Chapter 5

ELIZABETH’S POV

I felt like I was sinking.

Even in sleep, my body ached with exhaustion — not just from being dragged, slapped, and drugged, but from the betrayal that still clawed at my heart. Ever since Nathan fooled me, stripped me of everything my parents left behind, I hadn’t had a moment of peace. I cursed the day I met him.

I didn’t want to wake up. Not to this nightmare.

But something was wrong.

I could feel hot breath brushing against my face… too close. My skin prickled. Fear clutched my chest. I wanted to stay still, pretend I was asleep — because waking up always meant facing something worse.

But I couldn’t stay asleep forever, no matter how badly I wanted to fade into nothing.

With a pounding heart, I cracked my eyes open.

A man was hovering above me.

His face was just inches from mine — eyes locked with mine, lips dangerously close, as if we were about to kiss. But this wasn’t romantic. This was terrifying.

“You’re awake,” he said smoothly.

My blood ran cold.

I screamed.

Adrenaline surged through me, and I used every ounce of strength I had left to shove him off. He tumbled backward, crashing onto the floor with a startled grunt.

I scrambled up in the bed, panting, arms shaking. My heart was thundering. I didn’t know where I was or who he was — but I wasn’t going to lie there and wait to find out.

“My goodness!” I screamed, yanking the blanket up to cover myself. My hands were trembling. “Who are you?” I snapped, my voice unsteady as I stared at him in shock.

He groaned from the floor, slowly pushing himself up with a pained grunt. I turned away quickly, heart pounding, hugging the blanket tighter around me.

“Who are you? What am I doing here?” I whispered, still too shaken to face him.

“Look at me,” he said.

I hesitated, then slowly turned my head — and froze.

My eyes widened. “You…”

It was him. The same cold-eyed stranger I had begged to let me stay with him days ago — the one who had turned me away without mercy.

“Yes,” he said, brushing himself off. “Me.”

My confusion deepened. “What am I doing here?” I asked, clutching the blanket like armor.

He raised a brow. “That doesn’t sound like a thank you for saving your life.”

“Saving me?” I echoed, disoriented. “Why would you save me?”

It didn’t make sense. He had wanted nothing to do with me. I was sure I’d never see him again — and now here he was, rescuing me from being sold like property. Why?

He scoffed, rolling his eyes. “You ask too many questions. It’s irritating.”

His tone shifted. Cold. Dismissive. That same detached glare he gave me the first time returned.

“Maybe I should’ve let you get killed,” he muttered under his breath.

His words hit me like a slap, making my chest tighten. I swallowed hard, unsure if I should feel grateful or angry — or terrified.

“Well… thanks for saving me,” I muttered, forcing the words past the lump in my throat. “But I’ll be leaving now.”

I stood up from the bed, legs still shaky, but determined.

One step.

Then another—

Suddenly, pain shot up my ankle. I screamed as I crashed to the floor, my body hitting hard against the cold surface. The blanket slipped from my grasp, and I scrambled to cover myself again, panting.

My eyes darted to my left foot.

A thick iron chain was clamped tightly around my ankle, bolted to the floor beneath the bed.

My heart stopped. “What… what is this?”

I looked up at him, my voice cracking. “Why am I chained?!”

He stood there, his face expressionless, like I was an insect buzzing too loudly.

“What does it look like?” he said quietly, stepping toward me.

I backed away on the floor, dragging the chain with me, but he moved faster—reaching down, grabbing my chin roughly between his fingers, forcing my face upward.

“Listen to me,” he said through clenched teeth. “No. More. Questions.”

His grip hurt, fingers pressing into my skin until I winced.

Tears welled in my eyes. “What do you want from me?” I asked, even though I knew I shouldn’t.

His eyes darkened.

“I said no more questions!” he snapped, his voice like thunder. His hand tightened painfully, and a tear slipped down my cheek.

I nodded quickly, trembling. “Okay,” I whispered.

He let go, shoving my face to the side as he stood up straight.

“From now on,” he said coldly, “you stay here. With me.”

My heart dropped.

I stared at him, stunned, as the reality began to sink in. I wasn’t just rescued.

I was trapped.

“Why aren’t you letting me go?!” I screamed, my voice cracking with panic. “What am I doing here? You said it yourself—you hate women! Remember?”

He didn’t respond right away. He just stood there, silent, exhaling a long, sharp breath.

“I do hate women,” he said at last, his voice low and disturbingly calm. “I hate you. I hate every single one of you.”

I stared at him, frozen.

He took a step closer, eyes narrowing. “In fact, I hate you so much… I want to kill you. Right here. Right now.”

His words sliced through the air like a blade. My breath hitched. My skin went cold.

This wasn’t a misunderstanding. I hadn’t escaped danger—I had stepped right into a new nightmare. A deeper, darker one.

“But,” he added, voice shifting into something even more unsettling, “there’s something about your pathetic little life that’s… intriguing.”

He looked me over with a twisted smirk.

“You’re broken. You’ve lost everything. And watching you suffer—it makes me feel good.”

I flinched, pressing my back against the wall.

“If I have a way to make that suffering last,” he said, chuckling darkly, “why the hell would I waste it?”

Tears blurred my vision. My voice trembled as I shouted, “Who are you?! Why are you doing this to me?!”

He paused at the door.

Then, without turning around, he said coldly, “You can call me your dark side.”

And with that, he slammed the door shut—hard enough to make the walls shake.

I was alone again.

But this time, it was worse than before.

Because now I knew: I wasn’t just someone who got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I was chosen… by a man who enjoyed watching me fall apart.