Punish Me…

Zeden.

“Let me go! I want to leave here!” she shouted again and again, voice cracking with every word.

God, my hands twitched so hard I had to clench them into fists to stop myself from giving her a sharp reminder slap across that pretty face.

I couldn’t even do that—not yet. Not like this.

Rukov must have sensed the storm building inside me because he took a route I hadn’t asked for—a long, empty stretch of road flanked by nothing but dark fields and distant trees.

The kind of place where no one would hear screams, no matter how loud they got.

“Stop the car here, Rukov,” I said.

The tires screeched. Gravel sprayed. The car jerked to a halt.

I was out before it fully settled, yanking the back door open. I grabbed her arm and dragged her out through the same side I’d exited.

No hesitation.

I shoved her hard.

She hit the concrete with a thud that I knew would rattle her bones and ring through her skull.

She screamed instantly—sharp, startled.

I towered over her, pacing like a caged animal, boots crunching gravel with every furious step.

“Why are you doing this?!” she cried out, voice shaking.

“Why am I doing this?” I barked back. “Seriously? You pull that stunt in front of everyone and now you’re playing innocent? Playing the victim? This is the peak of your stubbornness, Amber. This pure fucking madness! Tell me what pushed you to make that scene back there. Tell me right now!”

She quivered on the ground. Her mouth trembled. Tears already gathering in her eyes.

I crouched down to her level, close enough that she had to look straight into my face.

“Go ahead. Speak all the nonsense you want. Does this have anything to do with whatever you were trying to tell me earlier? Or is this about me picking a bride who isn’t you? Considering the fact that your father sold you off for marriage like some cheap bargaining chip—answer me!”

I shouted the last part so hard she flinched, body jerking like I’d struck her.

She shook her head quickly. No.

“It’s my mother…” she started, voice small. “You paid for her bills…”

I scoffed, cutting her off. “So this whole meltdown is about your mother? That’s the reason for all this insanity? Tell me, Amber—is it not a good fucking thing that I paid? That she’s not rotting in some public ward?”

“It’s not just that!” she snapped, voice rising again. “You tried to take her away from me! You moved her out of the hospital and… you put her somewhere else! And…”

Her words faltered. Died in her throat like she didn’t know how to finish.

“And what?” I demanded, sharp and low.

“And you didn’t bother to tell me any of this!” she shouted at last.

“Oh, is that so?” I straightened up, towering over her again. “That’s your problem? All this chaos because of what Enzo fed you? Because I didn’t send you a fucking memo?”

I pulled my phone out, thumbed to the most recent video, and shoved the screen toward her face.

Her mother—safe, clean, in a quiet apartment. Two nurses moving around her in the background, adjusting pillows. She looked peaceful. Cared for.

“So,” I said, voice flat. “Isn’t your mom doing perfectly fine without your useless fucking worries?”

“It’s not useless,” she whispered. “I just thought… Enzo made it sound… I’m sorry. I thought…”

“You thought what?”

She couldn’t finish. Tears spilled fast now, eyes swollen and red. She looked small. Broken.

I turned away, jaw clenched so tight my teeth ached.

“I’m sorry,” she said again, voice cracking. “I didn’t think. You never told me. I thought you were taking her away from me. Punish me. Please.”

The sight of her on her knees—begging, crying—made my blood boil hotter. I had to lock my hands behind my back to stop myself from grabbing her face and grinding it into the dirt. Instead I turned and started walking back to the car.

“Where are you going?” Her voice rose, panicked. “Don’t leave me here. It’s dark. I can’t stay here.”

I paused, half-turned.

“It’s your punishment,” I said.

“No—I don’t want this punishment. Please.”

“Then what?” I asked, already knowing exactly what she was driving at. I wouldn’t give it to her. Not yet.

“You can… fuck me. Please. You don’t have to be gentle. Just… don’t leave me here.”

I let out a short, bitter laugh.

“I thought you wanted freedom. Now I’m giving it to you. It’s only an hour’s walk back to the mansion from here. But If I don’t see you walk through the front door in the next twenty minutes, you’ll regret ever crossing me. You’ll regret it so hard you’ll wish I’d left you on that concrete.”

“You know that’s impossible,” she said, voice trembling. “I don’t know this area. I don’t know the way. There are no cars on this road. It’s just… empty.”

“And did you really think I’d care?”

“Twenty minutes, Amber. Twenty.”

I got back in the car. Slammed the door.

Rukov didn’t wait for another word. He hit the gas.

We peeled away, leaving her in the dark.

I stared straight ahead, jaw locked.

Part of me hoped she’d make it back.

Part of me hoped she wouldn’t.

Either way—she’d learn.

No one tests me twice.

Not even her.