The mansion was quieter than usual. Too quiet.
Isabella sat at her vanity, brushing her hair with slow, deliberate strokes. Her reflection stared back at her: pale, haunted eyes, lips bitten raw from nervous habit. Every creak of the house made her tense. Since the confrontation two nights ago, Damian hadn't come to her room. He hadn't spoken a word to her.
And that silence terrified her more than his presence ever had.
"You're disappearing into yourself," Sophia murmured, leaning against the doorway. She slipped into the room, closing the door behind her. "You need to fight back, Bella. Or you'll drown in him."
"I don't know how," Isabella whispered.
Sophia crouched beside her, taking her hands. "Then let me show you." Her eyes were fierce. "Luca's still willing to help. He has men loyal to him men who hate what Damian's doing to you. If you're ready, we can plan."
Isabella's pulse spiked. "Sophia, if he finds out"
"He won't." Sophia squeezed her hands. "But you have to decide. Do you want freedom, or do you want to keep letting him eat you alive?"
Freedom. The word was a flame. And yet, deep in her chest, another fire burned hotter one she couldn't admit aloud.
What if part of me doesn't want to escape?
That evening, the mansion held another dinner. Damian arrived late, his presence filling the room the instant he stepped inside. His suit was black, his tie loosened, his shirt open at the throat. Effortless danger.
He didn't greet her. He didn't speak to her. But when the wine was poured, his hand brushed hers deliberately, his fingers sliding over her skin, slow enough to make her shiver.
Sophia's eyes darted to Isabella in warning, but Damian's gaze was fixed, unyielding, on her.
"You're quiet tonight, bella," he murmured when the others were distracted. His breath tickled the shell of her ear. "Have you learned obedience, or are you plotting pretty little rebellions when I'm not watching?"
Her heart jumped. "I…"
He leaned closer, his lips grazing the edge of her jaw, not quite a kiss. "Careful. I can always tell when you're lying."
The words sent heat down her spine, shamefully thrilling, even as she swallowed hard and pulled her hand away.
Later that night, Isabella crept into the library. Sophia and Luca were waiting, shadows among shelves of leather-bound books.
Luca stepped forward immediately, taking her hands. "You're shaking," he whispered. "What did he do?"
"Nothing," Isabella said quickly, though her voice betrayed her. "He's just… always there. Always watching."
Luca's thumb brushed her knuckles. "Then let me take you away from him."
Her eyes filled. "I'm scared."
"You won't be if you're with me."
The words were soft, tender. So different from Damian's. And yet, as Luca drew closer, Isabella's chest tightened. Because when she thought of lips against hers, it wasn't Luca's she saw.
"Bella," Sophia hissed suddenly. "Someone's coming"
The library doors creaked open.
Damian stepped inside.
The three froze. His gaze fell on Isabella first, then slid to Luca still holding her hands.
For a moment, he said nothing. Just looked. The weight of it crushed the air from the room.
Then, slow and deliberate, he shut the door behind him. The click of the lock echoed like a gunshot.
"Interesting," Damian drawled, loosening his cufflinks as he strode forward. "My fiancée, sneaking around with my rival. How… daring."
"Damian " Isabella began, panic clawing her throat.
"Quiet." His command cracked through the air. His eyes pinned her where she stood, his dominance suffocating, magnetic.
He stalked closer, crowding her space until her back brushed the shelves. His hand rose, tilting her chin up, forcing her eyes to meet his.
"You want rebellion?" His thumb traced her lower lip. "Fine. But understand what comes with playing with fire, bella. Sooner or later, you'll beg to be burned."
Her breath caught, shameful heat coursing through her. His lips hovered close too close.
Luca cursed, stepping forward. "Get your hands off her!"
Damian's gaze flicked sideways, slow and dangerous, without removing his hand from Isabella's face.
And with a smile that was all teeth, he said, "Or what?"
Luca's fists clenched, his chest heaving as he closed the distance. For a moment, Isabella thought he might actually strike Damian, but Damian didn't flinch. He stood there with terrifying calm, his hand still on her face as if Luca weren't even a threat worth acknowledging.
"Or what?" Damian repeated, voice a velvet blade.
Luca's jaw tightened. "Or I'll end you."
Isabella's heart lurched. Luca's voice shook with conviction, but Damian's soft laugh cut through the tension like a gunshot muffled by silk.
"You'll end me?" Damian murmured, leaning down so his lips brushed Isabella's temple as if he were sharing a secret. "Bella, do you hear that? The boy thinks he's a wolf."
Luca surged forward, shoving Damian back. Books rattled on the shelves as wood groaned under the impact. For the first time, Damian's composure cracked his smirk twisting into something sharper, hungrier.
He struck.
The fight was brutal and immediate. Luca swung hard, catching Damian's jaw. Isabella gasped. For half a heartbeat, she thought hoped that Luca might have the upper hand. But Damian barely staggered. He wiped the blood from his lip with his thumb, looked at it almost curiously, then smiled.
And then he destroyed him.
In two moves, Damian had Luca pinned against the desk, arm twisted behind his back, breathless curses spilling from him. Damian's voice was low, lethal, each word edged with steel.
"You dare touch what's mine?"
"Isabella isn't yours!" Luca spat.
Damian slammed him harder into the desk, the sound cracking like a gunshot. Isabella cried out, rushing forward, but Damian's other hand shot out, stopping her mid-step. The gesture was casual, but his eyes..burning, silver-gray warned her not to take another inch.
Her chest rose and fell in panicked breaths. "Please, Damian. Don't…"
"Don't?" he echoed softly, his grip unrelenting. He looked at her then, not Luca, and the air between them thickened like smoke. "You beg for mercy on his behalf, yet your eyes are trembling for me."
Her lips parted, but no sound came. He was right damn him. Fear twisted inside her, yes, but threaded with it was that other fire. The one that scorched her whenever he was near.
Sophia's voice cut in, sharp and desperate. "Damian, stop! This isn't strength it's obsession!"
Damian's gaze flicked to her briefly, cold enough to silence her instantly. "Stay out of this, Sophia. My patience has limits."
Luca groaned, struggling, his voice ragged. "She'll never want you. You can chain her body, Damian, but you'll never own her heart."
The words sliced through the room.
Damian went still. Deadly still. Then, slowly, he leaned down until his lips brushed Luca's ear. Isabella couldn't hear the words, but whatever Damian whispered drained the color from Luca's face.
He released him suddenly. Luca staggered forward, nearly falling, clutching his arm. Damian didn't move to finish him he didn't need to. His dominance filled every inch of the room.
But then he turned, eyes locking on Isabella.