Stolen by the wrong brother

ChapterThree

The next morning, I woke up to the smell of coffee again.

For a second, I forgot where I was.

Then I saw the locked door, the mountain view, and the clothes Damian had given me folded neatly on the chair.

I sat up fast. I told myself I was getting out that day.

Damian was in the kitchen, pouring some coffee into a mug. He glanced up as I walked in.

“You slept in,” he said.

I ignored him and grabbed a slice of toast from the counter. “What day is it?”

“Tuesday.”

I thought about it for a while. That meant I’d been here for two days.

“Where’s my phone?” I asked.

“Gone.”

I stared at him. “ What do you mean, gone?”

He took a sip of his coffee. “Yes. You don’t need it here.”

My hands curled into fists. “Damian, you’re the most selfish, arrogant man I have ever met. Have you stopped to think that my parents will be so worried? What about my job? What happens to that?”

“It’s all sorted out,” he said, chewing on his toast like all I said didn’t matter.

I wanted to scream, but I knew losing control wouldn’t help me. So instead of causing a scene, I forced a smile. “You know what? Fine. Let’s have breakfast together.”

His brow rose slightly. “Just like that?”

I shrugged. “Might as well make the best of this. Let’s act like the couple you want us to be.”

Damian could hear the sarcasm in my tone. We ate in silence for a few minutes. Damian watched me like he knew what I was thinking, but I kept my eyes on my plate.

When he stood to rinse his mug, I noticed the set of keys lying on the counter beside him.

I waited until he turned his back, then I carefully reached for them.

“Don’t,” he said without looking.

My hand froze in the air. “I was just—”

“You were about to make a very bad decision.”

I dropped my hand. “You can’t expect me not to try.”

He turned to face me. “I expect you to learn.”

The house was very quiet. He took a book from his library and gave me a romance novel. “How do you know I like books like this?” I asked, surprised. “I told you I know you, Lena.” He said it with a smirk on his face, like he had just won a contest. We sat there in the living room, going through pages of romantic stories. Was this part of his plan to make me fall for him? I wondered.

An hour later, he told me he had to “check the property line” and that I was to stay inside.

The second the door shut behind him, I ran to the back door.

It had a single lock. I grabbed a heavy glass vase from the table and smashed the small window next to the knob. My hands scratched some glass as I reached in and twisted the lock.

I was outside in seconds, running across the yard and into the trees.

The forest was thick and cold, but I didn’t care. I had no idea where the nearest road was, but I figured if I kept going downhill, I’d eventually find something.

After about ten minutes, I heard the sound of an engine.

I froze.

Damian’s black truck was crawling along the dirt path parallel to the trees. He was looking straight ahead, but I knew he’d spot me if I kept moving.

I ducked behind a thick tree. My chest was pounding. The truck then slowed down.

Then I heard his voice. “Lena.”

I bit my lip and stayed still.

“I know you’re there.” His tone was calm. “You have two options. You come out now, or I will come get you.”

I wanted to dash into the bushes, but I stayed put.

“You don’t want me to come get you,” he added.

The truck door slammed. I could hear his footsteps approaching. Before I could move, his hand wrapped around my wrist and yanked me out from behind the tree.

“You’re fast,” he said, “but not faster than me.”

I tried to pull free. “Let me go!”

“Not until you’re back in the house.”

“You can’t just keep dragging me back like this!”

“Yes, I can,” he said, leading me toward the truck. “And I will, until you stop trying.”

I got angry and slapped him. “You’re insane.”

Damian held his face in his hands and stared at me. He then laughed and said. “We’re going to pretend that didn’t happen, Lena.” He opened the passenger door. “Get in.”

When I didn’t move, he leaned closer. His voice lowered. “Lena, if you push me too far, I’ll make sure you never step outside again. Do you understand?”

Something in his tone made my heart thump. I got in without another word. Tears flowed down my face as we drove to the house.

Back at the house, he locked the door and tossed his keys into a drawer.

“That’s strike two,” he said.

I crossed my arms. “Strike three and what? You kill me?” I said, wiping off my tears.

He gave me a long, unreadable look. Damian came closer, trying to clean off my tears. I moved away from him. He turned around, realizing it was too soon to make contact with me. “Lena, don’t make this hard for both of us. I told you I want to take care of you. But I can’t do that if you don’t let me.”

“Why?” I asked. “Why go this far? Why me?”

For a moment, I thought he might answer. But then he turned and walked away.

That night, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling.

I should have been thinking about escaping.

Instead, I kept thinking about Damian. What exactly did he want from me? I wondered. I wanted to open up his brain and find out what he was thinking.

It scared me.

Not just because I didn’t understand him… but because a small part of me wanted to.