The doctor gave Petal some medicine, and soon she drifted back to sleep.

Maya sat beside her, gently stroking her head, her gaze full of worry.

"Mr. William, may I have a word with you?" the doctor asked softly, glancing between the two of them.

Maya and William exchanged a concerned look, unsure of what the doctor might need to discuss.

"Of course," William replied, standing up. "Please," he added, motioning for the doctor to step outside for a private conversation.

...

Once they were outside, the doctor sighed, looking at William with a serious expression. "Mr. William, I believe the psychiatrist has already advised you, but I must emphasize this-you really need to talk to Petal about her nightmares. She's starting to piece together the memories of the man she keeps seeing in her dreams. The triggers she's experiencing are bringing back fragments of her past. It won't be long before she remembers everything. But if she recovers those memories on her own, without any preparation, it could be dangerous."

William felt his stomach tighten. "Dangerous? What exactly do you mean by that?" he asked, his voice trembling.

The doctor exhaled heavily, clearly choosing his words carefully. "Her mental state is fragile, Mr. William. The trauma she endured... it's extensive. If those memories resurface too suddenly, without the proper emotional support, it could overwhelm her. She's vulnerable right now, and if she relives that pain unexpectedly, she could spiral. That's why it's crucial for you to prepare her. You need to confront this with her before it gets worse."

William swallowed hard, dread pooling in his chest. "But... how do I tell her? How can I explain something so horrifying? I can't even think about it without..." His voice cracked, and he paused, trying to hold back the flood of emotions. "Without breaking down myself."

"I understand how difficult this is for you," the doctor said gently. "But for her sake, you have to find the strength to do it. She needs to hear from you that you'll be there for her, especially when she confronts the man from her nightmares. She needs that reassurance. If she faces this alone, the consequences could be catastrophic."

William shook his head, anguish visible in his eyes. "But how can I look her in the eyes and tell her about the horrors he put her through? How do I shatter her like that? I don't think I can bear it."

The doctor placed a comforting hand on William's shoulder. "You won't be breaking her, William. You'll be saving her. By not telling her, you risk far worse. She needs to be prepared, to understand what's happening to her. This isn't a chance we can afford to take."

William's heart raced as fear and guilt twisted inside him. "I just... I don't know if I'm strong enough. What if she blames me? What if she hates me for not protecting her from him sooner? What if-"

"You did everything you could back then," the doctor interrupted softly but firmly. "But now, your role is different. Now, you have to protect her from reliving that pain on her own. Believe me, it's far better for her to hear the truth from you, someone she trusts, than to have those memories crash over her like a tidal wave. She needs to know she's not alone in this. You're the one who can give her that strength."

William stared off into the distance, his thoughts spiraling. How could he possibly find the words? How could he explain to Petal the nightmare she was unknowingly reliving? He felt utterly lost, terrified of what might happen once those buried memories fully resurfaced. The weight of it all threatened to crush him.

"Take your time," the doctor said, his voice steady and calm. "But don't wait too long. The longer you delay, the more dangerous it becomes for her. You're her anchor in this storm, William. She needs you now more than ever."

.......

She was sweating, her eyes squeezed shut. Her heartbeat raced, thudding against her chest. Another nightmare gripped her-a fragment of her forgotten memories, each one as terrifying as the next. It wasn't just a nightmare, though-it was the shadow of a memory, one that felt all too real.

She found herself sitting in front of a mirror, dressed in white-a wedding dress, though her heart sank with dread. Fear clawed at her insides. Her pulse pounded in her ears, and her thoughts were a jumbled mess, unable to process what was happening.



She wore no makeup, not that she needed any. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with terror. Her hair was left loose, cascading over her shoulders-not because she wanted it that way, but because he liked it. She thought, if she did what he liked, maybe he'd listen to her. Maybe, just maybe, he'd change his mind and not force her into this marriage.

The door creaked open, and she saw him through the mirror. He was dressed in a black suit, looking every bit the part of a groom. His eyes found hers in the reflection, and a smile tugged at his lips. He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. She quickly lowered her gaze, her heart sinking further.

He approached her, bending down to whisper in her ear, his hand resting on her shoulder. "You look perfect, as always," he murmured.

She glanced up at him through the mirror, her expression blank, before she lowered her head again with a sigh.

Her hands fidgeted with the fabric of her dress as her thoughts raced. She was desperate to speak, to tell him to stop, but her fear kept her silent. How could she tell him without angering him? But deep down, she knew there was no way. It was impossible.

He pulled out a small box from his pocket, opening it to reveal a necklace. "I was going to give this to you after the wedding, but I couldn't wait," he said, his tone soft yet possessive.



He moved to place the necklace around her neck, but she quickly stepped away, her breath catching in her throat. She looked at him, her face a mixture of fear and determination, wanting so desperately to speak but terrified of the consequences.

"What's wrong, Petal?" he asked, his voice calm but laced with suspicion.

"I... I can't do this," she stammered, a single tear escaping her eye.

"Petal," he started to say, but she cut him off, her voice trembling.

"Please... don't force me. Please..." Her voice cracked with fear.

His grip on the necklace tightened, his knuckles turning white. His face darkened as his patience ran thin. "We've already talked about this," he said, his tone growing colder. "You agreed." He started to say more, but she interrupted again.

"I can't, Chase," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "If Dad finds out... he'll..."

"Dad, Dad, Dad!" Chase suddenly shouted, his anger erupting as he grabbed a nearby vase and hurled it to the ground, shattering it into pieces. The loud crash made her jump, terror surging through her. "How many times do I have to tell you?" he roared.

She flinched, her body trembling as her heartbeat quickened. He stepped closer, and instinctively, she backed away, only to find herself trapped against the wall. Chase slammed his fist against the wall beside her head, leaning in so close that she could feel his breath on her skin. She turned her face away, desperate to avoid his eyes.

"You love me, don't you?" he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.

She swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest. The words she wanted to say sat heavy on her tongue-*No, I don't. I only agreed because of your madness.* But she couldn't say it. She was too afraid.

"I asked you a question," he said, his voice rising again as he leaned in closer.

"Yes," she whispered, her eyes shut tight as she clutched her dress. "Yes, I do."

"Then why?" he shouted, his anger boiling over.

"I... I don't know," Petal sobbed, her body shaking as tears streamed down her face. She lowered her head, ashamed of the lie she was telling, knowing full well why she couldn't marry him.

Chase slammed his hand against the wall again, inches from her ear, the sound making her flinch.

He sat down on the bed, his face twisted in anger, his eyes bloodshot from rage. Petal stood there, crying silently against the wall. After a moment, she gathered the courage to step forward. She approached him slowly, kneeling in front of him, her hands trembling.

"Please," she whispered, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes. "I'll do anything you say... anything. But I can't marry you. Not like this."

Chase stared at her, his expression unreadable. "Why not?" he asked, his voice cold and harsh. "Just because I'm a criminal?"

"N-No, it's not that..." she began, but he cut her off again.

"So what if I am?" he snapped. "You were the one who agreed that the one I killed deserved it. You said it yourself!"

She shook her head, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks.

"And I promised you I would stop," Chase continued, his voice softer but still full of anger. "I told you I'd give up everything for you. So why can't you do this? Why can't you marry me?"

Petal swallowed hard, her voice barely a whisper. "I can't... not this soon, Chase. I'm not even 18."

"I don't care," Chase said, his anger returning full force. He grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet. "We agreed to get married, and we will get married," he said, his grip tightening painfully.

"Chase, please..." Petal pleaded, her voice breaking, but he wasn't listening.

He began dragging her toward the door, his grip unrelenting, while all Petal could do was beg him to stop, her voice small and desperate.

.......

Tears fell from her eyes as she clutched the blanket tightly, her heart racing uncontrollably. Every inch of her body trembled, and her breath came in short, shallow gasps .

......

The church doors slammed shut behind
them with a deafening bang, the sound
reverberating off the high walls. Petal
stumbled as Chase dragged her down
the aisle, his grip on her arm unyielding,
bruising. Her heart pounded so loudly
she could hardly hear anything else.
"Chase, stop, please,' she begged, her
voice barely more than a whisper,
drowned out by the chaos swirling
inside her.

But Chase's eyes were fixed forward,
cold and devoid of mercy. The gun in his
hand gleamed under the flickering
candlelight as he shoved her to the front
of the altar, his breathing quick and
uneven with maddening determination.

The priest, already at the altar, froze in
terror as Chase raised the qun and
pointed it directly at him. "You're going
to marry us. Right now."

"I can't to do this," the
priest stammered.

Chase cocked the gun witha chilling
click, leveling it at the priest's forehead.
"Do you want to die here? Because
that's exactly what's going to happen if
you don't marry us."

The priest swallowed hard, his trembling
hands fumbling through the pages of his
Bible as he tried to keep his composure.
He knew there was no reasoning with
the madman in front of him.

"Chase, you don't have to do this,"
Petal's voice cracked, stepping toward
him, desperation in every word. "We can
leave, we can-"

BANG!

The shot ricocheted off the stone wall,
shattering a crucifix behind them. Petal
screamed, covering her mouth in shock.
Her body shook with uncontrollable fear
as Chase's crazed eyes turned toward
her.

"Shut up!" he snarled, the gun still
smoking in his hand. "You think I'm
playing with you? You think you can get
out of this? You're marrying me, Petal.
Here. Now."

Tears streamed down her cheeks, her
chest heaving as panic took over. She
stepped back, her voice trembling as
she tried to reason with him. "Chase,
please... this isn't love! You don't have
to force me-'ll marry you, I swear, just
not like this!"

He fired again, this time obliterating a
vase near the altar, the shards of glass
Scattering across the stone floor. The
Sound was deafening in the silence of
the church. The priest flinched violently,
his lips muttering incoherent prayers
under his breath.

"You think I care about your promises,
Petal?" Chase's voice dropped to a
deadly whisper as he closed the
distance between them, grabbing her by
the shoulders, shaking her with force.

"You're lying. You've always lied. But you
can't run from me. Not anymore."he said

She sobbed, shaking her head as she
sank to her knees, clutching at his coat.
"Chase, I'Il marry you. I'll do whatever
you want-just not like this, please. Let
the priest go. Just please.."

He fired another shot, this time into the
pews behind them. The splintering wood
echoed in the vast room, and the priest
cowered, barely holding on to the book
as his shaking hands tried to continue
the ritual.

Chase grabbed her by the chin, forcing
her to look into his eyes. His fingers dug
into her skin painfully as his breath
came out in ragged gasps. "You think
I'm letting you go? After all this? After
everything I've done for you? No, Petal.
You're mine. Whether you like it or not."

The heavy silence of the church was
broken only by the trembling breaths of
the priest standing at the altar. He could
barely hold the sacred book steady,
knowing a gun was pointed directly at
his head. Chase stood beside Petal, his
grip tight on the pistol, his eyes wild
with a dangerous glint.

"Start the ceremony," Chase growled, his
voice sending a chill down the priest's
spine.

With shaky hands, the priest began. "We
are... g-gathered here today.."

"Skip to the part where she marries me," Chase interrupted, his gaze never leaving Petal. His eyes were wild with an unsettling mix of determination and desperation.

The priest hesitated, his hands shaking so badly the Bible almost slipped from his grasp. "Chase, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"Louder!" Chase barked, his impatience
surging.

"Ch-Chase, do you take
this woman to be your w-wedded wife?" Priest asked

Chase turned his head toward the priest,
his lips curling into a cruel smile. "I do."

The priest's eyes flicked nervously to
Petal, who was trembling uncontrollably,
her face pale with terror. "A-and do you,
Petal, take Chase to be your husband?"

Her voice faltered, choking on her sobs.
"Chase, please.."

"Say it!" he roared, pointing the gun at
the priest again. "Or I swear, I'll blow his
brains out right here in front of you."

Petal shook her head, her lips quivering,
barely able to speak through her sobs.
"Chase, please.. I'Il marry you. But."

Chase cocked the gun again, his voice
icy and detached. "Say. It."

"Say it " he shout on her .

......

Petal's eyes flew open, her heart racing as if it were trying to escape her chest. Her bedroom slowly came into focus, . She gasped, struggling to catch her breath, as remnants of the horrifying dream lingered in her mind like a thick fog. "Chase," she whispered, her voice barely audible. It was the first time she had spoken his name in her dream. His face remained blurry, but she could see-no, feel-every expression, each one etched into her memory like a scar.

"I was married to him," she muttered in disbelief, the words slipping from her lips before she could fully comprehend them. The thought sent a violent shiver down her spine. Chase's anger, the madness in his eyes-although she couldn't remember his face, the intensity of his emotions was unforgettable. The gun, the chaos in the church, the coldness in his voice-they clung to her like a heavy weight, suffocating her in the darkness.

Sitting up, her hands trembling, she pushed back the sheets, the cool fabric a stark contrast to the heat rising from her skin. Her pulse thundered in her ears, drowning out the stillness of the night. "It was just a dream... just a dream," she whispered, trying to reassure herself, though the vividness of it, the raw, palpable fear that coursed through her veins, made it feel all too real.

Her fingers pressed against her temples, trying to ease the pounding in her head. But the question gnawed at her, refusing to let go.

"What if it's not?" she thought, her breath hitching as panic began to creep back in, cold and relentless. Was it truly just a nightmare? Or was it something more-a terrifying glimpse of what could be? The uncertainty wrapped around her like a noose, tightening with every passing second.

......

Maya paced anxiously in the dimly lit room, her eyes filled with worry. She couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that had been gnawing at her since she saw Petal. Something was terribly wrong, and the way Petal had been acting... it wasn't like her at all. She turned to William, who sat quietly in the corner, his face etched with a heaviness she hadn't seen before.

"William, what's going on with Petal? She's not herself." Her voice trembled slightly, a note of fear creeping in. "Why is she acting like this?" Maya's heart clenched with worry as she pressed him for an answer.

William looked up slowly, the weight of his gaze meeting hers. His jaw tightened, his eyes dark with something more than just concern. He hesitated, clearly struggling to find the right words. After a long, heavy sigh, he spoke. "Maya, there's something you don't know." His voice was quiet, but the impact of his words hit her like a punch.

Maya's heart pounded in her chest as she took a step closer, "What is it? Please, just tell me. What happened to her?" she pleaded, her voice barely holding steady.

William's expression darkened, his voice barely a whisper, as if saying it out loud would make it too real. "Petal was kidnapped."

Maya froze, the words crashing into her like a wave. "What? Kidnapped?!" Her voice shook with disbelief "When? How?"

"After you left," William answered grimly.

Maya sat down beside him "Tell me everything," she demanded, her voice urgent, almost desperate.

"She was kidnapped by the killer in the news," William revealed.

Maya gasped, her eyes wide with shock. She went silent for a moment.

"What? It can't be," she said, shaking her head in denial. "William, tell me it's a lie. That girl... that girl can't be our daughter. That girl can't be Petal," Though she hadn't known that Petal was the one taken by the serial killer, she was well aware of the the killer , his crimes.

William lowered his head, his voice breaking. "She was, Maya. It's true."

Maya's grief quickly turned to anger "How could you let this happen? How could you?" she shouted, her voice filled with rage and pain.

"How did she get kidnapped? That girl was taken in the middle of the night. You must be lying-Petal never left the house at night!" Maya protested, clinging to any shred of hope.

"That day she did, Maya," William said quietly, guilt thick in his voice. "And I still regret it every single day... why didn't I stop her?"

Maya stared at him in shock, unable to comprehend what he was saying. "What do you mean?"

"It was my fault," William admitted, tears welling up in his eyes. "I forced her to go. She didn't want to, but I insisted. I thought she'd have fun... I didn't listen."

Maya's breath caught in her throat. "You... you made her go?" she whispered, her voice cracking with disbelief.

William nodded, his tears falling freely now. "If only I hadn't pushed her. If only I had listened... none of this would have happened."

"Tell me everything," Maya urged, her voice shaky but firm.

William just looked at her, pain and guilt clouding his expression.

"Tell me every single thing, William!" Maya shouted, her frustration spilling over into anger.

.....

Flashback

"Uncle, she's saying no again," Petal's friend called out to William.

"What's going on, girls?" William asked as he walked into Petal's room.

"Dad, I don't want to go," Petal said, her voice soft but firm.

"Come on, Petal," William coaxed, smiling gently. " You'll have fun."

"You know dad , I don't like going out at night," Petal insisted, fidgeting uncomfortably.

"Kids nowadays lie to their parents just to sneak out at night, and here you are, refusing to go out," William teased lightly, trying to ease her reluctance.

"Yes, because I really don't like it," Petal replied, standing her ground.

"Go, Petal. You'll enjoy yourself," William urged again, his tone more encouraging.

"But Dad-" Petal began, but William interrupted.

"No buts, young lady. Go and have some fun. You'll thank me later," William said, giving her a reassuring smile.

End of flashback
.....

William buried his face in his hands. "If only I hadn't insisted... If only I had let her stay home... none of this would have happened," he sobbed, his voice barely audible.

"It wasn't clear at first that she was kidnapped by the killer. None of his previous victims were girls, and I wasn't involved in any case connected to him. We thought it was just a regular kidnapping, maybe for ransom. We waited, and waited... but no call ever came," William explained, his voice hollow.

"Then how did you know she was kidnapped by him?" Maya asked, her voice trembling.

William wiped his face and continued. "When she was taken, her friend was with her "

Maya's eyes widened in horror. "Who was this friend? Who was with her that night?"

William hesitated for a moment before answering, his voice flat and emotionless. "The girl the killer was actually supposed to kidnap."

Maya's heart raced, a chill creeping down her spine. "What do you mean 'the girl he was supposed to kidnap'? "

"There's more," William whispered to himself, something he couldn't bear to tell Maya just yet. The truth would destroy her, but he knew... eventually, she would find out.

.....

Chase sat in his office, his mind wandering back to Petal. Her face haunted his thoughts, filling every moment of silence.

"Yes, it was a mistake," Chase thought to himself, a slow, sinister smile spreading across his lips. "I kidnapped Petal by mistake."

He leaned back in his chair, his eyes darkening with something far more dangerous than guilt. "And it was the best mistake of my life."

"It wasn't supposed to be her." a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. His eyes darkened as memories of Petal flashed in his mind, each one feeding the obsession he couldn't control.

To be continued...

Author's Note: I apologize for the delay and hope this chapter was worth the wait. Is her nightmare becoming too lengthy? I've been using her nightmares in each chapter, and I hope it's not becoming annoying. Petal has lived a complex life with Chase, and eventually, she will remember everything. It will take several chapters to explore her past through flashbacks, but I'm relying on her nightmares to create a strong trigger for her memories to return.(I believe relying on flashbacks alone would take too long, and since this story centers around her stepdad's obsession, it's essential to move the plot forward). This way, we won't have to linger for too long to learn about their history; we've already seen glimpses through her dreams.

I also want to apologize if the portrayal of chase forcing the priest to marrying them like this felt disrespectful to anyone. It was a demand of the scene, and I certainly did not intend to offend any religion. Thank you for your understanding! Vote only if you liked and comment what you think of this chapter .