chapter fifteen
958 Words
The silence was deafening. The only sound that filled the grand bedroom was the rhythmic ticking of the golden clock on the nightstand. Serena lay curled up on the bed, her body aching from the events of the night before. The bruises on her skin felt like brands, each one a reminder of her helplessness.
Tears threatened to spill from her swollen eyes, but she had no more left to cry. She had cried enough in the past hours, screamed enough to lose her voice. Now, all she felt was empty—numb.
The scent of him still clung to her skin, a cruel reminder of what he had done. She shifted slightly, wincing as a dull pain throbbed between her thighs. Shame burned through her like fire. He had taken everything.
Serena’s fingers clenched into fists as a quiet sob escaped her lips. She wanted to hate him. She did hate him. But the worst part was the small, treacherous part of her that feared she would never truly escape him.
The door creaked open. She stiffened, her entire body tensing.
Alessio leaned against the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest as his cold eyes observed the fragile girl curled up on his bed. She looked so small, so breakable. His jaw tightened.
He expected her to be shattered, expected her to hate him even more. And yet, something about the way she lay there, her body trembling slightly, unsettled him.
Regret wasn’t something Alessio De Luca was familiar with. He didn’t regret his choices—ever. But as he took in the way she refused to look at him, the way she flinched at the slightest movement, an unfamiliar weight settled in his chest.
He stepped closer, towering over the bed. Serena squeezed her eyes shut as if hoping he would disappear.
“Look at me,” he ordered, his voice cold, authoritative.
She didn’t move.
His patience snapped. Reaching forward, he gripped her chin, forcing her to look at him. Her green eyes were empty, void of the fire she once had. That bothered him more than he liked to admit.
“You’re mine, Serena,” he murmured, his voice dark. “Nothing will change that.”
Serena didn’t respond. She didn’t fight, didn’t scream. She simply stared at him, as if he were a stranger.
For the first time in his life, Alessio De Luca felt something unfamiliar coil in his chest. A twisted sense of unease.
And he didn’t like it.
✦✦✦
Serena didn’t resist when he held her chin, but she didn’t yield either. Her body felt as if it no longer belonged to her.
Her lips parted, but no words came out. What was there to say? That she hated him? That she wished him dead? That she wanted to claw at his face until he bled the way she was bleeding inside?
He wouldn’t care.
He had already shown her how little her pain meant to him.
His grip tightened just a fraction, just enough to force her to focus on him. His face was unreadable, but his eyes were piercing, demanding something from her—what, she wasn’t sure.
“You will speak when I ask you something,” he said, voice controlled but laced with something darker. “I won’t tolerate this silence.”
Silence.
Serena wanted to laugh. Wasn’t it his fault she had nothing left to say?
She slowly pried his fingers off her chin, her hands trembling. Alessio let her, watching her with cold amusement.
“I have nothing to say to you,” she finally whispered, her voice hoarse.
Alessio’s gaze darkened.
“That’s a lie,” he said smoothly. “I can see it in your eyes. You have a lot to say, Serena. You just don’t have the courage.”
Serena’s nails dug into her palms.
Courage?
She had nothing left to fight with.
Nothing left to hold onto.
She let out a bitter breath and turned her face away. “I don’t care anymore.”
A flash of something crossed his face, too quick for her to recognize. Then, it was gone.
“You should,” he said, stepping back. “Because this is your life now.”
Her stomach twisted.
No.
She refused to believe this was her future.
She couldn’t.
He turned to leave, his heavy footsteps echoing in the silence. When he reached the door, he paused, glancing back over his shoulder.
“You will Eat something,” he ordered. “I won’t ask again.”
The door clicked shut behind him.
Serena stayed frozen, her breath shallow.
Then, the first tear fell.
And she let it.
✦✦✦
Alessio’s fists clenched the moment he stepped into the hallway.
Something was wrong.
Serena was supposed to fight. She was supposed to scream at him, curse him, resist him. But that blank look in her eyes? That silence? It unsettled him in a way nothing ever had.
He leaned against the wall, exhaling sharply.
Had he broken her too soon?
He scoffed at himself. What the hell was he thinking? This was exactly what he wanted—to own her, to crush her defiance until there was nothing left.
So why did it feel like something was slipping through his fingers?
Pushing off the wall, he signaled to one of his men.
“Have someone bring her food,” he ordered, his voice sharp. “Make sure she eats.”
The guard nodded before hurrying off.
Alessio didn’t understand what irritated him more—the fact that she refused to look at him with fear anymore… or the fact that he wanted her to.
Either way, he wasn’t done with her yet.
Not even close.
- Writer
