~One person's craziness is another
person's reality.
-Tim Burton.

My eyes flew open, scanning the room as I found myself drenched in sweat and panting heavily. The words of my parents kept replaying in my head, and all I could do was scream and tightly hug myself to calm down. I sat up slowly, wiping my damp and sweaty forehead and neck.

I took it upon myself to walk through the dimly lit room to the kitchen in order to get a glass of water. I held onto the wall for support as I stumbled. I hit the countertop hard. Take deep breaths. That's all I needed to get through this.

I filled the cup with water and drank it all at once. The nightmare gave me panic attacks, something to which I've become accustomed. Keeping them under control was extremely difficult because I couldn't bring myself to go back to sleep, fully aware that they would return as soon as I closed my eyes.

I stripped off my clothes, heaving a sigh. The water fell onto my skin, relieving tension. The warm droplets formed steam as I stood there motionless.

There was an eerie feeling that settled over me as I sat comfortably on the couch. I couldn't help but keep glancing back into the kitchen, as if someone was watching me from the dark corner. I could feel someone's gaze burning holes in the back of my neck, but perhaps I was misbehaving once again.

After several minutes of contemplating whether it was nothing, I went to the kitchen to make a cup of tea just to keep myself going. The kettle whistled loudly as I groaned, searching for a mug in the dimly lit kitchen. I sighed, feeling too lazy to go into the dark corner to turn on the light, or perhaps too scared that something or someone might be waiting for me there.

The dark presence of a man caught my eye in the dimly lit room. I took a step backward, accidentally hitting my feet on one of the open kitchen cabinets. I winced a bit before quickly turning my head back to the corner.

I know that I'm not being paranoid about what I just saw because I could smell a hint of men's cologne in the air.

The shadow moved again, and it took all the courage I had to speak, despite the uncontrollable shaking within me. "Who's there?" As I spoke, I felt a momentary wave of nausea and reassured myself that nothing was going to happen, even as my heart raced.

Imagine being alone, but in reality, you are not truly alone. There will always be someone watching you from the shadows, observing your every move.

The sound of footsteps coming from the room startled me, causing me to freeze. Not once did I ever think that I would get robbed or, even worse, kidnapped. The footsteps could no longer be heard, but I remained frozen in place. If I tried anything, who knew what might happen? If I hadn't thought quickly, I might have been beaten or, even worse, killed.

"Don't think about it now, love." "There's nothing you can do." The voice spoke, freezing me in my tracks. I looked around and my eyes landed on the nearest weapon, which happened to be a frying pan.

My eyes averted to the window as a deep masculine chuckle emanated from the man concealed in the shadows. Soon, the lights were on. I blinked a few times before I saw who it was. Confused about his identity, I tilted my head to the side, carefully observing his appearance from head to toe.

He wasn't a male model, but he looked like he could be one. He had dark charcoal hair. He groomed it so carefully that it had a rippling quality, which was a sign of his good health. He furrowed his eyebrows, looking at me in frustration.

The aquiline nose he sported complemented his prominent cheekbones, which appeared to have been chiseled into shape by a master craftsman. They had such sharp profiles, sculpted and perfected to perfection. His eyes, those captivating eyes, shone so brilliantly, like the evening stars, that they resembled two pools of flickering fire, with a liquid-blue hue.

He looked too good to be true and didn't seem like a killer or a thief. He seemed to be more high-profile, but why would someone like him break into others' apartments and hide in corners like a maniac?

I wonder if he's in the right apartment because I'm sure I've never met this guy in my entire life.

"So when you find yourself lost in your thoughts, I need to express the purpose of my visit," I acknowledged that I had been preoccupied with my own thoughts, but I couldn't help but wonder why this man had something to say to me.

"Are you sure you are in the correct apartment?" "Because I don't see what you are going to gain by breaking in here," I blurted out.

He took small steps towards me. My breathing grew heavier with each step he took. I clutched the frying pan tightly, fearing that it would slip from my sweaty palms at any moment. "Laura," his voice came out barely as a whisper, and I had to stop myself from freaking out. How did he know my name? I thought he was in the wrong apartment.

I am sweating, feeling nauseous, and as if someone has poured a bucket of cold water on my chest. I felt everything at once, spilling down my abdomen and through my arms and legs. My chest felt as if someone had forcefully plunged their enormous hand into it, tightly gripping it with the intention to end my life.

"Help me!" I let out a silent yell, clutching my chest and dropping the frying pan in the process. In big strides, he walked over to me, but everything went downhill. My breathing became even heavier, and the pain was more intense than the abuse I had endured.

The headaches that I am experiencing are more painful than what I have experienced before. I watched him take out his phone, shouting profanities and pacing around the room.

I couldn't make out what he was saying. Everything became quiet and a loud siren rang out in my ears. I barely had time to compose myself for the fall. I whimpered, and my legs collapsed underneath me. The voices got louder and I felt like I was dying.

I looked up the last time, staring directly at his face before black spots covered my vision.

"You need to be more careful about how you talk to her or even approach her. "This could've been worse, Vincent," a faint voice said, and soon there was a heavy sigh, followed by another voice. "I didn't even touch her. She just started freaking out when I called her name," the other voice said, but sounded angry.

"It's been two hours. Why isn't she awake? Is she somewhat dead? " He asked, and I became more irritated upon hearing his voice. I flicked open my eyes, which took me about a minute. I addressed my surroundings. I was in the living room with three pairs of eyes staring at me.

"You!" I pointed at the person who made my panic attack get out of control, something that could've possibly caused my death. With a quick note to the man in the overalls and the blue suit, they left, but not before the man in the overalls looked at me with sadness. He whispered something in that person's ears, then left. His expression changed to something softer and gentler, causing his entire demeanor to transform.

"Get out of my apartment!" I groggily said, upholding the side of my head, almost falling back down on the couch because of the dizziness that swirled inside my head. I saw him walking towards me, but I immediately stopped him. I had had enough of the presence of this crazy man. "I said I wanted you out of my apartment, you scoundrel!" I said through gritted teeth.

"And I'm not leaving until I say what I have to say to you, little Laura," he said, keeping his frustration in check, inwardly seething with anger as he looked at her. He wasn't going to leave. I knew he wasn't. As we stared at each other, I sighed and got up from the couch. I walked straight to the kitchen to pour myself a cup of water. When I returned, he was still standing in his spot but in a different posture.

"Go on, what do you want that caused you to break into my apartment instead of being considerate and simply knocking on the front door?" I crossed my legs and sipped my water, observing him as he returned my gaze, displaying the faintest hint of emotion.

"You are coming home with me." I stared at him in bewilderment, almost choking on the water. I've come to the conclusion that he was definitely crazy. I knew I was in shock at what he said, but I could feel the anger pulsing through my veins. How dare he say those things out of his filthy mouth?

"Stare or don't, you don't have a choice or a say in this matter." He had a way of not mincing his words. His arms were folded across his chest. For a man whose demeanor changed every second, he was rude, and I hated it. "No!" "Were the words that left my mouth without hesitation."

"You have the wrong person, to begin with, and I'm absolutely certain that you are in the wrong apartment." I knew this wasn't the right time to say that. I wanted him to just leave. He was here for me. That's a fact. He said my name more than three times and looked at me as if he had known me his entire life, which gave me chills.

"I said you had no choice in this, and there was no way of getting out." "You're coming home with me." Home? Is he going crazy?

"I am home!" I snapped my fingers, beads of sweat rolling down my temples as I concentrated. He was crazy. Now that I look at it, he seems to be a complete psychopath.

"Yes, you are, and that's enough!" This is not your home. You are coming home with me to where you once had a home a long time ago, or there will be severe consequences. "I'll do things to you that you'll never imagine." His voice came out uproarious, so deafening that I could barely concentrate on what he was saying. He became a remarkable person at a crucial moment. His eyes had distorted into miserable darkness.

"So you debilitate me in my own apartment. Who do you think you are-" I was cut short by him hindering me and I couldn't stop the anger that ran through my pulse. " It's like my face doesn't look recognizable to you as to everyone who does in the whole world. Maybe my title will ring a chime" He stalked towards me and I sucked deeper into the couch, asking if it would just suck me in.

"My name is Vincent Johnson. Nice to meet you Laura Smith" My body didn't know how to react, it just closed down. Solidified to a point where I was barely breathing, he was Vincent Johnson. My entire body abruptly froze in an unexpected stillness. I felt the muscles of my heart tighten with unimaginable intensity. "So you are that man who has been denounced for being a murderer and, to be exact, a cold-hearted monster,"

I said reviewing on what Tina told me around what she perused in the headlines, this was a man of power a man Tina who was more curious in than me even in case the rumors of him were genuine or not she'd still take him as a good individual, and to think about all of this where is Tina?

A smirk made its way to his lips. He circled around me but ceased once he was back before me.

"It surprises me that you aren't foolish enough to believe that I'm actually a murderer or to believe any kind of rumors that the media spreads." His pomposity is unmatched by any other person that I have seen. That cocky bastard.

"Too bad for you bu-" So typically, this is the moment when I wanted to snap how dare he cut me off. I scowled and looked to see him grinning.

"Sorry about what now? Listen here little girl," I gritted my teeth and fought back the urge to punch him in that pretty boy's face. "You're wasting my time, and it's evident that you haven't listened to what I said earlier. You have no choice now. Let's go." He is bossy without even thinking about it. His dominant nature leads him to expect everything and everyone to comply with his every command.

"Wait a damn minute, are you out of your fucking mind."

He stopped, and his face grew darker. "Please speak to me with respect, as I am not one of your casual friends whom you talk to every day. I mentioned that the car is waiting outside, so let's leave now." His mood and voice were both rising, and I took that as a challenge. I grinned at him.

"The car is outside waiting." I mocked, crossing my arms over my chest, overlooking the fear that I once had in me, "Listen to your given information. "I'm not going anywhere with you, Mr. Johnson. You can see your way out the door if you don't mind."

"Your parents advertised a great bargain on you, and I'm not letting my money go to squander, so shut up your pretty little mouth and let's go."

I rubbed my temples but the migraine persisted and I groaned, recollecting the words he said just a minute ago. 'My parents, my parents... the words reverberated inside my ears when I let myself into the haziness once more.

"I told you not to say anything or do anything to get her in this state. How reckless can you be? " I opened my eyes to see the same man as I did a number of minutes ago. That arrogant person. The anger immediately returned to me, and I clenched my fists.

"Are you awake?" The middle-aged man inquired who appeared to be an empathetic doctor, or one would say ideal, but I didn't give an answer. My mouth was so bone dry that I couldn't bring myself to say anything.

"Doc, can you please step out for a moment? I need a word with little Laura here, "the doctor nodded and cleared out, pressing my hand gently and giving me a consoling smile, but I quickly dragged my hand back, making his face fall into a sad one. I just didn't like the feeling at all of a man touching me.

"I won't drag you here, but I guarantee you this." He took big strides towards me, leaning down to my level. I took a deep breath, his cologne filling my nostrils. The aroma of his minty fresh breath made my toes curl. "I will come back to what is mine, and that is you." The way he said it made my body shudder. I had to look ahead of me and not into his captivating eyes. Perplexed that I wouldn't seize at his sight, he walked away as if he had forgotten to mention something.

"This won't be easy for you, love," and with that, his footsteps faded, followed by others. Then there was the opening and closing of the front door.