Selena.
Christopher didn’t shout.
That was what frightened me most.
His smile was thin, almost calm, as if he had already decided what would happen next and no longer needed my consent.
“You think refusing me makes you brave,” he said softly. “I should teach you what defiance costs.”
My stomach dropped.
“You forget your place far too easily,” he continued. “And lessons like this are best taught where no one can interfere.”
I didn’t respond. I refused to give him that satisfaction.
He turned toward the door. “Take her,” he ordered. “To the dungeon.”
The word landed like a sentence.
For a moment, I waited for someone to object. For hesitation. For mercy.
None came.
The guards stepped forward, one on each side of me. Their grips were firm but not rough, as if this were routine. Li
