Chapter 2: Whatever Belongs to Me

I drove home with both hands tight on the wheel and the taste of him still on my tongue. Every red light felt too long. Every shift of my legs against the seat sent a fresh ache through me that made my face burn. The city moved past the windows but all I could feel was the lingering stretch where he had been buried inside me and the way my pulse still jumped whenever I thought of his voice.

When I finally reached the apartment the lights were still on. Theo sat on the couch with his sketchbook open on his knees. He looked up the moment the door closed.

You are back late, he said softly.

Work ran longer than I expected.

He studied my face for a moment longer than felt safe. I wondered if he could see the flush still on my skin. I crossed the room and pressed a kiss to the top of his head the way I had done since we were children.

Get some sleep, I told him.

He nodded and closed the sketchbook but the quiet questions stayed in his eyes as he walked to his room.

I locked myself in the bathroom and turned the shower as hot as it would go. The water hit my shoulders and ran down my body while I scrubbed every place Riven had touched. The heat of his hands and the thick weight of him between my legs stayed under my skin anyway. My fingers brushed between my thighs without meaning to and the sensitive flesh still felt swollen. I snatched my hand away and pressed my forehead against the wet tiles.

One night was finished. Ninety nine remained.

My phone buzzed on the sink counter. I stepped out of the shower dripping and wrapped a towel around myself before I picked it up. The message was from the same unknown number.

Tomorrow. Same time. Do not be late. Bring nothing but yourself.

The words were simple but the memory of his voice saying them in person made my stomach tighten. I typed nothing back. There was nothing safe to say.

Sleep did not come easy. Every time I closed my eyes I felt the heavy thrust of him and the way he had watched my face when I came. By the time morning light slipped through the curtains my skin felt too sensitive and my thoughts kept drifting back to the scar on his knuckle and the calm way he had offered to tear up the contract knowing I would never walk away.

The day passed in a blur of ordinary things that felt false. I made Theo breakfast and smiled when he showed me a new drawing. I answered Mira’s calls with short lies about being busy. She knew something was wrong. I could hear it in her voice. Yet I could not tell her the truth because the truth would put Theo at risk.

When evening finally arrived I dressed in simple clothes and left the apartment before Theo could ask where I was going. The drive back to the building felt longer than it had the night before. My heart beat hard against my ribs the entire way. When I stepped into the elevator my palms were damp.

The door to the same room opened before I could knock. Riven stood there already waiting, dressed in black, looking as calm as he had when he first pushed inside me. The moment our eyes met the air between us felt charged.

You came, he said.

I almost did not.

Almost does not count, he replied, and stepped aside so I could walk in.

He closed the door behind me and walked to the table where a folded paper sat waiting. He picked it up and held it out toward me.

Open it.

My fingers felt numb as I took the paper and unfolded it slowly. The handwriting was mine. The words were few but they were enough to make the floor tilt under my feet. It was a letter written in my own hand that confessed to something far worse than anything our father ever did. Something I had no memory of writing.

I looked up at Riven with my pulse roaring in my ears.

How do you have this?

He watched me without blinking. The corner of his mouth lifted just slightly.

That is the wrong question, Nora. The right question is what I plan to do with it if you ever try to leave before the hundred nights are finished.

He took a step closer until the heat of his body reached me again. The space between us felt too small.

Now take off your clothes. Night two has started.