Ruby’s POV
It didn’t happen all at once.
I didn’t wake up the next day ready to be soft and silent. I didn’t slip into obedience like an old sweater. It was slower than that. Sharper. Like stitching my mouth shut with invisible thread, one smile at a time.
I knew how to be what Jake wanted.
I had spent months learning that dance.
Gentle voice. Downcast eyes. Small nods. Obedient silence. Never interrupt. Never disagree too quickly. Let him think his ideas are yours. Let him believe he’s healing something instead of breaking it.
But this time, I wasn’t doing it to survive.
This time, I was doing it to win.
Because I’d watched him.
I’d studied the way he operated: manipulation laced with charm, dominance dressed as romance. Jake didn’t just want power. He wanted worship. He didn’t w
