I made the decision before the tears had even finished drying on my cheeks. I wasn't going to stay in that mansion, becoming the best-kept secret of a man who denied us in front of millions of screens. I locked myself in the room and dragged the small suitcase I'd brought from the center of Istanbul. I crammed my clothes in, my hands trembling with rage and my heart pounding in my ears with a dizzying intensity.
Sebastian banged on the door, making the wood rattle.
"Gia, open the damn door! You're not going anywhere," his voice was desperate, completely out of control. "Marcus, get me the keys to this room right now!"
"Don't you dare come in, Sebastian!" I yelled, yanking the zipper off my suitcase. "If you break down that door, I swear I'll climb out the window. Try me."
The silence t
