LOGINANGELVincent’s eyes dropped to my chest.Just for a second. Just a flicker.But I caught it.There you are, Daddy. There’s that hungry look I’ve been waiting for.“They’re so swollen,” I continued, cupping my breasts through my shirt like I was assessing the damage. Lifting them slightly. Pushing them together. Drawing attention to exactly where I wanted it.I made sure to move slowly, ensuring he could see every detail—the way my fingers sank into the soft flesh, the way my nipples hardened beneath my palms, straining against the thin fabric of my tank top. No bra underneath. There was nothing between his eyes and my body except a flimsy scrap of cotton.“Is this normal? The pregnancy books didn’t say anything about them getting this big.”Daddy’s grip on the book tightened. I watched his breathing shallow.That’s it. Keep looking, Daddy. Keep wanting.“It’s… normal.” His voice came out rougher than usual. Strained. As though he was forcing each word through gravel. “Your body is p
ANGELWe existed in the same routine for the next few days.A routine where Daddy and I shared a bed, ate meals together, completely in each other’s space—but yet, we were tiptoeing around the edges of the awareness that burned between us.Even if we didn’t talk about it, I could feel it.The tension.It thickened with each passing hour, filling the air between us until every breath felt heavy. Until I could practically taste the want radiating off him like heat from a furnace.Vincent watched me.These were hungry looks. Possessive. Consuming.His eyes followed me across rooms like dark shadows. They lingered on my face, my lips. They dropped to my belly and stayed there, darkening with something that looked like satisfaction. Ownership. Claim.I caught him doing it constantly.Obsessively.Every single day.And I loved it.There was something deeply satisfying about being watched like that. About knowing that Daddy—the man who controlled empires, who made grown men tremble with a gl
ANGELThe mansion looked exactly the way it did before I left.But it felt different.Or maybe I was different.Vincent carried me through the front doors despite my protests and didn’t set me down until we reached his bedroom.“Rest,” he said, lowering me onto the bed like I was made of porcelain. “I need to handle some things. I’ll be in my study.”His study was just the next door.“What things?”“Business stuff.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead, his lips warm against my skin, “It’s just a few calls. Nothing you need to worry about.”He left. I looked around Daddy’s room. The massive bed with its dark sheets. The heavy curtains blocking out the late evening sun. It sort of felt like a dream, all those times I dreamt about being back here, surrounded by the familiar scent of Daddy’s cologne soaked into every surface.I snooped around a bit, I just wanted to see what Daddy had been up to while I’d been away. My things were still here. My pajamas in his wardrobe, folded neatly on t
ANGEL Standing behind me. Daniel. His grey eyes bright with amusement. Blood on the suit he’d worn for our wedding. Bullet holes that should have killed him, that did kill him, that couldn’t have killed him because he was here. That smile. That unhinged, crazy smile that said he knew something I didn’t. “Miss me, Angel?” I spun around. Nothing. Empty bathroom. Marble tiles gleaming under the bright lights. No one there. My breath was coming too fast, too shallow, black spots dancing at the edges of my vision. I blinked hard and inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with air that tasted like antiseptic and soap. Snap out of it, Angel! I slapped my cheek twice. Hard enough to sting. He’s not real. He’s not real. He’s dead. Vincent killed him. I watched him die. I turned back to the mirror. He was still there. Closer now. Right behind my shoulder. His lips near my ear, close enough that I could have sworn I felt his breath. “I told you I’d always come back.” His voice was a
ANGELThe doctor finally approved my discharge.I was healed to some reasonable extent, at least from the bullet wound. The stitches in my palm had dissolved, leaving behind a scar that would fade with time—a permanent souvenir of my own stupidity. But I was far from fine.Something was wrong. It had been eating at my sanity for the past days, gnawing at the edges of my mind like a rat trapped inside my skull.Physically and psychologically.One of my concerns was that something was wrong with the baby.It should have been easier to ask the nurses—they came and went often enough, checking vitals, adjusting my pillows, and giving me their usual professional smiles. The problem was that I didn’t want to say anything with Daddy nearby.And Daddy was always nearby.He hadn't left the room since we arrived. Sleeping in that uncomfortable chair by my bed when he slept at all, which wasn’t often. Watching me with those dark, intense eyes that tracked my every movement like I was prey that
ANGEL The beach house was exactly as I remembered it. Salt air filled my lungs and waves crashed somewhere in the distance, a rhythmic lullaby that should have been soothing but felt off-key. I was standing in the living room, the place where Daniel had proposed. How did I get here? I looked down. The wedding dress! I was wearing the wedding dress again, the fabric heavy, dragging against the floor, and pooling around my feet. I tried to move. My feet wouldn’t cooperate. “DID YOU REALLY THINK A FEW BULLETS WOULD STOP ME, BABY GIRL?” My heart stopped. I knew that voice. Knew it in my bones, in my blood, in the deepest parts of me. I turned around slowly. Daniel was standing in the doorway. His grey eyes glinted in the dim light, possessive and utterly unhinged. My blood ran cold. “You’re dead,” I whispered. “Daddy killed you. I watched you die!” “Did you?” He cocked his head, curious. Amused. “Are you sure about that, Angel? Are you sure about anything anymore?” He ste
ANGEL Dinner was my idea. “Can we go out tonight? Just us? Like we used to?” I’d asked. He’d agreed and I’d nearly squealed. This might as well be our first date, he just didn’t know it yet. The last time we had dinner alone in public, I was still a kid. And afterwards I’d hated seeing Jillian
ANGELDr Moreau’s office smelled like chamomile tea. I hated it even before my ass touched the chair.The woman was exactly what I expected. Her dark hair was pinned into a strict bun, her reading glasses dangling on her nose. She was wearing a silk blouse that was buttoned all the way to her thro
VINCENT The next morning, I prepared breakfast, grateful for the routine. The eggs were scrambled exactly how she used to like them. The toast cut diagonally. Fresh fruit arranged on the plate. A glass of milk because she needed the calcium. Normal things that a father would do for his daughter.
ANGELEverywhere we went, Vincent’s eyes followed me. Too close. Dark and watchful. It was almost like he was expecting me to do something crazy at any given moment.Maybe I would.I’d just wanted to get somewhere I could breathe without feeling his presence in every corner. But he wasn’t even a







