Ivy
The gates slammed shut behind me with a finality that felt like a slap.
Again.
I stood in the cold shadow of the mansion my breath uneven, my fists clenched tight enough to draw blood. I didn’t even flinch when the locks snapped into place. This wasn’t the first time Leon had caged me. But this time, it felt personal. Deliberate.
This time, it hurt.
I should’ve seen it coming. He’d been distant since the ambush—colder, if that was even possible. Like the attack gave him the excuse he needed to wrap me in steel and call it protection.
Except it wasn’t protection. It was punishment.
I stormed through the stone halls barefoot, the chill of the marble floors biting into my skin. My boots were still in my room. I hadn’t had time to grab them—not when I saw the guards posted at the ga
