages. We didn't officially break up because when he went there, we used to talk over the phone but after some time I couldn't reach him like he changed his phone number. I am still waiting for him because I know he will come back soon. My sixth sense tells me to keep hope.

"He is still my boyfriend and I need to talk with him."

"Sorry sweetheart, but you can't because my information source says you don't have a boyfriend, so you don't have one."

He scoffs while blowing the smoke out of his mouth, right to my face.

"Let me ask you something."

He slides one of his fingers to the edge of his right head.

"You are a doctor and you know how to fight as I saw you fought earlier with my people and their bruises can tell me that you are a good fighter, then why did you perform the surgery on that man? You could have just fought at that time when my people were forcing you to operate him."

"If I gave you the answer would you also let me ask you something?"

He nods his head saying "Yes".

"I am a doctor, I took an oath to save the people. Then how could I let him die in front of me? Though I don't know why you have held him captive here and I also don't know how he got that bullet wound but at that time he was helpless and I could save him, so I did what I had to do."

I sighed.

"I saved him but unfortunately he had to die and you guys killed him. I don't understand, If you wanted him to die then why did you tell me to save him? How can you be so cruel? How can you take someone's life right after he was saved? You guys are such heartless people. It's like snatching something precious that you returned earlier to someone."

One teardrop fell from my eyes. I was gazing at him asking the questions that I knew he would never answer me. He doesn't even deserve anything. He and his people, all, killed him in a blink of an eye.

"He deserves that death. He did something wrong that he shouldn't have done."

He yelled.

"Same as you did, recording it when I killed him. If you hadn't done that then you could have gone home peacefully but you see now, you are here tied up with a chair, and most importantly, you have to marry this murderer to save your life.

He pointed at himself while uttering.

"Oh, please! I know, you never planned to let me go. It was obvious, you would have killed me right after I saved his life."

"I just wanna ask, Why me? As you said, I am still learning."

I asked crying out loud.

"I don't want to get married and neither I want to die. I just want to go home. I promise I won't tell anyone about the man you killed. Even I won't mention that I came here to treat someone. I want my life back, please help me. Let me! just go, I swear I will never come in front of you. And the most important thing is that you don't love me, you don't have to marry me. Why are you wasting your life marrying me?"

I sobbed, begging him.

He stood up from the chair and came close to me. He untied me. He grabbed one of my hands forcefully and dragged me outside. He took me to his car opened the door and threw me inside plunging. I cried a lot, begging him to help me and not marry me but he never listened to me.

To be continued.....

Hey everyone,

Hope you guys are going to read my new story. I sincerely hope that my new story will be likable to all of you. Do vote for it and let me know if there are any grammatical errors. Hope you will enjoy it and be patient, it will be more enjoyable in the next chapter.

Muskan9691