Chapter 21

“I said let me go home.”

Nanigas ang boses ko. I wanted to scream, to lash out, to throw anything I could get my hands on. Pero ni isang galaw, hindi ko magawa. My body froze—stuck between rage and heartbreak.

Lucian didn’t move. He just stood there, watching me as if every second of my fury was a language he understood.

“You’re not a prisoner here,” he said, stepping closer. “I brought you here because I knew you’d never allow yourself to rest. To breathe.”

“I don’t need rest,” I snapped. “I need freedom. I need control of my life back, Lucian.”

“You still don’t get it, do you?” His jaw tightened. “You’ve always had control. You’re just too scared to use it.”

“Says the man who flew me to another country without asking!” Napahagulgol ako sa inis. “You don’t get to paint yourself as some savior. You bought me, remember?”

His eyes darkened.

“You think I don’t remember that night?” bulyaw ko. “When I walked into the street shaking, willing to give everything for my brother’s life?