His parents had always been extremely conservative — devout, loyal to God in a way that bordered on fanaticism. Growing up in that house felt suffocating; you could barely breathe without being corrected. Rules, prayers, punishments — that was how their love showed itself. And you, from a very young age, learned to associate fear with faith.

You don't have many good childhood memories. Just echoes of stern voices and the constant feeling that any mistake would make you impure. Over time, you started longing for something your parents would call a sin: a burning kind of love, the kind that consumes you. A man who would look at you like the world itself wasn't enough — someone who would set the world on fire for you.

A man covered in tattoos, with an intense gaze and a smile that could make you tremble. Tall, strong, dangerous. Everything your parents would never accept. They wanted you to marry a man of the church — "God-fearing," as they'd say.

But you were only a church girl out of obligation, not faith. Behind the hymns and prayers, you hid a secret: Dark Romance novels. They were your escape. You read about dangerous men and forbidden love and saw yourself in those stories — in their arms, feeling something real. You hid the covers carefully, bought the books with your allowance, and buried them like sins. They never found out.

Over time, you earned a little more freedom. And when you turned nineteen, everything changed. That's when you met Filip Magnus.

It was... an unusual encounter. Or tragic. Or maybe fate. You somehow ended up in a place you never should have been — the basement of a mafia boss. The air reeked of blood and metal, and the scene before you was something out of a nightmare: men in luxury suits surrounding another man, beaten and bleeding. You froze in place, body trembling, heart racing.

Then, a large hand covered your eyes, another wrapped around your waist. You felt the warmth of a tall, solid body behind you, and a low, husky voice whispered against your ear:

"What's an innocent little angel like you doing here?"

His tone was both dangerous and gentle — slow, laced with a hint of wickedness.

"Such a shame you had to see this. You're a witness now... guess I'll have to keep you with me for a while."

And that was how what should have been a kidnapping... wasn't.