Into the Night

“Lights.”

Blinding whiteness flared to life.

“Camera.”

Red dots flitted in and out of view.

“Smile, princess.”

Lucas placed the finishing touches, controllers in hand. Mia kept her head low, her stomach twisting into knots. Beside her on the couch, Keith sat with a calm countenance veiling an air of unrest.

“K-Keith,” she called, voice quiet and quivering. “W-We shouldn't do this… This isn’t r-right.”

His jaw tightened. “I can’t defy him, Mia. I’m contracted to him—legally, professionally. I owe him too much.” He gave her a self-deprecating smile. “Before Lucas found me, I had nothing. I was just a waiter, barely scraping by—no direction, no real chance in life. Whether I like it or not, I’m indebted to him. He has given me opportunities I never could have imagined.”

“S-Still, that doesn't m-mean you should do e-everything he says,” she tried to reason.

He took a deep breath. “I’m not trying to justify it. I don’t like what this is, either.” His gaze locked on hers. “But I can’t just walk away. If I do, I… I'd lose everything I’ve worked for, everything important to me. There's more at risk than my career. Listen, Mia… Lucas hates it when others refuse him. He'll stop at nothing to get what he wants.”

Her heart ached, torn between fear and frustration. “B-But can’t we figure s-something out? There m-must be a way.”

“I get it. Really, I do.” He leaned towards her, lowering his voice. “I can see how much you care about Wes, how wrong this feels. I don’t want to take that from you, but… Let me make it at least easier.”

“W-What…? What are you…?”

“If we have to do this, let me be the one to carry it with you. ” He drew closer, and she backed away, her throat constricting. “You can act like we're…lovers. Just for this shoot, just for the camera, just for Lucas. I can make it more bearable, less like a trap for you.”

“N-No. I don't want t-that… I can't…”

Keith’s voice dropped even lower, almost pleading. “If we act, it keeps you safe from Lucas for now. It gives you time to think of how to get out of this. I can make it feel safe for you while still doing what I have to do. I promise you, Mia. I won’t cross lines. It’s just this one thing, and then it ends.” He held her face, searching for any sign of understanding.

Mia whimpered and quickly pulled out of his reach, her mind flashing to Wes—his smile, his touch, his hugs and kisses, the soft warmth she couldn’t let go of. The thought of pretending to be with someone else, even for a moment, caused her so much anguish she found it hard to breathe.

She shook her head, crying all over again. “I-I can’t… I-If it's not h-him…”

For a moment, Keith stared in despondent silence. 

Her tears streamed down her cheeks, her shoulders hunched and trembling. The room was once again filled with despairing sobs. He opened his mouth to speak, hesitant, before slumping and letting out a sigh.

“I thought,” he began again, “I thought maybe I could help you. I thought I could be him even for just one day. But I see now… I can’t, not if it hurts you like this.”

For the first time since Lucas had forced her here, she felt hope and relief.

She wiped away the tears, recollecting her bearings. Seeing this, he nodded, expression hardening with newfound resolve. He glanced around, then peered at the door.

“Come on,” he whispered, “We don’t have much time. Lucas won't wait forever.”

She froze. “W-What are we going to do?”

He took her hand, firm but gentle. “I can’t stop him from coming after you if you run, but I can get you out of here before the shoot starts.”

Her heart raced. “B-But if he finds out…”

“I know.” He frowned, worried. “But we can deal with the consequences later.”

---

Mia ran as fast as she could.

The moment she burst out of the room, she hurtled forward. Her breath came in frantic pants as her feet carried her through the hall, legs unsteady, chest burning. Despite how petrified and exhausted she felt, she forced herself onward.

‘This chance Keith gave me… I can't waste it.’

Keith had left to distract Lucas, pretending to suggest that Mia should also wear something appropriate for the event. An opening came along with it in the form of an unlocked door. All she had to do was muster the courage and strength to run out of there.

‘I don't know where this is, but… If I can just find the exit…’

Windows soon appeared, revealing faint nightlights glowing under the starry night sky. Then, she noticed something else. Beyond the unfamiliar streets were distant silhouettes of commercial buildings.

‘Thank goodness I'm still in the city,’ she thought, glad to see it wasn't too far or secluded. ‘For now, get to the door on the ground floor. Ah, but the main entrance might be locked or guarded…. If so, maybe an open window on the second floor will do.’

Time blurred as she ran. No one followed her. It seemed like a good thing at first, but the silence felt wrong—a quiet that made her skin prickle, as though she were being watched rather than chased.

“There!” she gasped as she reached the second floor, where a window was left open, then she rushed towards it and leaned forward, checking how high up she was. "T-This is... No, it's okay. I-I can manage-"

“Going somewhere, princess?”

Mia felt her blood run cold.

Suddenly, Lucas was standing behind her. Before she could react, he grabbed her shoulders and slammed her against the wall beside the window. Shock and pain jolted through her already worn body. As she struggled to keep upright, he pressed harder, cornering her further.

For all her life, she’d endured every conceivable suffering, but this moment—it’s unlike any.

“So, you really thought you could escape,” he said coldly, darkly. “I’ve been watching you the entire time. From the moment he showed you to the world, I have. Not once you weren’t under my control.”

“No!” she screamed, helpless panic surging through her and squeezing her eyes shut. "L-Let go!”

“Silence!” he growled, patience wearing thin. “You are not going back! You will stay and do as I say!”

A sharp crack echoed through the hall.

Lucas staggered sideward with a startled cry, his grip loosening. Her eyes flew open, and she dropped to the floor. She saw movements whirl past her, then the back of a figure.

Wes.

Her heart leaped to her throat, her eyes watering with tears once more. She wasn't imagining it; he really was here. He came for her, but in a way she never would have expected from him.

Searing, red-hot anger emanated from his whole being.

Within seconds, he lunged forward and struck Lucas across the face, sending him crashing to the ground. The attack was swift, decisive—merciless. Still unfinished, Wes went for another hit, then again, and again, and again.

“Young Master!” A man in uniform, whom Mia recognized as Wes’s driver, stepped in between. “Enough, sir. He's unconscious.”

Wes stood still, chest heaving, fists clenched, fury still raging through him.

She’d never seen this side of him before—feral, uncontrolled. It’s like the time he found her with Keith, only worse. His ferocity frightened her for a second, but then, he looked at her.

And she found every other emotion that brought it forth—worry, relief, joy, deep love.

Finally, she closed the distance and wrapped her arms around him. She was still shaking, but she held on, tighter than she ever had. He embraced her back and placed a gentle hand on her head.

His grip around her was desperate and protective, as if afraid that letting go would mean losing her again.

“Mia,” he whispered, almost out of breath. “I’m here now. I'm sorry for making you wait."

She buried her face against his chest. He nuzzled his nose into her hair. And for a moment, neither spoke—just breathing, unwinding, reassuring themselves that this was real.

“T-Thank you...for c-coming for me,” she murmured, and his hold tightened in response.

Through the open window, voices and footsteps drifted in along with the evening breeze; the police had arrived. But they continued clinging to each other, their surroundings forgotten. Every breath they shared grounded them, a much sought-after calm amid all the chaos.

Mia, now safe and sound, let herself be lulled into a comforting slumber in her beloved’s arms.