Alicia's POV
The morning sun filtered weakly through the penthouse curtains, golden streaks slipping across the silk sheets tangled around my body. For a moment, I stayed still, half afraid to move, half afraid that if I breathed too deeply, he would sense it.
Because Liam was there. Right beside me.
His arm draped loosely across my waist, possessive even in sleep, as though his body knew mine was already plotting betrayal. His chest rose and fell against my back in a steady rhythm, and for the briefest heartbeat, I almost let myself believe this was safe. That I was just any woman waking up beside her lover, not a prisoner trapped inside a gilded cage.
But then his grip tightened. Not enough to hurt, not even enough to wake him, just enough to remind me that I was his. And the lie I was planning burned like acid inside me.
Chloe's words from last night echoed in my head. "I'll be outside the tower at midnight. Don't make a sound. Don't look back."
I swallowed hard, forcing air into my lungs. Tonight. Just one day of pretending. If I could smile, laugh, and obey Liam until midnight, maybe... just maybe, I could step out of this cage.
"Awake?"
His voice came, rough with sleep, right at my ear. My body jolted before I could stop it.
"Yes," I whispered, praying my tone was casual.
He hummed, shifting so that his lips brushed against the back of my neck. "Good. I don't like when you lie in bed too long. Makes me wonder what you're dreaming of."
My pulse skittered. Does he know?
I forced a soft laugh, tilting my head slightly to bare my throat to him like an obedient offering. "Only you," I said, hoping the lie didn't tremble on my tongue.
He kissed the spot behind my ear, slow and claiming. "Keep it that way."
Breakfast felt like a performance.
The penthouse dining room gleamed with black marble and polished steel, the Manhattan skyline sprawling endlessly beyond the glass walls. Liam sat across from me, every movement precise cutting into eggs, as though even his breakfast was a negotiation.
I held my fork carefully, praying my hand didn't shake. My mind was already racing ahead: where I would hide the small bag Chloe told me to prepare, how I'd keep my footsteps quiet at midnight, how I'd keep my face neutral when Liam's gaze burned across the table.
"Eat," he said softly, eyes never leaving me. "You'll need your strength."
My stomach twisted. Was it just a simple command, or… a warning? Did he somehow know I was planning to run?
I lifted the fork obediently, chewing mechanically. The silence between us was weighted, thick. Every time his eyes flickered to me, I imagined he was peeling back my skin, exposing the lies beneath.
"Tell me," he said suddenly, his tone casual but dangerous in its calm. "Do you ever think of home?"
The fork nearly slipped from my fingers. My family. My brother. My sick mother. My reason for planning this betrayal.
I forced my lips into a small smile. "Sometimes." I sipped water to cover the tremor in my voice. "But this is my home now, isn't it?"
He leaned back, studying me with that unreadable expression, the kind that always made me feel like prey pinned beneath a predator's gaze.
"Yes," he murmured. "It is."
When Liam left for the office, I finally allowed myself a shaky breath. The silence of the penthouse wrapped around me, heavy and terrifying. Even gone, he lingered, his cologne clinging to the sheets, his shadow stretching across the glass.
My phone buzzed. I snatched it up, heart leaping.
Chloe: You ready?
My fingers shook as I typed.
Me: Trying. He's watching me too closely.
Her reply came instantly.
Chloe: Stay calm. Pretend. Midnight, remember. I'll be waiting.
I pressed the phone to my chest, eyes stinging. Just one day. I could do this.
The hours crawled. I tried to read. I tried to nap. I tried to rehearse lies in the mirror, forcing my smile to look natural. But the tension coiled tighter with every tick of the clock.
At three in the afternoon, the sound of the private elevator made my heart slam against my ribs.
He was home. Early.
Liam stepped into the penthouse in a perfectly cut suit, his expression unreadable.
"You look surprised," he said, loosening his tie as his eyes swept over me. "Didn't expect me back so soon?"
"No, I..." My throat closed. I forced a smile. "I was just going to make coffee."
His lips curved faintly, though it wasn't quite a smile. "Good. Make mine strong."
As I moved to the kitchen, I felt his gaze track me like a spotlight. My skin burned under it. Every motion, opening the cabinet, pouring water felt like walking a tightrope over fire.
When I set his cup down before him, he caught my wrist.
"Sit."
I obeyed, pulse pounding as he pulled me into his lap. His hand rested on my thigh, thumb stroking slowly, deliberately.
"You're tense," he murmured, pressing his lips against my jaw. "Why?"
Because I'm lying. Because I'm going to betray you. Because tonight I'll try to leave.
"I'm not," I whispered, hating how false it sounded.
He chuckled low, his breath hot against my ear. "You forget…..I know your body better than you do. You can't hide from me, Alicia."
His fingers slid higher, teasing, testing, and I bit down on a gasp. It wasn't just intimacy, it was interrogation disguised as desire. Every kiss felt like a question: What are you hiding?
I forced myself to respond, to arch into him, to moan like any other day. If he suspected, he didn't say it. But the way his eyes burned into mine when he finally let me go made my blood run cold.
Dinner was worse.
He insisted on cooking, searing steak in the kitchen while I sat at the counter, nerves stretched thin. The scent of sizzling meat filled the air, but my stomach churned too violently to eat.
"Tell me," he said as he set the plates down. "What would you do if your family called you right now? Begged you to come home?"
My fork froze. The world tilted.
"I… I'd tell them I can't," I said softly, eyes on the plate. "Because you wouldn't let me."
The silence stretched. Then Liam's hand covered mine, warm, possessive.
"Good answer."
My appetite was gone.
Nightfall settled heavy over Manhattan, the city lights glittering like a thousand watchful eyes. Liam was quiet all evening, almost too quiet, his presence coiled beside me like a snake waiting to strike.
When he finally kissed me goodnight and disappeared into his study, I could barely breathe.
Midnight. Just a little longer.
I crept to the bedroom mirror, staring at the reflection of a woman who looked both terrified and determined. My bag was ready, hidden beneath the bed. Chloe would be waiting below.
I pressed a trembling hand to my chest. Please, let me make it out.
I eased toward the door, each step careful, silent. The elevator was only a few feet away.
And then….
"Going somewhere, Miss Blake?"
His voice cut through the silence like a blade.
I froze, every drop of blood turning to ice.