"You are trembling," Dante whispered, his hand sliding up my thigh, hidden beneath the white tablecloth of the crowded gala. "Please," I begged, the word tasting like ash in my mouth. "Please what?" He leaned in, his teeth grazing my ear, his grip on my leg tightening to a bruise. "Please stop? Or please... take me?" He dragged his thumb over my skin, ruining me in front of everyone, his eyes dark with a terrifying promise. "You belong to me, Evelina. And tonight... I’m going to make sure you scream it. *** Three million dollars. That was the price of my sister’s life. To save her, I sold myself to Dante Valenti. He is the king of Wall Street, a monster in a tailored suit who deals in acquisitions and ruin. He didn't just want my skills as a curator; he wanted me. My time, my freedom, and my absolute submission for five years. I thought I could withstand him. I thought I could keep my heart safe behind walls of hatred. But Dante doesn't just break walls; he burns them down. He strips away my defenses layer by layer, forcing me to play his dark, twisted games. He isolates me, controls me, and manipulates my reality until I don't know where the cage ends and I begin. He treats me like a prized artifact—something to be displayed, guarded, and owned. But as the lines between hatred and desire blur, I realize the terrifying truth: He doesn't just want to own my body. He wants to break my soul until I thank him for the chains.

He wasn't always like this... was he? Was it a specific moment that led to where we are today? Was I too blind to see through his façade? Was I blind enough to overlook his sociopathic, sadistic tendencies? No answers, I have no answers. But it doesn't matter anymore. Neither of us are the same people we once were. It's too late for him and I. We can't turn around from the grave sins we've committed. He's the monster I loved once but now, he's the spawn of Satan himself. I was once the girl he supposedly loved but now... I'm just an object of his torments. "You really think you'll be able to leave me?" The sinister look in his eyes keep me alert. "No," I answer truthfully as the blood dripping down my skirt. "You will keep me alive till my heart bleeds for you. Until you break me completely and that's when I'll take my last breath that takes me away from the man who created hell on earth for me; and that's when I'll leave you, forever."