THE MAFIA WIFE WHO ESCAPED

Rain had been falling for hours. It poured relentlessly from the black sky, beating against the windows of the small police station and flooding the empty streets outside. Officer Daniel had almost fallen asleep at his desk when the front door opened, the sound soft and almost lost beneath the thunder.

He looked up.

And froze.

A woman stood at the entrance. She was barefoot, her long, dark hair clinging to her face and shoulders as water dripped onto the floor. Her clothes were soaked through, dirty, and torn at the sleeves.

But that wasn't what made Daniel stare.

It was the blood.

There was blood on her hands.

"Miss?"

The woman didn't move.

Daniel slowly stood from his chair.

"Miss, can you hear me?"

Her eyes moved toward him. They were wide and terrified. She looked behind her, then toward the windows, and finally back at him, as if she expected someone to walk through the door at any moment.

Daniel walked closer.

"Are you injured?"

The woman looked down at her hands. For a moment, she seemed confused by the blood. She rubbed her fingers together before suddenly pulling her hands against her chest.

"I..."

Her voice was barely a whisper.

Daniel softened his expression.

"You're safe here. Sit down."

The woman didn't move. Instead, she asked, "Where am I?"

Daniel frowned.

"You're at the police station."

Her breathing changed. It became faster and more frightened.

"No."

She took a step backward.

"No. No, I can't-"

"Hey."

Daniel raised both hands.

"Nobody is going to hurt you."

The woman stared at him. For several seconds, neither of them spoke. Finally, Daniel pulled a chair forward.

"Please. Sit."

Slowly, she walked toward it, her bare feet leaving wet footprints across the floor.

Daniel noticed something else. Her hands weren't the only place where there was blood. There was also a dark stain on the edge of her dress.

"Are you hurt?" he asked again.

She looked down.

"I don't know."

Daniel immediately called for another officer. Within minutes, the quiet police station became busy. Someone brought a first-aid kit while someone else brought a blanket, but the woman barely reacted. She sat quietly in the chair, staring at nothing.

Daniel crouched in front of her.

"What's your name?"

Her eyes slowly moved toward him.

"My name?"

"Yes."

She stared at him as if the question was difficult. Then she whispered, "Cindy."

Daniel nodded.

"Cindy what?"

Silence.

Cindy looked down at her hands.

"I..."

Her forehead tightened as she struggled to remember.

"I don't know."

Daniel exchanged a glance with the other officer.

"You don't know your last name?"

Cindy shook her head. A terrible feeling appeared in Daniel's chest.

"Okay," he said gently. "That's okay. We'll figure it out."

Cindy suddenly grabbed his wrist.

Daniel froze.

Her fingers were cold.

"Don't let him find me."

Daniel looked at her.

"Who?"

Her eyes widened.

And suddenly-something changed.

Cindy released his hand and stared ahead, her breathing becoming shallow.

A memory.

A dark hallway.

The sound of footsteps.

A door closing.

A man's voice.

*If you leave this house tonight, there will be no coming back.*

Cindy gasped.

Daniel immediately stood.

"Cindy?"

She covered her ears.

"No..."

"Cindy!"

"He said-"

Her voice broke.

Daniel leaned closer.

"Who said what?"

Cindy slowly looked up at him. Tears filled her eyes.

"My husband."

The entire room became quiet.

Daniel pulled out his notebook.

"What's your husband's name?"

Cindy pressed her fingers against her forehead. She was trying to remember, trying desperately to piece together the fragments in her mind.

Then-a name appeared in her mind.

A man's face.

Dark eyes.

A cold expression.

And blood.

So much blood.

Cindy began shaking.

"Karen."

Daniel paused.

"What?"

"Karen."

"Karen who?"

Cindy shook her head.

"I don't know."

"Do you know where he lives?"

"No."

"What does he look like?"

Cindy closed her eyes. For one brief second, she saw him standing beside a window, wearing a black suit. His face was expressionless, his eyes fixed on her.

Then she opened her eyes again.

"I don't remember."

Daniel sighed.

"Okay. That's fine."

But Cindy suddenly looked at him, her voice quiet and terrified.

"He will kill me."

Daniel's expression changed.

"Who?"

"My husband."

Cindy's lips trembled.

"Karen."

Daniel stood and walked toward his computer. He typed the name. Nothing.

He tried again, then searched through the missing persons database. He didn't expect to find anything, but when the results appeared, Daniel stopped.

One file.

His eyes narrowed as he clicked it.

A photograph appeared.

Daniel looked at the photograph, then slowly turned toward Cindy. She was sitting quietly, wrapped in a blanket and looking completely lost.

Daniel looked back at the screen.

The photograph showed a smiling young woman.

The same eyes.

The same face.

The same woman.

His heartbeat slowed.

At the top of the file were three words.

MISSING PERSON.

Daniel opened the report, his eyes moving down the screen.

Name: Cindy-

He stopped.

The last name was there.

Daniel read it again, then looked at Cindy.

"Cindy?"

She looked up.

"Yes?"

"Do you know what year it is?"

She frowned.

"What?"

"What year do you think it is?"

Cindy looked confused.

Then she answered.

Daniel's face changed.

He slowly sat down.

"That's not the year."

Cindy stared at him.

"What?"

Daniel turned the computer toward her.

Cindy looked at the screen.

Her photograph.

Her name.

Her missing persons report.

Then she saw the date.

Three years ago.

Her face became pale.

"No."

"Cindy-"

"No."

She stood suddenly, and the chair fell backward.

"This isn't possible."

Daniel stood.

"Please, calm down."

"I was not gone for three years!"

Her voice echoed through the station.

"I was-"

She stopped.

Her mouth opened, but nothing came out.

Daniel watched her.

"Where were you?"

Cindy stared at him, her eyes filling with tears as she tried desperately to remember.

Where had she been?

She remembered darkness.

She remembered running.

She remembered waking up.

But nothing else.

Nothing.

"I don't know."

Her knees weakened, and Daniel caught her before she fell.

Cindy began crying. Not loudly, just quietly, her entire body shaking.

Daniel looked at the missing persons file again. Then something else caught his attention.

The person who reported Cindy missing.

Her husband.

Karen.

Daniel's eyes narrowed.

He opened the report.

Then froze.

The name wasn't unfamiliar.

Karen wasn't just Cindy's husband. He was connected to one of the most powerful and feared criminal families in the city.

Daniel looked down at Cindy. She was crying into her hands, completely unaware of what he had just discovered.

And for the first time that night, Daniel began to wonder-

Was Cindy really safe?

Or had she just walked directly into another danger?