His House, His Rules

THEA’s POV

In my first life, that voice would have made me jump. My father had a way of making me feel like I was five years old and failing a test. I used to spend my allowance buying him expensive watches just to get a "thank you" that never came.

"Thea!" My mother’s voice joined in, high-pitched and fake. "Honey, you're clearly stressed. Elias, dear, please open the door. Our daughter is having some sort of breakdown. We need to take her home so he can rest."

'Rest' was their code word for 'Sign the papers while we drug you with sedatives.' I knew their playbook by heart now.

I looked at the door, then back at Elias. I expected him to open it. I expected him to hand me over to them like a piece of unwanted luggage so he could get back to his emails. That’s what he did in the past, he always let my family "handle" me.

But Elias didn't move. He didn't even look at the door.

"Is that why you want a divorce, Thea?" Elias whispered, his eyes searching mine with a terrifying intensity. "Because of them? Because they're suffocating you?"

"I want a divorce because I’m tired of living with a statue," I said, my voice dripping with honey coated poison. "I’m tired of being the only person in this marriage who's actually alive. Now, open the door and let them in. I’m sure they’ve brought a fresh pen for me to sign my life away."

Elias’s grip tightened. His knuckles turned white. "No."

"No?" I laughed, a sharp, bitter sound. "Since when do you care what happens to me, Elias? You didn't care when they took me away last time. You didn't care when Maya moved into our guest house and started wearing my jewelry. Why do you care now?"

Elias flinched. It was a small movement, but I saw it. He looked confused, like a man trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces missing. He didn't know I was talking about a future that hadn't happened yet for him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Elias growled, his face inching closer to mine. "But you aren't going anywhere with them. You're my wife. You belong in this house. With me."

He turned his head toward the door that had just opened as my family walked in.

"Elias, excuse us," my father said, his voice booming with fake authority. "Thea is having some sort of episode. She just destroyed important legal documents. We need to take her to the family doctor."

My mother moved toward me, her hands reaching out like claws draped in silk. "Oh, my poor baby. You’ve been so stressed. You’re not yourself. Cutting your hair... it’s a sign of a breakdown. Come with us, we’ll take care of everything."

In my last life, I would have believed her. I would have thought I was crazy. That was their favorite tool: Gaslighting. They made me doubt my own eyes so I would trust their hands.

I stepped deeper into Elias’s shadow. "I’m not going anywhere. And I’m not sick."

"Arthur," Elias said, his voice dropping an octave. He finally stepped back moving to stand in front of me. The height difference was immense. "I don't recall inviting you into my private study."

"Now, Elias, don't be like that," my father said, his smile tight. "This is a family matter. Thea promised to sign the transfer today. It’s for her own security. You know how the market is, if she keeps her money separate, she’s a target for scammers."

"Get out!" Elias roared.

"Elias?" my father stammered. "We just want to help—"

"I said, GET OUT!" Elias’s voice was so loud it made the side table vibrate. "If I see any of you on my property again without an invitation, I will ruin your company by lunch. Do I make myself clear?"

There was a moment of stunned silence, followed by the frantic sound of footsteps running away. My "loving" family didn't even try to argue. As soon as their money was threatened, they ran like cowards.

I looked up at Elias, breathless. In my last life, I had prayed for him to defend me like that. I had cried myself to sleep wishing he would stand up to my father. Now that he finally had, it was three years too late.

Elias turned to me. He didn't offer a hug. He didn't offer comfort. He walked to the door and locked it.

"Now," Elias said, his voice dropping back to that dark, possessive purr and his eyes tracking the movement of my chest as I breathed. "Let’s talk about those divorce papers. Because if you think I defended you just so you could walk out that door... you’re much crazier than your father thinks."

He leaned in, his lips a hair’s breadth away from mine.

"You wanted my attention for three years, Thea. Well, congratulations. You finally have it. All of it."

*

*

In my last life, I lived in the "East Suite." That was the polite way of saying I lived in a guest room at the far end of the hallway. I used to spend hours decorating it with flowers and soft colors, hoping Elias would stop by. He never did. In three years, he hadn't even stepped foot past the doorframe.

Now, Elias was dragging my suitcase across the marble floor of the West Wing himself.

"We haven't shared a room since the wedding night, Elias. You made it very clear you preferred your privacy."

"That was before I realized my wife was hiding a second personality," Elias growled. He leaned down, his face inches from mine. "I want to see what you do when you think no one is watching.

"I can carry my own things," I said, my voice flat. I stood in the middle of his master bedroom, a place that looked more like a high-end office than a home.

"You're staying here," Elias said. He didn't look at me as he tossed my bag onto the massive bed. "I’m not having my wife plotting a divorce in a separate wing of the house where I can't see what she’s doing."

"You mean you're afraid I'll actually succeed," I countered.

I walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window. The view of the city was breathtaking, but all I saw was my reflection in the glass. I looked different with my hair hacked short and the jagged silk robe. I looked like a stranger.

"I’m afraid you’ve forgotten who you’re married to," Elias said. He walked up behind me. He didn't touch me this time, but his presence was heavy, like a shadow pressing against my back. "My lawyers will spend ten years tied up in court before they let you take a single cent of Vane Holdings. If you want to leave, you leave with nothing but the clothes on your back."

In my first life, that threat would have worked. I had no money, no friends, and no plan. I was terrified of being poor because I thought money was the only thing keeping me safe.

But I knew the future now.

"Fine," I said, turning around to face him. "Keep the money. I’ll leave with nothing. Just sign the papers."

Elias’s jaw tightened. His eyes flashed with a flicker of genuine anger or was it panic? "Why? Why now, Theo? What changed since yesterday? Yesterday you were waiting by the door for me to come home. Today, you can't stand to be in the same room."

Yesterday, I hadn't died yet, I thought.

"I grew up," I said simply. "I realized that waiting for a statue to speak is a waste of a life."

Elias stared at me for a long beat. He looked like he wanted to say something, but his pride choked it back. He just turned on his heel and headed for the door. "Dinner is at seven. Dress properly. No more ripped silk."

The door clicked shut, and I heard the unmistakable sound of a lock turning.

He had locked me in.

I didn't panic. In fact, I smiled. Elias thought he was trapping a bird in a cage, but he was actually locking himself in with a snake.

I sat down on his bed and pulled a small, slim burner phone out of the hidden lining of my suitcase. I had bought it months ago in my past life, planning to call a lawyer, but I had been too scared to use it.

I dialed a number I had memorized from a news report three years into the future.

"Hello?" a gruff voice answered.

"Mr. Hale?" I said, my voice low. "I know who is going to win the Southview Development bid next week. I also know your rival company is about to be hit with a massive fraud scandal. If you want that information, I want fifty percent of the profit moved into an offshore account in the Caymans."

Silence on the other end. "Who is this? How did you get this number?"

"A friend," I lied. "Do we have a deal, or should I call the other side?"

"I’m listening," Hale agreed.

As I whispered the details of a scandal that hadn't happened yet, I watched the sun set over the city. My parents thought they were going to get my trust fund. Maya thought she was going to marry into power. And Elias... Elias thought he could own me by locking a door.

They were all wrong.

I finished the call and suddenly, the lock on the door clicked. Before I could hide the phone, a hand clamped down on my wrist. The light of the screen illuminated Elias’s face. He wasn't asleep. He looked livid.

"Who are you talking to?" Elias roared, wrenching the phone from my hand.

"Elias, give it back!" I scrambled to sit up, but he was too fast.

He stood up, towering over the bed, his face twisted in a mix of fury and something that looked like heartbreak. "Is this why you want the divorce? Is there someone else? Some pathetic coward you’ve been talking to behind my back while you played the 'dutiful spouse'?"

"It’s not what you think—"

"I don't care what it is!" Elias grabbed the phone and, with a single, brutal squeeze of his hand, the screen shattered. The plastic snapped, and he tossed the ruined device across the room.

He lunged forward, pinning me back against the pillows. His weight was crushing, his hands holding my wrists above my head. His eyes were wild, searching mine with a terrifying, obsessive hunger.

"Listen to me, Thea," Elias whispered, his voice a ragged edge of a threat. "I don't care who he is. I don't care what he promised you. You are mine. Every breath you take in this house belongs to me."

"You're insane," I gasped, struggling against him.

"Maybe," Elias growled, leaning down until his lips were brushing against my ear. "But if you're looking for someone to save you, look at me. Because I'm the only man you're ever going to see again. You want to play games? Fine. But you play them in my bed, under my rules."

He didn't let go.

TBC