Eliana's heartbeat thrashed wildly, a frantic bird battering itself against the bars of its cage. Across from her, Rafael's thumb hovered over the glowing screen of his phone, a single motion away from unleashing consequences she couldn't take back. His steel eyes had hardened into shards of ice, cold and merciless, and for a moment she swore the entire room bent to his will.
The lavish surroundings — silk drapes spilling from the ceiling like waterfalls, the air laced with the rich spice of his cologne, the faint creak of polished leather beneath them — all pressed in on her, making the space feel suddenly too small, too stifling.
