Twisted Obsession

Bound by Chains

It was oppressive to drive back to Damian's penthouse.

Celeste's hands were balled into fists on her lap as she sat rigidly in the leather seat. She could only make out Adrian's face, the silent anger in his eyes, and the way his jaw had clenched as she left, as the city lights flickered past the tinted windows.

He had been wounded by her.

However, what options did she have?

Damian was remarkably composed next to her. He drummed lightly against his thigh with one hand while the other rested on the wheel. Like a predator playing with its prey, his presence filled the room with unsaid words.

He finally broke the silence by saying, "You have been busy."

Celeste's gaze remained fixed. "I am not your property, Damian."

A gloomy laugh. "No?" He looked at her with a slight tilt of his head. "So, why are you present?"

Her mouth clenched.

Because he would have destroyed Adrian if she had not arrived.

Because Damian was not a man who was willing to overlook things.

In an unsettlingly personal gesture, he reached over and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Speak to me," he whispered. "Did you find your small act of rebellion enjoyable?"

She turned abruptly to face him. "Do you believe this to be that?"

A smirk formed on his lips. "I believe you needed a reminder of your place in the world."

She shuddered when she heard those words.

She had been stuck in Damian's world for years, playing the part of the ideal wife, smiling when he asked her to, and putting up with his manipulation and possessiveness.

And she had nearly gotten away.

But she was back now.

In his hands again.

She was also clueless about how to escape.

The Penthouse Institution

Celeste felt the familiar weight of suffocation descend upon her as they reached the penthouse.

With its sleek black and grey furnishings and marble floors that shone in the gentle light, the space was immaculate as ever. It was not a home to her, though.

The place was a prison.

Damian locked the door with a soft click and closed it behind them.

Celeste forced herself to remain calm and let out a slow exhale.

She looked over at him. "I would like a divorce."

Something glowed in Damian's eyes, something icy and menacing, but his smile remained unwavering.

He shrugged off his suit jacket and draped it over the back of the couch, thinking, "You keep saying that." "And still... here you are."

Her fingernails sank into her hands. "Just because you left me with no other option."

Slowly and deliberately, he took a step closer. "Celeste, you always have a choice."

She refused to flinch from his stare, and she stood her ground. "Then release me."

A pause.

Damian then let out a low, amused laugh, as if she had just told the world's most absurd joke.

"Give it up?" His fingers moved down her arm as he reached for her. I have you, so why would I do that?

Celeste recoiled from his contact. "You never had me."

His face darkened, but his phone buzzed before he could speak.

Damian looked at the screen as he took it out. As he responded, a smirk formed on his lips.

"That was unexpected," he said with ease. "I wanted to know when you would call."

Celeste tensed.

She recognised the person.

Adrian.

Damian switched on the speakerphone and spoke while maintaining eye contact with her.

"To whom do I owe the enjoyment?"

Low and irate, Adrian's voice was heard. "Demit her, Damian."

The breath caught in Celeste's throat.

Damian laughed. "She made a decision."

"She decided to shield me." Adrian's barely controlled anger was audible in his voice. "Wanting to be with you is entirely different from that."

Completely relaxed, Damian leaned against the counter. Adrian, tell me. What specifically are you going to do about this?

A pause.

Adrian's voice then arrived, gravely serious.

"Do not put me to the test."

The room's air changed.

Celeste noticed for the first time a glimmer of something perilously near amusement in Damian's face.

"Oh?" he asked himself. "This is fascinating now."

Celeste took a deep breath and moved forward. "Don't, Adrian."

He lowered his voice a little. “Celeste—”

But Damian hung up the phone before he could say another word.

There was silence in the room.

Then—

Damian's grin grew as he turned to face her.

"I did not realise how much fun this would be."

A Risky Idea

Celeste's heart raced. "Damian, this is not a game."

He c****d his head. "Is it not?"

Her chest grew constricted. "You are not loved by me."

He let out a dramatic sigh. "Yes, indeed. I have heard that previously.

She clenched her hands at her sides. Why will not you let me leave, then?

With his fingers tilting her chin up, Damian moved closer, forcing her to look into his eyes.

"Because, sweetheart." There was nothing but possession in his voice. "I own you."

Celeste felt a knot in her stomach.

She had been worried that he would learn about Adrian for precisely this reason.

due to Damian's victory.

And if he could not voluntarily have her...

Until she was once again his, he would break her.

She inhaled tremblingly. "What are you looking for?"

The question obviously pleased him, as he grinned. "A bargain."

Her throat became parched. “A bargain?”

Before he spoke, Damian took a step back and poured himself a drink. "You remain here. Stop running. No more Adrian.

Her heart fell. "What if I don't?"

Before responding, he sipped, enjoying the moment.

"Then I destroy him."

Fear pierced her chest like a sharp knife.

Adrian.

Damian was not playing a bluff. Without hesitation, he could have destroyed Adrian's life because he had the means, the power, and the ruthlessness.

And he would.

She was certain he would.

At her sides, her hands shook. "You are a monster."

He grinned. "But you married me anyway."

Her stomach churned.

She was so blind once.

However, that is no longer the case.

Celeste's thoughts were racing, trying to find a way out.

As usual, however, Damian was two steps ahead.

Before he spoke, he put the glass on the counter and finished his drink.

"My dear, go to sleep on it." He spoke in an almost loving tone. "Do not take too long, though."

For if she did not make a decision quickly...

It would cost Adrian.

Celeste could not allow that to occur.

However, remaining would mean losing herself to Damian once more.

Her heart thumping, she turned her back.

Some other way had to exist.

She simply needed to locate it.

before it was too late.