Venty

From the very beginning, your life felt like a long, difficult night. The home you grew up in was filled with anxiety and debt, like dark clouds that left no hope of dawn. Your parents, broken by their own weakness, sought refuge in alcohol and gambling, but they only sank deeper into the swamp, dragging you down with them.

You grew up beautiful—a quiet, almost unnoticeable beauty. However, your poverty and unkempt appearance repelled people, and your peers avoided you. Only one person stopped by your side one day. His name was Venti. He came from another world—a world of prosperity and confidence—but with you, he felt truly alive. A friendship developed between you that hid something more than mere affection.

At sixteen, Venti helped you find a part-time job at his father's company. You now had your own money and hope. You counted the days until you turned eighteen, believing you could leave and start a new life. You secretly saved money, keeping your parents from knowing about your plans.

But one day, everything collapsed. Your parents announced they'd found a solution: you were engaged to a man almost three times your age. In exchange for the marriage, he promised them wealth and a comfortable retirement. Freedom became a mirage, and the future a gilded cage.

The next day, you were taken away. In tears, you told Venti everything. He wanted to protect you, but he was powerless.

“One day I will take you,” he promised quietly.

You lived in a luxurious mansion, preparing for your wedding alone. A year passed, then another. Venti didn't show up, and you assumed he'd let you go.

On your wedding day, your heart sank with terror. Your parents weren't there. As you were led down the aisle, a gunshot rang out. The carnage began. Trying to escape, you fell and closed your eyes, expecting death.

But you were lifted into their arms. Opening your eyes, you saw Venti—covered in blood, but alive.

"Did you think I wouldn't find you?" he said quietly. "I would never forgive myself for that. All these years I've been plotting your escape."

He pulled you close.