The next morning, Isabella woke not in her small apartment, but in a room too beautiful to belong to her.
The curtains were silk, pooling on the polished marble floor. A chandelier glittered above, scattering shards of light across a king-sized bed dressed in satin sheets. Every corner of the room whispered of wealth, velvet armchairs, golden mirrors, vases of white roses so fresh their perfume filled the air.
It was the kind of room people dreamed of living in. To Isabella, it felt like a cage dressed in silk.
She sat up abruptly. The last thing she remembered was Dominic's words echoing in her head, the weight of his possession sinking into her bones. She must have fallen asleep in exhaustion, and someone, his men, no doubt, had moved her here.
Her pulse jumped when the door opened.
Dominic entered, his presence filling the room before he spoke a word. This morning he wore no tie, his shirt half-unbuttoned, revealing strong lines of muscle beneath. He looked less like a crime lord and more like temptation dressed in power.
"You're awake," he said simply.
Isabella pushed off the bed. "Take me home."
"This is your home now." His tone was calm, but final, as if the matter wasn't up for discussion.
She shook her head, anger rising despite her fear. "You can't just keep me here like some, some"
"Like some what?" Dominic stepped closer, his dark eyes fixed on hers. "You think this is prison? I've given you the kind of life people kill for. Luxury. Safety. Comfort."
"This isn't safety!" she snapped. "Safety is being free, not being locked in a palace I never asked for!"
For a moment, silence stretched between them. Then, slowly, Dominic reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. He set it on the dresser and opened it, revealing a necklace that caught the light like fire, diamonds, sharp and breathtaking.
"Do you know what this is worth?" he asked, voice low.
"I don't care," she spat.
He smiled faintly, not at all offended. "It's priceless. Because it's not about money. It's about who wears it. And now, it belongs to you."
When she didn't move, Dominic stepped forward, closing the distance between them. His fingers brushed her neck, cold and commanding, as he fastened the necklace around her. The diamonds rested against her collarbone, their weight both beautiful and suffocating.
"Every time you wear this," he murmured, his lips dangerously close to her ear, "you'll remember whose you are."
Isabella's breath caught. She wanted to tear the necklace off, to scream, to run, but she stood frozen, trapped between fury and something darker she refused to name.
Dominic pulled back slightly, his gaze never leaving hers. "Don't mistake this for cruelty, Isabella. The world outside would devour you. Here, you are mine. And mine is the safest place you could ever be."
She swallowed hard, her heart racing. "You don't love me. You don't even know me."
Dominic tilted his head, studying her as though she were a puzzle only he could solve. Then, with a certainty that sent shivers down her spine, he said, "Love? No. What I feel is far stronger than that. Love fades. Obsession does not."
The words struck like a chain around her heart.
And as he left the room, the heavy door clicking shut behind him, Isabella realized the truth: she was no longer fighting to leave the cage. She was fighting not to lose herself inside it.