Chapter Forty-Three
The days since my last confrontation with Stefan had been filled with a silence that hung like a heavy fog between us. He was everywhere. Always watching, always near. The bodyguards, the constant surveillance, the lavish dinners where he’d sit across from me, his icy eyes never straying from my face—it was as if he was trying to suffocate me with his presence.
But the thing was, I had gotten used to it. Too used to it. The vast mansion, the constant hum of the staff going about their duties, the feeling of being under constant observation—it had become my reality. I didn’t know how to break free from it, and with every passing day, I felt myself sinking deeper into this gilded cage Stefan had created for me.
Today, however, something felt different. Stefan had been unusually quiet, his usual intensity muted as if he was contemplating something serious. He had spent most of the morning in his office, not asking for me, not demanding my presence like he usually did.
