I didn't have time to react before Damian shoved me hard against the cold wooden door. The impact sent a sharp sting shooting through my shoulder blades, forcing a wince from my lips. The air rushed out of my lungs, and for a terrifying second, I thought I would collapse.
I was trembling so badly I could barely stand. My hands instinctively flew up, a desperate attempt at surrender, and tears clouded my vision. My throat tightened with terror. Images of the bodies I had just seen, wrapped, bound, lifeless, flashed through my mind like a nightmare on repeat.
I didn't want to be one of them.
"Please," I choked out, my voice breaking. "Please don't hurt me!"
Damian's face was a mask of fury, shadows deepening the sharp angles of his jaw. His eyes were blazing blue fire, his chest rising and falling with ragged breaths.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he roared, his voice thunderous in the narrow space.
I flinched, covering my ears as if the force of his voice alone could shatter me. My knees buckled, and I sank halfway toward the floor.
"I—I'm sorry," I stammered, the words tumbling over each other in panic. "I didn't mean to intrude, I swear! I was just… exploring the rest of the house because I was bored and...."
"Exploring?" His voice cut me like a knife. "What gave you the right to explore this house? Who do you think you are? A guest?" His lip curled with disdain. "You're not a guest. You're nothing. Just a cheap token I collected in place of my money, because I knew your pathetic father could never pay his debt."
His words hit me harder than the shove against the door. My chest ached, my stomach twisting as shame poured over me. He was right. I wasn't special. I wasn't wanted. I was just… bought.
He stepped closer, towering over me, his presence suffocating. "So when I tell you to stay in your room, you stay in your damn room. Do you understand?!"
My lips trembled, but I managed to whisper, "Y–yes… y-yes, Mr. Carter."
He didn't wait for more. His hand clamped around my arm, fingers digging into my skin like steel, and he yanked me upright. I stumbled after him, my legs barely keeping pace as he dragged me up the stairs. He moved fast, not caring if I tripped or scraped against the railing.
When we reached the top, he shoved me away with such force that I lost my footing and fell hard onto the polished floor. Pain shot through my elbows, but I didn't dare cry out.
Damian's voice thundered again. "You see this wing? It's off-limits to all staff. You step foot here again, and I swear...." his eyes narrowed, his tone dropping to a menacing growl..."I'll make sure you learn your lesson in a way you'll never forget."
And with that, he turned sharply, his tall frame disappearing into the shadows of the mansion, leaving me sprawled on the ground.
For a long moment, I just stayed there. My tears hit the floor one after another, soaking into the silence. Twenty minutes, maybe more. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. My life flashed in broken fragments—my father's drunken slurs, the night I was sold, the hope I thought I had when I saw this mansion. And now this.
I had escaped one hell only to fall into another.
Eventually, I forced myself up. My elbows ached, my knees shaky, but none of it mattered. I made my way back to my room, shutting the door quickly as if to block out the whole world. I didn't want questions. I didn't want stares. I just wanted to disappear.
I refused to leave my room after that. The thought of walking through the house, of possibly seeing him again, made me sick with dread. The memory of those lifeless bodies still clung to me, and my chest tightened every time I closed my eyes.
By the time I looked at the clock again, it was past 8 p.m. My stomach growled faintly, but hunger didn't matter. Neither did thirst. I wasn't leaving this room. Not tonight. Maybe not ever. This house was a gilded cage, and now I knew just how dangerous its master was.
I curled into myself on the bed, arms wrapped around my knees, when a sudden, harsh knock rattled my door.
My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. I didn't need to guess who it was.
His voice was sharp, commanding, leaving no room for disobedience.
"What do you think you're doing, locking yourself in there like this?" he barked. "Open this door, or I'll break it down, and then you'll never have another door to hide behind."
Fear surged through me like electricity. I scrambled off the bed, my hands fumbling with the lock. My pulse thundered in my ears as the door clicked open.
He stormed in, filling the space with his presence, his gaze colder than ice.
"Why have you decided to lock yourself up here all day?" His voice was deceptively calm now, but every syllable carried weight, a promise of punishment if I dared answer wrong.
I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to steady. "I just… I just don't feel good, sir. So I decided to rest and… stay in today."
His eyes narrowed. "Is that why you're starving yourself too?"
"I… I'm just not hungry," I whispered, staring at the floor.
"Well, I don't care if you're hungry or not." His tone sharpened again, slicing through me. "Get downstairs and eat something. I'll ask Melinda to prepare something nice for you."
The contradiction startled me. A moment ago, he had been a storm of rage, and now....he sounded almost… concerned. I blinked, confusion furrowing my brow.
My lips moved before I could stop myself. "Why are you suddenly being nice to me?"
Silence.
Then he stepped closer, his voice dropping low, rough, and dangerous, vibrating through me.
"Because you are mine."
The words struck me harder than any blow. My breath caught, my body trembling in ways I didn't understand. Fear. Anger. And something else. Something hotter, something that spread through my veins like fire.
I should have hated him for saying it. I should have screamed. But instead, I was frozen, trapped in those burning blue eyes, my heart pounding like a drum.
Mine.
I didn't know if it was a promise or a threat.
All I knew was that it felt like both.
******
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