It is nothing but a silent chase- to know something , to get something,  to forget something

She was sitting  in her room.  Thinking about the dream she just had .

" it was the lengthliest dream I ever had "she thought to herself  .

" Chase,  his name is chase , for the first time  I called his name in  my dream and what he was saying criminal,  he is a criminal " it confused her.

" Dad never told me about this man , he just take me to therprist when these nightmares kick in and say it is all fake not real, but it feel so real as If I lived each and every one of it , as much as I want to resist it only take them as nightmare no connection to reality I can't shake of the thought of everything being true , he feels so true" she said .

" who is this man, why I said yes about loving him when I clearly want to say no , I was married to him " her heartbeat raised thinking about it .

"But I not said yes "she thought "but I woke up before even get to know it , everything was done, it was only my answer left the way he was making me do it on gun point I think I said  yes , I must have said yes " she thought.

"I want to know everything, dad must have known everything  that's why he always make excuses" she thought " I want to know I want to know if I was married to him "she thought.

She made her way to find her dad .

.....

" this much happened and you not told me about anything  , William how can you do this" maya litterly shout in anger standing. 

William told her everything what happened.

" I had no courage to tell you Maya " William  said .

" she is my daughter,  I suppose to know about all this " she said .

" what she would be thinking of me , first her mother left her like this , and then not even there when she needs her " Maya said her voice filled with shame on herself.

" it's not like this Maya, that time situation was too complex , he manipulated her in such a way she won't even was listening to me  " William said.

" you should have told me , I would make her listen, you know she listens me " maya said

" I know maya but I not wanted  you to see her in that condition "William said. 

" you know william you are the only one  responsible for all this , only if you happen to told me, I would stop her , make her understood , she won't go through the pain you made her "Maya said .

" you wouldn't be able to look at her , that much  how she was changed " William said .

" I encountered him cause that was the only way to save her , I thought she was safe,  he will never be able to harm her again , but no it happen the opposite,  his print on her mind was so deep his death cause her shock , due to which she lost of her memories regarding him " William explained. 

" I felt like God heard me , I wanted her to forget everything,  every single thing , and it happened she lost her memories " he said. "She was happy after forgetting that man , but then it starts she started having  nightmares about him , he started haunting her in her dreams , daily a new nightmare started consuming her , I still remember  the day she had her first nightmare about him , the way her voice was trembling  the way she was explaining I could feel the terror she gone through  " he said

Flashback

Her dad rushed in, his eyes wide with
worry. "Petal! What happened?"

She couldn't speak at first. Her voice
was trapped in her throat, strangled by
the fear that still gripped her. She
hugged her knees, her hands shaking
uncontrollably as she tried to catch her
breath.

"Petal," her dad said again, softer this
time, kneeling beside her. "Tell me what happened."

Tears welled in her eyes as the
nightmare came flooding back, every
detail etched into her mind. "He.. he
was going to kill me,' she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Her dad's face tightened. "Who?"

"The man... the one who kidnapped me." She could barely hold back her sobs as she spoke. "I was with a girl, and then she left me alone... and he was
watching me. I ignored him at first, but
then he started following me, like a
predator stalking prey. His footsteps.. I
could hear them getting closer and
closer. l called you, but before you could answer, he grabbed me."

She choked back a sob,  " he
whispered in my ear, 'Make a sound, and I'II kill you' His voice... it was like ice, like he meant every word. I could feel it in my bones, Dad. He wasn't bluffing."

"He... dragged me behinda wall. I tried
to scream, but he pressed his hand over
my mouth so hard I could barely
breathe. He was so close, so...
powerful. I couldn't fight him. He told
me if I moved, if I made a noise, he'd kill me on the spot." Petal's body shook
uncontrollably as she remembered the
cold fear that paralyzed her.

"He even had a knife. He held it to my side, pressing it against me. I could feel the blade, and I knew he'd use it." Her father's face was taut, his heart breaking as he watched her relive the nightmare.

"It's okay, sweetheart, you're safe now," he whispered, but she barely heard him.

"Then he injected me with something. I
couldn't fight back. It was like my body
just... gave up. When I woke up, I was
tied to a chair. My hands were bound so
tight behind my back, and my wrists
were raw from the ropes. He was
standing in front of me, watching. His
face was in the shadows " Her voice trembled as she continued.

"He knelt in front of me, his eyes so
cold. He leaned in, touching my face..
like I was his possession, like I belonged
to him. I tried to move, to get away, but I couldn't. I was too weak, too scared."
Petal's breath hitched, her throat tight
with panic as the memory of his voice
echoed in her mind.

"He told me... If you Scream, if you try to run. 'Il make sure no one ever finds you. And I believed him, Dad. He was serious. He would've "Her father's heart ached as he pulled her into a hug, feeling her small frame shudder against him.

"It was just a nightmare, Petal," he whispered, trying to comfort her. "It's over now."

But she shook her head, her eyes wide
with lingering terror. "It felt so real.
Every detail.. every word he said. It's
like I was really there, like he really took
me."

End of flashback

"I lied to her, telling her it was all just a dream, nothing real. But deep down, I knew... it could be her memories, the ones she lost, trying to surface again," William admitted, his voice thick with guilt.

"She was trembling in my arms, whispering, ‘I'm scared, Dad. What if it wasn’t just a dream? What if... this really happened to me?’"

He paused, the memory of that moment haunting him. "I didn’t know how to answer her, Maya. My mind was racing with the same question. I wanted to protect her, to deny it all, but I could feel the truth creeping in."

"I hoped it was a one-time thing," William continued, his voice growing quieter, "but then the nightmares started happening more frequently. She’d often wake up in terror, describing the same kind of nightmare, each one pointing to the trauma he caused her. It got worse. She was losing herself to these dreams. So, I started taking her to a therapist. For a while, it worked. She healed—her nightmares became less frequent, and when she did have them, she’d forget by the time she woke up."

He looked down, his face clouded with regret. "But now, they’re back, worse than ever. The therapist and doctor both say I need to tell her about that man. They say her memories are starting to resurface."

Maya stared at him, wide-eyed. "What?"

"They’re saying I should talk to her about the man in her nightmares before she pieces it all together on her own," William said, his voice trembling with shame. "I have to tell her what he did to her, Maya. I can’t hide it anymore."

Maya shook her head, her face filled with disbelief. "How are you going to talk to her about something like this?"

William rubbed his temples, overwhelmed by the weight of it all. "I don’t know. I’m afraid, Maya. I’m afraid she’ll hate me. She’ll hate me for not protecting her, for keeping this from her."

"But I have no choice," he added, his voice thick with emotion. "That criminal is back. Not only is he back, but he’s already shown signs that he’s still obsessed with Petal. The doctors are right. I need to talk to her before he gets to her again. What if... what if he manipulates her again? I can’t let that happen, Maya. I can’t." He said

Maya stepped closer, her expression softening. "We’ll do it together, William," she said firmly. "You’re not doing this alone. I won’t leave her alone this time."

......

Chase pov::

I was a serial killer. Killing was like a
piece of cake for me. l'd been doing it
for years-sometimes for myself,
Sometimes for the rich who didn't want
to dirty their hands. It was just business. So, when I received a request to kidnap a policeman's daughter, it didn't seem like anything special. She was justa teenager; I didn't need to spend time planning or stalking her. I only had to get her routine for the night. She was going out with her friends, and I decided to grab her there.

But things didn't go as planned. Instead
of kidnapping that girl , I took
Petal. At first, I didn't realize it was the
wrong girl. My instructions were clear:
torture her, make her father desperate
enough to accept a deal. And that was
exactly what I was going to do... until I
saw her.

The moment I laid eyes on Petal,
everything changed. Her beauty hit me
like a punch in the gut-her delicate
features, those innocent, wide eyes, and
the way her soft hair fell around her
face. I had never felt anything like it.
She was pure, untouched, fragile. The
innocence in her gaze held me captive
like no one ever had. How could I  hurt
her? Torturing her became impossible. I couldn't even think about it without
feeling disgusted with myself.

Then I found out the truth: I had
kidnapped the wrong girl. I was ordered to release her and go after the real target, but letting her go was no longer an option. I couldn't. I didn't know what  i was feeling, but whatever it was, it consumed me. I had never cared for anyone before-never let emotions get in the way of my work. But Petal was different. I needed to keep her with me, and that's exactly what I  did. I treated her like a delicate rose, something to be cherished.

But there were moments... moments
when she defied me, when she pushed
me too far, and I lost control. Anger
surged through me like fire, and l'd hurt her without meaning to. Her cries would pierce my soul, and l'd beg for her forgiveness. She should've listened to me, obeyed me. It infuriated me when s he didn't. Still, I always regretted it afterward.

I learned something about Petal-her
one weakness. She couldn't bear to see
someone else get hurt because of her. It
made her vulnerable, and i hated
exploiting that, but I had no choice. When I threatened about hurting others, she would do whatever I asked. No matter how much she resisted, her compassion for others always won. It was cruel, but it worked.

Petal was terrified of me at first, and
rightfully so. She trembled whenever I
entered the room, her wide eyes filled
with fear as she tried to read my every
move. She was so delicate, like a
porcelain doll, always so careful around
me. I loved watching the way her lips
would quiver when she tried to speak,
the way her breathing would quicken
whenever I got too close. It excited me,
seeing the effect I had on her.

In the beginning, she tried to run. Of
course, she did.  I'd always catch her, and then I use my card threatening her
and she'd fall to her knees, sobbing, apologizing, and begging for
mercy. I'd hold her, soothing her with
soft words, telling her everything would be alright if she just stayed with me.

We spent countless nights together in
that dimly lit room. I would sit beside
her, running my fingers through her soft hair, whispering to her about how much I adored her, how no one would ever love her like I do. She never responded, but I  knew she was listening. I could see it in the way she would glance at me from under her lashes, her fear slowly giving way to something closer to acceptance.

Slowly, she started adjusting to life with
me. She was trying-maybe not
completely, but she was. I could see it in
the small ways she softened, the way
she stopped fighting so hard. She
started accepting my love, even if it
wasn't what she wanted. We spent two
years together, and in that time, I
believed she was beginning to see me
the way I saw her. She was starting to
understand that no one could love her
the way I did.

But her father ruined everything. He tore her away from me, shattered the world I had built with her. Our plans, our dreams -gone. I thought l'd never get her back.It felt like my heart was ripped from my chest, leaving nothing but rage and emptiness.

Now  I found her again. But fate played a cruel joke on me- found her, but this
time, she came into my life as my
stepdaughter. The worst part is that
she had forgotten everything. The two
years we spent together, the love I
showed her.. it is  all wiped away from
her memory. How could she forget?
How could she not remember the way I
cared for her, the way we were
supposed to be together?

Now, I have her close, But this
time, I can't hurt her like I did before.
I've realized that. I won't make the same mistakes. I want her to love me back, to see me as hers, just like l see her as mine. I can't stay away from her. I won't. This time, I'll make her fall in love with me. I'll win her over, and no one-not even her father-will stand in my way. If I have to, I'll kill him to keep her. This time, I won't lose her.

End of chase pov

Author note:Thank you so much for reading ,  I hope you enjoyed it . If you did, feel free to vote and let me know your thoughts in the comments—it truly motivates and inspires me to keep writing. Your feedback is incredibly valuable and helps me improve with every chapter. I'm excited to hear what you think! Every comment, vote, and view means the world to me.  ❤