The moment I realized Ms. Sterling had locked me in, I was started tearing at the bed.
Sheets, blanket, pillowcases. I knotted them together with shaky, desperate hands, tugging each knot until my palms burned. The rope looked pathetic, but it was all I had.
"This is insane," I muttered, dragging it to the window. "Absolutely insane."
But so was staying.
I shoved the glass pane open, knotted the makeshift rope around the heavy wooden post of the canopy bed, and threw the rest out the window. The fabric flapped in the night air, dangling three stories down to the stone patio below.
My stomach flipped.
It was now or never.
I swung a leg out the window, gripping the sheet so tight my knuckles whitened. My bare feet scraped against the stone as I climbed down, inch by painful inch. The rope swayed, my arms burned, and every knot groaned under my weight.
"Don't look down, don't look down-"
Too late.
The ground spun beneath me, dizzying. But I kept going, teeth gritted, until my toes scraped stone. I dropped the last few feet, knees buckling, heart racing.
I was free.
I turned and ran.
The garden stretched wide and shadowy, hedges rising like walls on either side. I sprinted across the grass, lungs burning, the gravel driveway finally coming into view.
Then—headlights.
A sleek black car glided up the driveway like a predator. It slowed, rolled to a stop.
No. No, no, no—
The door opened.
And he stepped out.
Ethan.
Tall, broad, in a suit that clung to him like sin itself. His tie loose, his dark hair tousled, his eyes glinting like a storm locked onto me.
For one frozen heartbeat, we just stared at each other.
Then I bolted.
"Aria." His voice cracked across the night like a whip.
I ran harder. The gravel bit my bare feet, my breath came ragged, but adrenaline screamed through my veins.
"Don't you fucking dare." His shoes pounded the ground behind me, faster, closer, relentless.s
I pushed harder. My legs screamed. My lungs tore. For one wild second, I thought maybe, just maybe. I could make it to the trees.
Then his arm wrapped around my waist.
I screamed, twisting, kicking, but he dragged me back against his chest like I weighed nothing.
"Let me fucking go!"
His grip only tightened. My back slammed into his chest, my head brushing the underside of his jaw. His breath was hot against my ear.
"You're insane," he growled, his voice low, rough, vibrating down my spine. "Do you have a death wish? You could've broken your neck."
"I'd rather die than stay here with you!" I spat, thrashing against him.
He spun me around, pinning me with his body, his hands gripping my wrists above my head.
Our faces were inches apart.
"Say that again," he murmured, dark eyes burning into mine.
"I..." My voice caught, breathless, the fight tangling with something hotter, sharper. His chest pressed to mine, his body caging me in, and the air between us became hot.
The anger, the fear, the years of pain, it all collided with the heat sparking between us.
He leaned closer, so close his lips nearly brushed mine. "Tell me you'd rather die, Aria. Go on. Lie to me."
My heart hammered. My lips parted. For one reckless second, I swayed forward, ready to taste the forbidden, ready to taste his lisp.
At the last second, he pulled back with a bitter laugh, dragging a hand through his hair.
"God, you're trouble."
Before I could answer, his arms scooped under me.
I yelped as he lifted me bridal style, muscles flexing, holding me effortlessly like I weighed nothing.
"Put me down!" I pounded against his chest, but he didn't flinch.
"Not a chance," he muttered, striding toward the house. "You just proved you can't be trusted to keep yourself alive."
"You don't own me!"
His eyes cut down to mine, sharp and merciless. "Sweetheart, after yesterday, you're mine whether you like it or not. And I don't share what's mine."
He carried me up the steps, through the massive double doors, his jaw tight, his hold unyielding.
And all I could think about, heart still thundering, was how close I'd come to kissing the man who'd just stolen my freedom.