A STAINED OBSESSION
1197 Words
Alessia's POV
I swallowed hard
And finally whispered
“Then stop turning me into one”
Lucien didn’t answer immediately
His eyes were burning into mine
Like he was trying to read something hidden deep inside me
And even though I wasn’t sure what he saw
His stare made my stomach twist
He stood slowly from behind his desk
Walked around until he was in front of me
Then leaned down a little
Close enough that I could smell his cologne
Dark
Sharp
Like danger wrapped in silk
“But what if I don’t want to stop?”
His voice was soft
Too soft
It made my skin tingle
I didn’t say anything
I couldn’t
He was too close
Too much
Too everything
He straightened and took a step back
Like he knew he had already made me uncomfortable enough
But his next words made it worse
“Follow me”
I blinked
“Where to?”
He didn’t answer
He just opened the door to his office
And walked out like he expected me to follow
And I did
Because somehow I didn’t want to be left alone in that room
Not after the way he was looking at me
Like I belonged to him
We walked down a quiet hallway
The lights were dim
The air smelled like expensive wood and mystery
I had never noticed this part of the mansion before
It didn’t look like the rest of the house
Lucien stopped in front of a door
Painted deep red
It looked old
Almost antique
But strong
Like whatever was behind it needed to be locked away
He placed his hand on the knob
Then looked back at me
“Inside this room”
He said quietly
“You’re not a guest… you’re mine”
I didn’t understand
But my heart was racing again
I opened my mouth to ask
But before I could speak
He opened the door and walked in
The room was dark at first
But then small lights flicked on
Soft
Red
Like the walls were bleeding light
I stepped inside slowly
And gasped
There were shelves lined with files
Books
Boxes
But that wasn’t what caught my attention
There were pictures
Of me
Me in school
Me walking on the street
Even one of me sleeping
My chest tightened
“What is this?” I whispered
Lucien was standing by one of the shelves
Looking at me
Carefully
“I protect what’s mine”
“This is not protection” I said
Backing away a little
“This is spying”
He didn’t look guilty
Not even a little
“I’ve been watching you for years Alessia”
His voice was calm
Like he wasn’t saying something insane
“I just didn’t know you’d end up being my wife this soon”
My breath hitched
“Years?”
He nodded once
“I always knew you were different… even before you knew who I was”
I stared at him
Speechless
The Red Room suddenly felt like a prison
But part of me was trembling for another reason
No one
Not even my parents
Had ever paid that much attention to me
Was it wrong that a piece of me liked it?
I wrapped my arms around myself
My voice low
“Why show me this now?”
Lucien walked closer again
Stopped in front of me
“Because it’s time you stop thinking I’m like the others”
His hand lifted
But he didn’t touch me
Just hovered near my face
Like he was giving me a choice
I didn’t move
I couldn’t
He lowered his hand again
And stepped back
“I’m not going to touch you until you ask me to”
He said
Then turned around
And left me alone in that strange red room
With my pictures
My secrets
And the growing truth
I didn’t hate being his
But I was terrified of how much I wanted it
Lucien’s POV
She said it.
“Then stop turning me into one?”
Those words didn’t just land.
They burned straight through my chest like a wildfire on gasoline.
For a moment, I stared at her. At Alessia. At that small, fragile body that looked like it had never raised its voice or clenched its fists—yet she had just challenged me in my own home.
In my own damn office.
I leaned back in my chair slowly, never breaking eye contact. She looked down almost immediately, as if regretting what she'd said, but it was too late. The spell had broken. The girl I thought I could control was... cracking through her shell.
Good.
I wanted her to show teeth.
I wanted her to hate me enough to burn.
But not yet.
"Get up," I said, my voice like a razor hidden in velvet. "We're not done."
She looked up, surprised. "W-What?"
"You think you know what a monster is?" I rose from my chair, slowly unbuttoning my sleeves like I was preparing for war. "Let me show you what one looks like behind closed doors."
I saw the fear in her eyes again—but not the same as before. This time, it was mixed with something else.
Curiosity.
I walked around the desk, and she backed away, bumping into the chair she’d been sitting in. Her hands were trembling, clutching the edge like a lifeline.
I opened the door beside the bookshelf. A secret panel.
One she hadn’t noticed when she came in earlier.
“Come,” I said simply.
She didn't move at first.
“Alessia,” I said again, this time gentler. “You want to understand me? This is the only way.”
I don’t know what made her obey—maybe the tone, maybe the twisted trust we were building—but she walked. Hesitantly. Small steps. Until she stood beside me.
I didn’t touch her.
I didn’t have to.
She followed me down the narrow, dimly lit corridor that led to the room no one knew existed in this house.
The Red Room.
The door creaked as I opened it, revealing the blood-red walls, the sharp scent of sandalwood, the floor-to-ceiling velvet curtains, and a single glass cabinet lined with objects that screamed control. Power. Secrets.
She froze.
"What... is this?"
I watched her.
"It's where I learned to control pain... and pleasure."
Her breath hitched. I could almost hear her heartbeat thumping in the silence. She looked like she was going to run, or faint, or scream. But she didn’t.
Instead, she walked inside.
And that was the moment I knew—
This girl wasn’t just some collateral bride.
She was something far more dangerous.
She had grit.
She had fire.
And God help me... I was starting to crave her more than I craved silence, more than I craved peace, more than I craved revenge.
She turned to face me.
"Why are you showing me this?" she asked softly.
"Because I need you to see the real me before you start pretending I’m something else."
"And what if I already think you’re a monster?" she whispered.
I smiled. Slowly. Darkly.
"Then you're already halfway mine."
- Writer
