Chapter 3 : The Rules of His World

The second day felt worse than the first.

Not because anything had changed—but because nothing had. The room was still the same, the silence still suffocating, and the reality still unshakable.

I was trapped.

I hadn’t slept properly. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face. Luca De Santis. Cold, controlled, too calm for someone who had just taken a person’s freedom without blinking.

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the untouched food tray from yesterday. It had been replaced. Fresh food. Fresh water. Same note.

“Eat.”

Short. Commanding. Like he expected obedience.

I pushed it aside immediately.

“I’m not his pet,” I muttered under my breath.

My stomach tightened anyway.

Stubbornness was one thing. Hunger was another.

I stood up, pacing the room again. I had already checked everything yesterday, but I refused to accept there was no way out. There had to be something I missed.

A vent. A hidden panel. A weak point.

But everything was too perfect.

Too intentional.

Like the room itself was mocking me.

A soft click came from the door.

My body tensed instantly.

It opened—but it wasn’t Luca.

Marco stepped in again.

“Good morning, Miss Stone,” he said calmly.

I scoffed. “Don’t ‘good morning’ me. I want to leave.”

He didn’t react. Instead, he placed a small tablet on the table.

“What is that?” I asked sharply.

“Rules,” he replied.

My eyes narrowed. “Rules?”

Marco nodded once. “For your stay.”

I let out a dry laugh. “My stay? I’m not staying anywhere. I was kidnapped.”

“I am aware,” he said calmly.

That calmness irritated me more than Luca’s silence.

I stepped closer. “Then tell your boss I’m not following anything he sets.”

Marco studied me for a moment before speaking.

“He already expects that answer.”

“Then why bother?”

“Because,” he said simply, “he prefers structure.”

I almost laughed. “Structure? He kidnapped me and now he wants structure?”

Marco didn’t respond.

Instead, he turned the tablet toward me.

On the screen were bullet points.

You are not allowed to leave the estate.

Security is constant.

Any attempt to escape will be stopped.

You will be provided everything you need.

You will be safe—if you cooperate.

My jaw tightened.

“This is insane,” I said.

Marco remained calm. “It is what it is.”

I looked up at him sharply. “And if I don’t cooperate?”

A pause.

“Then you will learn the limits of your situation.”

My chest burned.

“I hate this place,” I said.

Marco nodded slightly. “That is expected.”

I glared at him. “Why are you even telling me this like I have a choice?”

“You don’t,” he said honestly.

The bluntness made my anger spike.

“I want to see him,” I said suddenly.

Marco’s eyes flickered slightly.

“Luca?”

“Yes,” I snapped. “Your boss. The psychopath running this whole circus.”

For the first time, Marco hesitated.

“That is not recommended,” he said.

“I didn’t ask for your recommendation.”

A pause.

Then—

“I will inform him,” Marco said.

He turned to leave.

But before he reached the door, I spoke again.

“Tell him I’m not afraid of him.”

Marco stopped briefly.

Without turning back, he said:

“He already knows.”

Then he left.

The door locked again.

I exhaled sharply, frustration boiling inside me.

“I need out of here,” I whispered.

But deep down, I was starting to understand something I didn’t want to admit.

Luca wasn’t just keeping me here randomly.

There was intention behind everything.

And that scared me more than the locked doors.

That evening, everything changed.

The sun had already started to set, casting a golden glow through the curtains. I was sitting on the floor by the bed when I heard it.

Footsteps.

Not Marco’s.

Not security.

Slower. Heavier.

My heart immediately recognized them.

I stood up instantly.

The door opened.

And Luca De Santis walked in.

The room shifted the moment he entered. The air felt heavier, like even silence respected him.

He didn’t look at anything except me.

“Still stubborn,” he said quietly.

My jaw tightened. “Still a kidnapper.”

A faint smirk touched his lips—but didn’t reach his eyes.

“You refused food,” he said.

“I refused your control,” I corrected.

He stepped further inside.

This time, I didn’t move back.

I refused.

His gaze flickered slightly at that.

Interesting.

“You’re adjusting faster than I expected,” he said.

“I’m not adjusting,” I snapped. “I’m waiting for my chance to leave.”

His expression didn’t change.

“You won’t get one.”

I laughed bitterly. “You talk like this is normal.”

“For me, it is,” he said calmly.

That answer made my stomach tighten.

I crossed my arms. “Why am I really here?”

Silence.

For a moment, I thought he wouldn’t answer.

Then he stepped closer.

Too close.

Close enough that I could feel the shift in his presence.

“You remind me of someone,” he said.

“I know that part,” I said sharply. “Marco already told me. The dead woman.”

His jaw tightened slightly at the word dead.

A reaction.

Small—but real.

“Her name is Isabella,” he said quietly.

“I don’t care,” I replied.

That made his eyes darken slightly.

“You should,” he said.

I scoffed. “Why? Because I look like her?”

His gaze held mine.

“Yes.”

The simplicity of the answer made my chest tighten.

“So I’m just a replacement to you?” I asked coldly.

Something shifted in his expression.

“No,” he said immediately.

That surprised me.

Too fast.

Too certain.

I frowned. “Then what am I?”

He didn’t answer right away.

Instead, he studied me again.

Like he was trying to separate me from a memory he couldn’t let go of.

“You are not supposed to exist,” he said finally.

My breath caught.

“What does that even mean?”

He stepped closer again.

This time, I could feel my heartbeat rising.

“Isabella died,” he said slowly. “But your face… makes it feel like she didn’t.”

My throat tightened.

“That’s not my problem,” I said.

“I know,” he replied softly.

A pause.

Then—

“That is why you are here.”

My anger flared instantly. “That is not a reason to kidnap someone!”

His eyes sharpened slightly.

“I did not kidnap you because of impulse,” he said.

“Then what?” I challenged.

A long silence.

Then he said something that made my entire world tilt slightly.

“Because when I saw you… I lost control for the first time in years.”

The room went still.

Even I didn’t speak.

For a moment, I saw something behind his eyes.

Not dominance.

Not arrogance.

Something fractured.

Then it was gone again.

“You will stay here,” he said quietly. “Until I understand why.”

I stepped back instantly. “That is insane.”

He didn’t stop me.

He just watched.

“I don’t belong to your memories,” I said firmly.

His gaze darkened slightly.

“No,” he agreed.

A pause.

Then—

“But you already live in them.”

And with that, he turned and left again.

Leaving me standing in a silence that suddenly felt different.

Heavier.

Like the real story had only just begun.