Chapter 3

ISADORA

"Force-feeding it is, then," Luca declared, his tone nonchalant as he confidently strode into the room and sat on the bed. He motioned for Anna to bring the tray of food, never breaking eye contact with me. I glared at him defiantly, ready to see just how far he would go to make me eat.

Anna placed the tray between us, setting down the fresh food as Luca scrolled through his phone, casually tapping away. He stopped scrolling and turned the phone toward me, showing a video. My heart skipped a beat when I saw who was on the screen. Laura, my best friend.

“It’s a live feed,” he said coolly, tapping his finger against the screen. “She’s walking into a store. I have my men tailing her.” He looked at me with a devilish smirk, his voice dropping to a low, mocking tone. “One order from me, and pew.” He made a shooting motion with his hand.

“Why are you doing this?” My voice cracked, barely above a whisper.

Luca’s smirk didn’t waver. “Start eating, or I’ll give the order.” His gaze was sharp, unwavering, and I knew from the look in his eyes that he wasn’t bluffing.

There was a reason people believed he’d killed his wife, because people feared him. And now, he was using that fear against me. My hands trembled as I looked down at the tray of food, a rich array of options in front of me. I swallowed hard, but the lump in my throat was harder to swallow.

“I’ll eat… just please, leave her alone.” My voice barely rose above a whisper.

“Her living is dependent on you now, sweetheart,” Luca replied smugly, his tone dripping with satisfaction.

My hands were shaking as I struggled to lift the spoon to my mouth. Before I could take another breath, Luca took the spoon from my hands, his fingers brushing mine as he began feeding me small bites of the food. I swallowed, my chest tight with both anger and fear.

"Why me? Why are you doing this?" My voice quivered, the words hanging in the heavy air between us.

Luca didn’t answer right away. Instead, he fed me another bite, his eyes never leaving mine. For a moment, I thought he might actually give me a real answer, but when he finally spoke, it wasn’t the truth I was hoping for.

"Why you?" He placed a glass of water to my lips, watching me drink slowly, his gaze unwavering. "I want you, Isadora. And I always get what I want."

He said it so casually, as if it was the only reason he needed to justify everything he was doing to me.

"But you don’t even know me," I shot back, my frustration growing. I was trying to make sense of the madness, but his response just made everything worse.

"Sweet Isadora," he said softly, wiping a crumb from the corner of my lips. His touch was light, almost tender, but the way he looked at me made my skin crawl. He traced his finger along my lips, his eyes dark, and I could feel the weight of his gaze, heavy and possessive. "I’ve known you longer than you think."

My breath caught in my throat. What did he mean by that?

Anna took the tray away, but I couldn’t look at her. My mind was a mess, and my body felt too tired to move.

“Sleep well, Isadora,” Luca’s voice echoed as he left, and the door shut behind him, leaving me alone.

I paced the room, feeling trapped. Laura’s safety weighed heavily on me, and I knew I couldn’t trust anyone here.

I collapsed onto the bed, but sleep didn’t come. All I could think about was Luca, Laura, and how I was stuck in this nightmare. Would I ever get out, or was I just another pawn in Luca’s game?