The air in the Hart mansion was heavier than usual.
Lila felt it the second she walked through the front doors after school. Her brothers were gathered in the living room, tension sharp in the air, and her father sat in his chair like a king at judgment.
Every set of eyes locked onto her.
"Where were you last night?" Aiden asked coolly, arms folded.
They started again interrogate
Her jaw clenched. "I told you. Riding."
"You've been sneaking out too often." Tyler's voice was low, dangerous.
Caleb usually joking, leaned forward, elbows on his knees, glare dark. "And you came back with a mark on your lips. Don't insult us by lying again."
Her stomach knotted, but she held her ground. "It's my life."
Jordan's eyes were sharp as knives. "Not when it puts you at risk."
Her father finally spoke, his voice cutting through the silence. "Enough. If she insists on defying us, then she'll be watched."
Her heart dropped. "Watched?"
"Escorts,"Aiden said bluntly. "From now on, someone follows you. At school. At night. Everywhere."
Her fists clenched at her sides. "That's insane!"
"It's protection," Tyler snapped.
"It's control!" she shouted back. "I can't breathe with you all choking me!"
The room went silent.
Her father's face darkened, but before he could speak, Elara's voice cut in smoothly. "Let her trip to Europe be her breathing space, then."
All eyes turned to her.
Elara sipped her wine calmly. "She's already convinced Dad to sign the papers. If we tighten the leash now, she'll just fight harder. Let her go on the school trip. But we'll put people in place to watch from afar."
Lila's chest heaved. She hated that Elara was right—hated that her sister could manipulate the room so easily.
But at least it meant she wouldn't lose the trip.
She didn't realize, then, that the real danger wasn't her brothers' men.
It was Ethan.
The next day, Lila kept her head down as she walked into school. Her family's eyes still burned in the back of her mind, their suspicion clinging to her skin.
She tried to lose herself in the noise of the halls. But she didn't have to look far.
Ethan was waiting.
Leaning casually against the trophy case, arms folded, eyes fixed on her. His presence was magnetic, terrifying, infuriating.
Her pulse stuttered, but she forced herself past him.
"Morning, angel," he drawled.
She froze. He never called her that before.
"Stay away from me."
He smirked, falling into step beside her. "Not possible. Especially now."
Her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
But he only grinned wider, the kind of grin that made her blood run cold.
By the time the teacher announced the final trip roster during last period, her heart had already begun to race.
Names were read aloud, one after another. Friends cheered.
Then—
"Ethan Cole."
Her head snapped up.
No. No, this wasn't possible.
Her pen clattered to the desk. She whipped around, and there he was in the back row, his eyes locked on hers, a lazy smirk curving his lips.
Her stomach twisted.
The teacher continued as though nothing had shifted in the universe, but for Lila, the world tilted.
When the bell rang, she bolted, but he was faster.
He caught her arm just outside the door, dragging her into the shadow of a hallway.
Her voice was sharp, panicked. "How are you on that list?"
His gaze burned. "Did you really think you could leave me behind?"
Her chest rose and fell. "You manipulated it."
He leaned closer, his breath hot against her ear. "I told you. Every first is mine. That includes the first time you leave this country. You don't go anywhere without me, Lila. Not now. Not ever."
Her skin burned, her knees weakening, even as her fury snapped. "You can't just—"
But he cut her off, pressing her back against the wall, his body caging hers. His hand slid to her waist, grip firm, possessive.
"I can. And I did."
Her lips trembled. "You're insane."
He smirked darkly. "Insane for you. And when we're halfway across the world, remember this, angel—" His thumb brushed her bottom lip, sparking fire. "You're still mine."
Her body betrayed her, heat flooding, pulse racing.
And she hated it.
Hated how his chains sank deeper with every word, every touch.
That night, she lay in bed staring at the ceiling, mind whirling.
Her brothers thought they could control her.
Her father thought he could cage her.
And Ethan…
Ethan wasn't just a cage. He was fire. Chains. Possession wrapped in a boy's body.
And now, she realized with a sinking heart—
She was about to spend an entire month with him in another country.