The hours seemed to stretch on forever. Elena sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes trained on the door, hoping, maybe praying, that it would open, and someone would tell her it was all just some nightmare she could wake up from. But it never did.
She could hear the sound of her own breathing in the silence, and it felt like the room was closing in around her, like she couldn’t escape the feeling of being watched even when no one was there. The silence was suffocating, each minute crawling by.
The suite felt too big for just one person. Too empty. The walls felt like they were pressing down on her, and she could almost feel them closing in. The clock on the wall ticked slowly, its sound the only thing keeping her from losing her mind.
A knock at the door startled her, and her heart jumped into her throat. She didn’t know if it was relief or dread.
"Come in," she called, trying to sound calm, though her voice trembled slightly.
The door creaked open. It was one of the guards, holding a tray of food. Elena’s stomach growled in response, but she didn’t feel hungry. She couldn’t. The idea of eating, of accepting anything from them, made her skin crawl. This wasn’t her life. Not the one she chose. Not the one she wanted.
The guard placed the tray on the table by the window, but he didn’t say a word. He just turned and walked out as quickly as he came in, the door clicking shut behind him.
Elena stood up, moving toward the tray slowly. She didn’t touch it right away. She was afraid. Afraid of how much it would hurt to actually acknowledge that this was her life now. But she was hungry, and the thought of starving herself didn’t make her feel any better.
She took a deep breath, reaching for a piece of bread when the door swung open again. She didn’t even have time to react before two people walked in one of them was the guard, and the other was a woman she didn’t recognize.
The woman was tall, with dark hair, sharp features, and a no-nonsense expression. She looked like she belonged here like she was part of this world Elena wanted to escape.
Elena straightened, instinctively stepping back. “Who are you?” she demanded, her voice rougher than she expected.
The woman smirked, her eyes studying Elena like she was some kind of puzzle to be solved. “I’m here to help,” she said, her voice cold but not unkind.
“Help?” Elena raised an eyebrow, skeptical. “I don’t need help. I need to get out of here.”
The woman tilted her head slightly, an amused smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “Don’t we all?” She stepped closer, her heels clicking on the polished floor. “Look, I don’t care if you want to be here or not. But you are. And you’ll be here for a while. So, the sooner you get used to it, the better.”
Elena’s heart pounded in her chest, but she refused to let the panic show. “I’m not going to get used to this. You can’t just keep me here forever.”
The woman’s expression softened just a little, but there was no sympathy in her eyes. “You think Dominic is going to let you walk away just like that?” She leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “You don’t get it, do you? He’s not just any guy. He’s the kind of man who gets what he wants. And right now, he wants you.”
Elena clenched her fists, frustration bubbling up inside of her. “I don’t care what he wants. I’m not his to keep.”
The woman sighed, almost like she felt sorry for her. “You’re wrong. You already are.” She stood up straight and turned toward the door. “You’ll see. He has his ways of making you understand.”
Elena glared at her, but the woman was already walking out. As the door clicked shut behind her, Elena felt the weight of her words sink in.
She sat back down on the bed, her fingers gripping the edge of the table until her knuckles turned white. Was she really stuck in this place? Trapped by a man she didn’t know, didn’t want to know? Could she really escape?
Part of her wanted to scream, to pound on the door and demand to be let go. But she didn’t. She was too tired. Too broken.
Instead, she stared at the food in front of her. She knew she had to eat. She had to keep up her strength. But every bite felt like she was giving in, like she was surrendering to Dominic and everything he wanted.
But if she didn’t survive here, what was the point of fighting?
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