Chapter 14
ROSALIE
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The house was quiet, too quiet, like it always was when I had time to think. I stood in the center of the living room, looking around at the perfectly arranged furniture, the gleaming glass coffee table, and the carefully chosen artwork hanging on the walls. Everything about this place screamed perfection. But to me, it wasn’t a home–it was a cage.
Everywhere I looked, I saw the invisible bars that kept me trapped. The curtains, the flowers on the table, even the polished floors–all handpicked by Damien, just like me.
I sighed and dropped onto the couch, letting my head fall back as I stared at the high ceiling. Sometimes, I wondered what my life would have been if I’d not been forced into this choice. Would I still feel this heavy weight pressing down on my chest? Would I still feel so…. trapped?
The sound of the gate creaking open outside snapped me out of my thoughts. My heart skipped, and I sat up straight. It wasn’t time for him to be home yet.
Damien.
I glanced at the clock on the wall, frowning. He was early. Too early.
The sound of his car door closing reached my ears, followed by the heavy, deliberate click of his shoes on the driveway. My body tensed involuntarily as I rose from the couch, unsure why my pulse quickened the way it did. I knew it was him. The air seemed heavier, the silence sharper.
The front door opened, and the faint scent of his cologne reached me. His footsteps were deliberate, unhurried, as if he already owned the air in the room.
I didn’t move.
“Won’t you greet your husband?” His voice carried an edge of mockery, as though he found my silence amusing. When I still didn’t respond, he stepped further into the room. “Or are you sulking about something?”
1 finally raised my head, locking eyes with him. My heart pounded, but I kept my tone ice–cold. “Welcome home,” I said flatly.
The corner of his mouth twitched into a smirk. “That’s all I get? No smile? No warmth? You wound me,
Rosalie.”
I didn’t respond, and his amusement only seemed to grow. He took a step closer, leaning down slightly, his hand brushing, against my arm as he moved in to kiss me.
I jerked back, my movements sharp and unyielding. “Don’t,” I snapped, my voice firmer now.
His eyes darkened, but his smirk remained. “Still playing hard to get, I see.” He straightened, his gaze never leaving mine. “I know you weren’t expecting me to come home early,” he said smoothly, his tone deceptively calm. “I finished work fast today. For you.”
I stared at him, my lips pressing into a thin line. For me? I almost laughed at the absurdity of it. Instead, I kept my thoughts to myself, refusing to let him see how his words stirred confusion and anger within me.
He tilted his head, clearly waiting for some kind of reaction, but I gave him none.
His
gaze shifted to the bags in his hand, catching the light as he let them dangle lazily from his grip. He caught me glancing at them, and the smirk deepened.
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Chapter 14
“What’s in them?” I asked coolly, my voice devoid of curiosity.
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He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he walked up to me, setting the bags on the coffee table. “Go on,” he said, motioning toward them. “Look inside.”
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I hesitated, unsure of what he was playing at. Slowly, I reached for the first bag and pulled out a sleek black dress, the fabric soft and luxurious under my fingers. My brow furrowed as I glanced at him, but he said nothing, just watched me with that piercing gaze of his.
The second bag held a pair of heels–high, elegant, and nothing like the shoes I normally wore. And the third? A matching handbag, simple yet expensive–looking.
I stared at the items in disbelief, my fingers clutching the dre
“What’s all this for?”
“We’re going out,” he said, his tone firm and unyielding. “Dinner. Just the two of us.”
I blinked, stunned into silence. Damien wasn’t exactly the romantic type, and gestures like this were rare. Almost nonexistent.
“Why?” The word slipped out before I could stop it.
His jaw tightened slightly, but then he exhaled, his expression softening just a fraction. “Because I want to. Now go upstairs and get ready.”
I stared at the dress in my hands, my chest tightening. For a moment, I considered going along with it, taking the easy route like I always did. But something in me snapped. I couldn’t keep pretending. Not today.
“No,” I said, my voice steady, even though my hands trembled slightly. “I’m not going.”
Damien’s head lifted from his phone, his sharp eyes narrowing as they locked on mine. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” I said, forcing myself to stand my ground. “I’m not going out with you, Damien. What sort of man are you? You torment me, control every aspect of my life, and then casually walk in here with gifts, acting like that makes it all okay?”
His expression darkened, and he took a deliberate step closer. “Rosalie, I don’t think you understand what you’re saying.”
“Oh, I understand perfectly,” I snapped, the words spilling out before I could stop them. “You think you can treat me however you like–trap me in this house, treat me like a prisoner–and then expect me to play along with whatever you decide. It doesn’t work that way, Damien.”
He tilted his head slightly, his voice lowering to a dangerous calm. “It works exactly the way I decide, Rosalie. I’m not asking for your opinion. You will go upstairs, you will put on that dress, and you will come with me to dinner.”
My heart raced, but I couldn’t stop now. “No,” I said again, more firmly this time. “I’m not some doll you can dress up and parade around whenever it suits you. I won’t do it.”
His jaw tightened, and the air in the room seemed to shift, growing heavier with each passing second. Damien closed the distance between us in three measured steps, his towering frame casting a shadow over me.
“You think this is up for debate?” he asked, his voice sharp, cutting. “You think you can tell me no?”
I swallowed hard but didn’t look away. “Yes, I can. I’m not your property, Damien.”
His eyes narrowed further, his jaw clenching. “You’re my wife, Rosalie. And as my wife, you’ll do as I say.”
“And what about me?” I shot back, my voice trembling with anger. “What about what I want? What about how I feel? Or does
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Chapter 14
that not matter to you at all?”
“You think I care about your tantrums right now?” he snapped, his tone cold enough to chill the room. “You’ll do what you’re told because that’s what’s expected of you. I didn’t come home early to argue with you, and I won’t stand here while you throw a fit over nothing.”
“This isn’t nothing!” I yelled, my voice cracking, “You can’t just walk in here and demand that I go along with whatever you want. You can’t keep doing this to me!”
Damien’s eyes darkened, a flicker of something cold and dangerous crossing his face. Before I could say another word, he closed the distance between us in a single step. His hand shot out, wrapping, firmly around my neck–not enough to truly hurt, but enough to make me freeze.
“Enough!” he snarled, his voice a raw command that echoed in the room.
I gasped, my hands instinctively flying to his wrist as his grip tightened slightly. My heart pounded in my chest, my breath hitching as I stared into his piercing, gaze.
“You don’t get to raise your voice at me,” he growled, his tone deadly. “Do you hear me, Rosalie? You do not get to challenge me like this.”
I tried to pull back, but he held me firmly in place, his dominance suffocating and inescapable. “Let me go,” I whispered, my voice strained.
“Not until you understand something,” he said, his voice low and filled with menace. “You don’t tell me no. You don’t question me. I decide how this works, not you. You are my wife, and you will act like it.”
Tears stung, my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. “This isn’t love,” I choked out, my voice barely audible. “You’re just proving you’re a monster.”
He leaned in closer, his expression hardening. “Call me whatever you want, but you’ll still do as I say.”
After a few agonizing moments, he released me, stepping back as if nothing had happened. I stumbled slightly, gasping for air and clutching my neck as I glared at him.
“You’re insane,” I whispered, my voice shaking.
“No,” he said coldly, his gaze unwavering. “I’m in control. Now, you have five minutes to get ready. Don’t test me again.” He turned and walked away, leaving me trembling in the center of the room. My chest heaved with uneven breaths as I tried to steady myself, but his words–and the weight of his actions–hung heavily in the air.
I
