Iris POV
The cobblestone streets moved quickly beneath the tires of the car and each jolt and bump made me feel even more anxious and uneasy. I was sitting in the backseat feeling like I couldn’t escape and I could only watch the city lights go by blurring together like colorful streaks of paint on a canvas.
Hugo the large and intimidating man sitting in the front seat didn’t seem to notice me at all. His strong body was completely focused on looking straight ahead at the road giving off an air of seriousness.
My heart raced within my chest beating hard against my ribs like a bird trapped in a cage longing to break free from the overwhelming fear of this frightening situation.
“Hugo I need you to pay attention to me please,” I said my voice barely audible almost like a soft gasp that seemed to vanish into the noisy background made by the rumbling engine.
I felt my breath catch in my throat and I could feel a growing knot of fear tightening inside me with every second that went by. “You have to listen to what I’m saying. There is something wrong here! This situation is not what it appears to be!”
He moved slightly in his seat just a tiny shift that was hard to notice but he didn’t say anything in reply. The sound of the engine kept humming steadily drowning out my frantic cries for help. Its consistent noise felt like a cruel joke mocking my growing sense of fear.
A tingling feeling of dread started to spread over my skin making me uneasy as I sensed something terrifying was waiting for me.
I quickly glanced at Hugo and my heart felt like it stopped just thinking about what he might do next. Is this happening? Is this the awful ending to a nightmare from which I can’t seem to wake up?
“Hugo,” I said with urgency in my voice feeling a deep sense of desperation rising inside me almost as if it were trying to take over every part of me. “You don’t want to go through with this. Raf didn't give this order. You know he wouldn’t do that! He wouldn’t want to hurt me.”
My words spilled out quickly one after the other each one filled with desperate hope. I longed for him to understand what I was saying and to recognize the truth that was shining in my eyes.
“Orders are orders Iris,” he said his voice disturbingly calm and steady which made it even harder for me to deal with the emotional storm brewing inside me. He kept his eyes focused straight ahead on the road showing no sign of hesitation or concern. The cold firm way he spoke sent a shiver down my spine and made the fear in my heart feel even stronger. “I can’t go against what my boss has told me to do.”
“But it doesn't make any sense at all!” I exclaimed suddenly feeling tears prick my eyes and cloud my vision making it hard to see clearly. “You have to trust me on this! Someone else was the one who poisoned Dahlia! It was Don Campani—he was the one who planned everything from start to finish! Raf should not be the one facing all this blame! He would never do something to hurt her especially not in this way!” As I grasped just how deep and tangled the lies and deceit were the hurt and betrayal overwhelmed me causing even more tears to fall my cheeks.
Hugo's hands clutched the steering wheel more tightly than before a small but significant change that revealed the battle he was fighting inside himself. Despite this, he chose to remain silent and his lack of words created an overwhelming sense of stillness that felt as solid as a wall and hard to break through.
I could see the struggle in his eyes there was a brief moment when uncertainty flashed across his face even though he was trying very hard to appear strong and determined.
In the grand scheme of things, he seemed like just a piece on a chessboard being used in a game that had spiraled far beyond our control leaving us all confused and unable to fully understand what was happening.
“I can’t do it.” he finally said his voice carrying a serious tone that made it clear he meant it. It felt like all the hope I had been holding on to was completely snuffed out. “I have to take you to the docks.” he continued explaining that there was no other option for us.
The words lingered heavily in the atmosphere around me making it feel as if they were squeezing the very essence of my spirit. In that particular moment, the overwhelming feeling of my helplessness bore down on me with great intensity making it difficult for me to breathe and taking away any sense of hope I had left.
Was this the result of Raf's actions? The man I had loved deeply the man I had naively thought truly cared about me? Could it be possible that he was capable of doing something so cruel and violent?
As the car came to a shaky stop I felt a wave of fear wash over me making my stomach feel heavy and cold like I had a big chunk of lead inside. In front of me were the docks which looked dark and threatening almost as if they were making a sinister promise in the quiet of the night.
The engine stopped running and just then the stillness around me was made even more intense by the cold night air that drifted in through the open windows of the car.
I took a deep breath and tried to swallow feeling the lump in my throat. With determination, I pushed the car door open and stepped out onto the platform my heart thudding heavily in my chest feeling as if it too were made of lead.
“Just go ahead and do it. Just finish it already!” I managed to say although my voice was so soft that it was hard to hear over the loud noise of the waves crashing all around me. I had expected that there would be some kind of hesitation or maybe even a spark of rebellion within me but I realized that there was nothing left for me to resist or stand up for.
All my hope and all my strength felt completely taken away from me. The dark feelings that were closing in around me seemed to consume me entirely wrapping me in a heavy blanket of sadness that felt like it was going to choke me.
Hugo walked behind me and the sound of his footsteps made a loud heavy pattern on the wooden floorboards. His face showed little emotion as if he were putting on a mask that hid how he truly felt. “Iris please wait for me,” he shouted after me and I could hear a small trace of worry in his normally calm voice.
“What are you holding out for?” I replied to him my voice shaking as I felt a mix of fear and deep frustration. “I understand what is about to happen. Just go ahead and do it, Hugo! I can’t stand this any longer! Please just bring this to an end.”
He stood at the edge of the dock pausing for a moment and feeling uncertain. There was a brief expression on his face that seemed to show a mix of different emotions—maybe fear or maybe sadness it's hard to tell. He looked over at Iris and said “Iris the only thing I’m doing is following the instructions I was given.”
“Have you ever taken a moment to consider what is truly right or what is truly wrong? Have you ever thought about me in any way at all?” As I spoke my voice became softer and more strained almost like I was trying to hold back my emotions.
It felt like I was begging for just a tiny bit of understanding—some sign of kindness or empathy from him especially when I looked into his eyes which seemed so cold and unfeeling…