Elias’ Crimes and Punishments of Romance

The door was kicked open, and a tall, burly man walked in with a lecherous grin. “Honey, come back home with me. Let’s not make a scene. We were just having a little argument. Do you really want to run away from home? Let’s go!”

The man forcefully grabbed her wrist and tried to take her

“Who are you? Let go of me! Help, someone!”

.

Despite Amanda’s frantic screams, there was no one in sight. It felt as though the entire city. had been abandoned.

Undeterred, the man forcefully dragged her out of the motel. As they passed the front desk, the woman on duty seemed unfazed by the situation and remarked, “Keep it down, folks. Guests are sleeping. If you two want to argue, do it at home.”

“This is the payment for the broken door. Sorry about that. My wife and I just had a little disagreement, and she’s running away from home. It won’t happen again. Sorry for the trouble.”

Amanda shook her head frantically. “It’s not like that at all! I don’t even know him! Call the police, please! He’s a human trafficker! I don’t know him, and I’m not his wife!”

“Fine, I don’t care about your family matters. Just go on your way, and don’t disturb others. trying to rest.”

And so, the man arrogantly dragged Amanda out of the small motel and onto the street. It was already 4 a.m., and the streets were deserted.

“What the heck are you going to do? Are you a human trafficker?”

With a face full of stubble, the man couldn’t help but chuckle. “Stop pretending to be innocent. Anyone staying in a place like that isn’t exactly a model citizen. You’d be better off coming with me. At least you’ll have a place to sleep.”

“Let go of me! Get lost!” Amanda fought desperately, attempting to pull her hand back, but she was no match for a man nearly three times her size.

“You’re just a nobody without even an ID. Who would care if you drop dead? Stop making a scene.”

Relentlessly, the man continued to drag her toward the car parked by the roadside. Amanda yelled in desperation, but there was no one around to hear her cries. Besides, this area was a red-light district with terrible security.

Amanda watched helplessly as she was about to be pulled into the car. She glanced at her phone and realized Elias would not rescue her.

could go through, the man snatched her phone and

determination, resolute in not letting it bet taken away. She needed it to

Are you looking

teeth into it as if wishing she could tear off a piece of his flesh. The man howled in pain and retaliated by kicking her in the stomach, sending her tumbling roughly a

“Ah!”

time to dwell on the agony. She seized the opportunity to scramble to her feet and sprinted in

caught on and chased after her. “Stop right there! Don’t

might, determined not to let him

next

didn’t bother going back home because he knew sleep wouldn’t come easy. His thoughts were consumed by vivid images of Amanda standing beside

it

several packs of cigarettes. The smell

received that desperate call from Amanda that he felt like his lungs

something was terribly amiss. The call abruptly

to Amanda

that useless Simon

his phone. He attempted to

that

his cigarette in the ashtray, he snatched his

way to

the maid hesitated to open the door and communicated with him. through the intercom, “Mr. Winters, what brings you here again? Mr. Nicholson isn’t at home, and Miss Bailey isn’t here either. The people

the maid is home? Can something have

looked at the video doorbell and asked, “Where did Simon go? Where did Amanda go?

Lynch, and Mr.

a tangled mess

grew increasingly impatient. “Who is Miss

date. She’s quite fond of Mr. Nicholson, but

her sentence, Elias had already pieced together the puzzle. He turned on his heels and retreated to

and Simon’s clueless about her whereabouts.

on earth is