Chapter 4: The First Crack in the Cage

Morning came without permission.

There was no sunrise I could appreciate, no gentle wake-up into a normal life. Just the same room, the same silence, and the same locked reality pressing down on me like a weight I couldn’t escape.

I didn’t sleep.

Not really.

Every time I closed my eyes, his voice replayed in my head.

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

I hated that it stayed with me.

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the door. Yesterday changed something—not in the situation, but in me. Fear was still there, yes. But now it was mixed with something more dangerous.

Curiosity.

And I didn’t like it.

The tray of food was replaced again.

Same message.

“Eat.”

I ignored it like always.

“Control freak,” I muttered under my breath.

I stood up and walked to the window. The estate outside looked the same—too quiet, too guarded. But today, I noticed something I didn’t before.

Movement.

Security rotating positions. Guards changing shifts.

This place wasn’t just secure.

It was alive with structure.

Like a system designed to never fail.

I pressed my forehead lightly against the glass.

“How do people even escape something like this?” I whispered.

A soft knock interrupted my thoughts.

I turned sharply.

The door opened—but it wasn’t Marco this time.

A woman stepped in.

I froze.

She looked around my age, dressed neatly in black, hair tied back, posture straight. But unlike Marco, she didn’t carry authority. She carried caution.

“Miss Stone?” she asked softly.

I narrowed my eyes. “Who are you?”

She hesitated. “I’m Elina.”

“Let me guess,” I said dryly, “you also work for him.”

She nodded slightly.

My jaw tightened. “Great. Another employee of the world’s worst kidnapper.”

Elina flinched slightly at my words but didn’t argue.

“I was sent to help you,” she said instead.

I laughed once. “Help me? By keeping me locked in?”

“That’s not my decision,” she replied quickly. “I just… bring what you need.”

I crossed my arms. “Then bring me a way out.”

Silence.

Her eyes dropped briefly.

“I can’t do that,” she said quietly.

“Of course you can’t,” I muttered.

She stepped forward carefully and placed a small bag on the table.

Clothes. Basic items. Nothing useful for escape.

I didn’t move.

“Why are you here?” I asked sharply.

Elina hesitated again. “Because… he said you might need someone to talk to.”

I blinked.

That caught me off guard.

“He what?” I asked.

She nodded slightly. “He doesn’t usually… bring people in like this. Not personally.”

I scoffed. “So I should be grateful I was personally kidnapped?”

Elina stayed quiet.

Smart girl.

I walked closer to her, lowering my voice slightly. “Tell me something. Honestly.”

She looked up.

“Is he always like this?”

Elina paused.

That hesitation told me everything I needed to know.

“No,” she said finally.

That was enough.

I frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”

She looked toward the door nervously before speaking.

“He’s… different since Isabella.”

My chest tightened at the name again.

“So she wasn’t just some random obsession,” I muttered.

Elina shook her head quickly. “It’s more than that.”

I studied her. “Explain.”

She hesitated, then lowered her voice.

“Before she died… he wasn’t like this. He smiled more. He trusted people. He wasn’t—” she paused, searching for the word, “—this controlled.”

I frowned.

Controlled.

That word kept coming up.

“And now?” I asked.

Elina swallowed. “Now he doesn’t let anything surprise him. Except…”

“Except me,” I finished.

She nodded slightly.

A silence fell between us.

For the first time, I felt something shift inside me—not fear exactly, but something more uncomfortable.

Responsibility.

I didn’t like it.

“I’m not her,” I said firmly.

Elina looked at me. “He knows that.”

“Does he?” I asked sharply.

She didn’t answer.

That silence was worse than confirmation.

Before I could ask anything else, the door opened again.

Elina immediately stepped back.

Marco walked in.

His eyes landed on Elina briefly. “You’re done.”

She nodded quickly and left without argument.

The door closed behind her.

Now it was just me and him again.

I crossed my arms. “Let me guess. More rules?”

Marco shook his head. “A request.”

I raised an eyebrow. “From who? Your boss or your conscience?”

“Luca,” he replied simply.

My stomach tightened slightly.

“What does he want now?” I asked.

Marco hesitated before speaking.

“He wants you to join him for dinner.”

I stared at him like he was joking.

“Dinner,” I repeated slowly.

“Yes.”

I laughed. “So I’m kidnapped, locked in a mansion, and now I’m supposed to attend dinner like this is a vacation?”

“It is not a request you can decline,” Marco said calmly.

I stepped forward. “Watch me.”

His expression didn’t change.

“Refusal will not stop him from coming here,” he said.

That made me pause slightly.

I hated that it did.

I narrowed my eyes. “And if I refuse?”

“He will still expect you to be there,” Marco said.

My jaw tightened.

Of course he would.

I turned away slightly, trying to think. Dinner meant interaction. Interaction meant opportunity.

But with him… nothing was ever simple.

“Fine,” I said finally.

Marco nodded once.

“I will inform him.”

He turned to leave.

But I spoke again.

“Wait.”

He stopped.

I hesitated for a moment before asking.

“Why does he want me there?”

Marco turned slightly.

For a moment, his expression softened just a little.

“Because,” he said quietly, “you’re the only thing in this house he doesn’t understand.”

Then he left.

The door clicked shut.

I stood still for a long time after that.

Dinner.

With him.

The man who kidnapped me because I looked like someone he lost.

I exhaled slowly.

“This is getting worse,” I muttered.

But even as I said it, I knew something was changing.

Because fear alone wasn’t the only thing I felt anymore.

And that scared me more than the locked doors ever could.