THE PRICE OF LOVING A MONSTER

Chapter Five: His Punishment.

The drive home was silent.

Too silent.

I sat beside Damian, my hands tightly held together in my lap. I had never seen him like this before.

Not angry.

Not shouting.

Just cold.

And somehow, that scared me more.

The moment the car stopped in front of the mansion, Damian stepped out without saying a word.

"Damian..." I called softly.

He didn't answer.

I followed him inside, watching the guards lower their heads as he walked past. Everyone in the house could feel the storm hiding behind his calm expression.

When we reached our bedroom, Damian finally turned around.

"Do you know what you did today?"

I swallowed. "I met an old friend."

His eyes darkened.

"No. You put yourself in danger."

"I didn't know he would act that way," I replied.

Damian walked closer.

"And that is exactly why I am angry."

I looked at him, confused.

"You think I am angry because of Visha?" he asked. "I'm angry because you walked into a situation where someone could have hurt you."

"I can take care of myself," I said quietly.

A bitter smile appeared on his face.

"That is what you still don't understand, Elena. The world doesn't see you the way I do."

I shook my head. "Damian, your protection is starting to feel like a cage."

Those words hit him harder than I expected.

For a moment, the powerful mafia man disappeared, and I saw the wounded man underneath.

Then his expression hardened again.

"Maybe you need to understand what happens when you ignore my warnings."

My heart sank.

"What are you going to do?"

Damian took my phone from the table, turning it over in his hand before setting it down firmly between us.

"For one week, no unnecessary meetings. No secret conversations. No going anywhere without security."

"Damian!"

"You call it punishment," he said. "I call it making sure you are safe."

"But you don't trust me."

His silence answered me.

The pain in my eyes made him look away.

"I trust you," he whispered. "I don't trust the world around you."

I stepped back.

"And that is the problem."

The words stayed between us.

For the first time in seven years, Damian realized something he never wanted to admit.

The woman he loved was beginning to fear him.

Later that night, I lay awake, staring at the ceiling.

I loved Damian.

But I was starting to wonder if love was supposed to feel this heavy.

And in the darkness outside our room, Damian stood alone, looking at my sleeping figure through the slightly opened door.

He had won.

He had kept me close.

But deep inside, he knew something was changing.

Because the tighter he held me...

The more he felt me slipping away.