I slammed the bedroom door shut, my pulse hammering like I'd just outrun a wildfire.
He followed, of course. He always did.
"Aria." Luca's voice cut through the air, sharp as a blade, the kind that made men knee. "Don't walk away from me."
"I didn't walk," I hissed, whipping around to face him, fists clenched. "I ran. Get the difference straight."
He closed the door with a slow, deliberate click, a predator locking us in. "Running? You think that saves you? They would have torn you apart tonight without me."
"Don't lecture me!" My arms wrapped tight around my chest, holding myself together. "I felt their eyes, every single one, reducing me to nothing but a bargaining chip. A prize. And then you…" My voice cracked, raw. "You branded me as yours in front of them all."
His steel-gray eyes bored into me, unyielding. "It was the only way to keep you alive."
"Alive?" I spat, stepping toward him, defiance burning through my fear. "That wasn't protection, Luca. That was possession."
