A 30-year-old woman from Yambol was severely beaten and held captive for four days by a man she had been dating for only two weeks. She is now in the hospital with serious injuries and in a state of shock, bTV reported.

Her relatives claim that she was threatened with a knife and forced to beg for her life. The man, identified as a 32-year-old with no prior criminal record, was detained but later released due to insufficient evidence, according to the prosecutor's office.

The victim's father described her condition as critical, with multiple hematomas and severe head injuries. Her family has also received threats. "He called us, saying she had disappeared, but she was with him the entire time," her brother told Nova TV. "I believe he wanted to kill her. She managed to escape, but she had been forcibly detained in his home. She never agreed to live with him—he made her tell our mother otherwise."

The brother presented a recording of a conversation between the couple in which the man is heard saying, "If you make a mistake, I will kill you, I will cut you. I am not afraid of anyone."

The victim's mother recounted the horror of seeing her daughter after the ordeal. "When we went to the hospital, I couldn't recognize her—her face was bruised and swollen. He kept her hungry and thirsty for three days. When I called, she would say she was fine, but she later told us she was just trying to protect us. She said, ‘We sleep with a knife, we wake up with a knife. I listen to him so he doesn’t harm you.’"

The suspect reportedly had no stable job and was known for stealing. Despite the severity of the case, he remains free. "If he comes after me now, how am I supposed to react?" the victim’s brother asked.

The prosecutor’s office has stated that investigations are ongoing, with further interrogations pending.