"CRAVING FOR HER INNOCENCE"

CHAPTER: 16. Legally Dead, Secretly Owned✨

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The silence in the master suite was no longer just quiet; it was suffocating, heavy with the scent of David’s expensive sandalwood cologne and the lingering metallic tang of the storm outside.

Marry remained huddled on the floor, her back pressed so hard against the cold, marble-lined wall that she could feel the chill seeping into her bones.

Her mind was a chaotic battlefield of broken trust. She kept replaying the way Kai had looked at those papers—not at her, but at the ink and the potential wealth they represented.

The soft click of the dressing room door handle made her entire body flinch.

David stepped out, looking like a dark god in his sanctuary.

He had changed into a crisp, midnight-black silk shirt, the top two buttons left undone to reveal the hard, scarred lines of his chest. He didn't even glance at her at first. He walked to the sleek intercom on the wall, his voice cold and clipped as he gave a single, low-frequency command for food.

Minutes later, a soft, rhythmic knock sounded. A servant entered with her head bowed so low she seemed to be studying the carpet. She placed a heavy silver tray on the mahogany table. The aroma of roasted chicken, herb-infused butter, and warm, crusty bread filled the room. To anyone else, it would have been a feast. To Marry, it felt like a last meal before an execution.

"Eat," David commanded. It wasn't a suggestion; it was an absolute law in this room.

Marry didn't move. Her voice was a fragile, trembling thread of sound. "I'm not hungry. Please... just let me go back to my room. I don't belong in here with you."

David poured himself a glass of vintage red wine, the liquid swirling like a crimson whirlpool against the crystal. He began to walk toward her, his footsteps slow, heavy, and deliberate. Each step felt like a countdown to her soul. He stopped right in front of her, his massive shadow completely swallowing her small, trembling frame.

He crouched down, bringing his face inches from hers. Marry tried to turn her head away, but he reached out, his thumb tracing the path of a dried tear on her pale cheek. His touch was unexpectedly warm, almost gentle, but it was immediately followed by a firm, unyielding grip on her chin that forced her to look directly into his icy, sapphire eyes.

"I didn't ask about your appetite, Marry. I told you to eat," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, silky whisper that vibrated in her very chest. "Do you really believe Kai came here to 'rescue' you? Look at the reality, Marry. Open those eyes that you keep filled with useless tears. He didn't come here with a lawyer. He didn't come here with a police escort. He came here for his own selfish reasons, not for your freedom."

He let out a short, cold laugh that cut deeper than any physical blade.

"He brought those papers... did you even bother to look at them? Did you even notice the fine print? Of course you didn't. If you actually had a single ounce of brain in that pretty little head of yours, you wouldn't be in this position right now. You wouldn't be trapped in my house, signed away by your own blood. You are here because you are naive enough to believe in a fairy tale that never existed."

He stood up abruptly, leaving her shivering from the cold weight of his words. He walked toward the balcony, turning his back to her as if she were nothing more than a piece of furniture.

Marry felt a hollow ache in her chest. David wasn't just holding her prisoner; he was systematically dismantling every lie she had ever used to survive.

Scene Shift: The D’Souza Mansion – Midnight]

The atmosphere in the D’Souza living room was thick with a different kind of darkness—the darkness of desperation. Kai slammed the leather folder onto the glass coffee table, the sound echoing like a gunshot.

"Well?" Sarah hissed, her eyes wide. "Did that brat sign? Is the fund finally ours?"

Kai kicked a velvet chair in pure rage. "No! That bastard David William tore my papers like they were trash! He treated me like a stray dog. And Marry... she’s gone, mom. She is under his thumb. He has claimed her completely, and he’s not letting her go for a few signatures."

Siya let out a frustrated scream. "What do we do now, Mom? If we don't get those signatures, the bank is going to seize this house by next month! We need that fund to survive!"

Stepmom sat down slowly, her face turning into a mask of pure, calculated evil. "If she doesn't sign, she is useless to us as a living person," she whispered.

"But Mom, David won't even let us through the front gate!" Siya cried. "How are we supposed to get the money?"

Stepmom looked up, a cold, twisted smile playing on her lips. "Who said we need her to actually sign? There is a loophole in the trust law. If the primary beneficiary is declared dead, the funds automatically transfer to the next of kin. To me. To us."

Kai froze, his breath catching. "Declare her... dead? But she's alive in that mansion!"

stepmom leaned forward, her voice dropping to a chilling whisper. "The world doesn't need to see a body, Kai. They just need to see proof of a tragedy. We don't have to kill her... we just have to make the world believe she is gone. A staged accident, a faked police report, a missing person case turned cold... once the death certificate is issued, David William can keep her locked in his basement for all I care. But the money? The money will be ours."

Kai looked at stepmom a slow, dark grin forming on his face. "So, we kill the 'identity' of Marry D'Souza, while she remains a ghost in David's house. Brilliant."

stepmom nodded, her eyes glinting with malice. "Exactly. To the world, she will be a memory. To David, she will be a nameless prisoner. And to us... she will finally be the gold mine we always wanted her to be."

The three of them stood in the dim light, plotting the ultimate betrayal—to erase a girl’s very existence while she was still breathing.

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DID THEY JUST DO THAT?! 😱💀

I am literally shaking while writing this! I knew Marry’s family was greedy, but declaring her legally dead just to steal her trust fund? That is a whole new level of evil. 🐍💔

Now Marry is trapped in a way she never expected. To the world, she no longer exists. She is a ghost, and the only person who knows she’s alive is the man who calls her his "property"—David William. 🐺🖤

I need your theories NOW:

The Ghost Bride: How will Marry react when she finds out her own family erased her existence?

David’s Move: Will David use this "death" to hide Marry from the world forever, or will he burn the D’Souza house down for touching what belongs to him?

Comment below: "HELL NO!" if you hate Kai and stepmom as much as I do! 😡👇

Don't forget to Add to Library and Vote—the real nightmare has just begun! ✍️🔥