Chapter 7: Chains of Jealousy

Adriana's POV

The sunlight creeping in through the curtains warmed my face, but I didn’t move.

I lay still, curled under the blankets, eyes closed like I hadn’t heard a thing last night. Like I hadn’t frozen at the sound of his voice. Like I didn’t spend the rest of the night staring at the wall with my back to him while his arm stayed possessively around my waist.

When I felt him shift behind me, I forced my breaths to stay steady.

“Morning,” he muttered.

I hummed a soft sound in response, like I’d just woken up like I didn’t hear him say she doesn’t know yet.

“Sleep okay?” he asked.

I nodded, still not looking at him. “Mm-hmm.”

There was a pause. Then the bed shifted as he got up.

“Breakfast will be ready downstairs.”

And just like that, he was gone.

The moment the door shut behind him, I opened my eyes. My chest felt tight, like something heavy was sitting on it.

She doesn’t know yet.

I did now.

I slipped out of bed slowly, letting my feet touch the cool floor. The silence in the room pressed in around me, wrapping tighter with every step I took toward the bathroom.

I wasn’t going to ask. I wasn’t going to cry. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing I heard a damn thing.

I was going to act like none of it mattered.

But I didn’t know how long I could keep pretending.

I made my way downstairs, the house still quiet except for the faint clink of dishes from the kitchen. The smell of strong coffee and something savory filled the air.

Hunter was already at the table, staring at his phone. His jaw was tight, his usual confident presence dimmed by something I couldn’t quite place.

Rayna sat opposite him, arms crossed, eyes sharp. She didn’t smile, but I caught the flicker of satisfaction in her gaze when she looked at me.

I swallowed hard but forced myself to step forward. “Morning,” I said softly, sliding into the chair beside Hunter.

He glanced at me briefly before looking back down. Rayna’s eyes flicked between us, and I could almost feel the invisible chains of jealousy tightening around my chest.

“Coffee?” Rayna offered, voice calm but with an edge.

I nodded, trying to keep my voice steady. “Please.”

Hunter finally spoke, low and clipped. “We’ve got a long day ahead.”

Rayna’s eyes didn’t leave mine as she said, “You should get used to it.”

I met her stare without blinking.

Hunter suddenly stood up, his phone still in hand. “I need to make a call,” he muttered.

I gave a small nod.

Rayna stood too, slow and deliberate. Before walking off, she leaned just slightly in my direction, her dark eyes locked on mine.

“Careful,” she whispered, her voice like poisoned honey. “You’re playing in a world that eats girls like you alive.”

I kept my face still, nails digging into the palm of my hand under the table.

The kitchen felt emptier the second they left. But the air? It felt heavier.

A minute passed. Then two.

And I couldn’t stop myself.

Something in my chest said go.

I pushed back my chair, moving quietly across the kitchen. My steps were silent as I slipped down the hall, following the low murmur of Rayna’s voice. I slowed when I reached the corner, keeping out of sight.

“You’re still pretending she matters?” Rayna’s voice was soft, smug.

I stopped breathing.

Peeking just slightly past the wall, I saw them... Hunter standing near the back door, rigid and unreadable, his jaw tight. Rayna stepped in close to him, fingers brushing the front of his shirt.

And he didn’t move.

My stomach dropped.

“I always knew you’d come around,” she whispered, and then she kissed him.

Right there. Right in front of me.

Her lips were on his.

And he just stood there.

He didn’t kiss her back. But he didn’t stop her either.

He just let it happen.

My heart felt like it cracked wide open.

Rayna pulled back slowly, a satisfied smile curling on her lips. “You don’t have to pretend, Hunter. We both know how this ends.”

He didn’t say a word.

I backed away before they could see me, my vision going glassy. My body moved on autopilot as I turned and walked back down the hall, heart pounding so hard it made my ears ring.

He let her kiss him.

And I didn’t know what hurt more what I saw… or the way he didn’t even seem to care.

I moved quickly but quietly, my footsteps soft against the cold floor. My chest ached, but I kept my head high as I returned to the kitchen like nothing had happened like my heart hadn’t just been torn open.

The coffee was still steaming on the table. I sat back down, wrapping my fingers around the warm mug. My hands shook anyway.

I didn’t drink it.

A minute later, I heard their footsteps returning.

Hunter walked in first, face unreadable. Cold. Like always.

Rayna followed behind him, lips curved in a smug little smile as she slipped into her seat across from me like nothing was out of place. Like she hadn’t just kissed the man I was sold to.

My eyes flicked to Hunter. His jaw was clenched, and he didn’t look at me.

Of course he didn’t.

“You okay?” Rayna asked sweetly, resting her chin in her palm. “You look pale.”

I looked her straight in the eye. “I’m fine.”

She smiled wider, like she knew I was lying.

Hunter didn’t say a word. He just sat, stared down at his plate like it held all the answers, and stayed silent.

And somehow, that silence hurt more than the kiss.

“I forgot how quiet it gets with a new girl around,” Rayna mused. “So tense.”

My fork scraped the plate harder than I meant it to.

Hunter finally looked up. “Rayna.”

She raised an eyebrow, innocent. “What? I’m just making conversation.”

“Don’t.”

Rayna leaned back in her chair, but the smugness never left her face. Her eyes locked with mine again.

And I realized something then.

She wasn’t just trying to get under my skin.

She already had.

Hunter stood up abruptly. “Adriana, I need to show you something. Upstairs.”

I blinked. “Now?”

He didn’t wait for me to agree. Just turned and walked out of the room.

I followed after a heartbeat, not looking back at Rayna. I could feel her smirk all the way to the stairs.

As followed him up the stairs, each step heavier than the last. I didn’t want to ask where we were going. I didn’t want to speak at all. If I opened my mouth, I might scream.

When we reached the top, he pushed open a door to one of the guest rooms. Neutral walls. Neat bed. Not much else.

He stepped inside. I stayed by the doorway.

“This is where you’ll be working today,” he said flatly, gesturing toward a desk by the window stacked with files and a sleek laptop. “There’s some paperwork I need organized.”

I nodded stiffly, not trusting myself to speak.

He didn’t move. Just stood there, staring at me. That unreadable, calculating expression still locked onto his face.

But I didn’t look away this time.

“You’re upset,” he said after a long pause.

My lips twitched. “No.”

He tilted his head slightly. “You are.”

“You think I care?” I shot back, quieter than I meant to. “That you let her kiss you? That you just stood there and said nothing?”

His jaw tensed. “It wasn’t like that.”

“I saw it, Hunter.” My voice cracked, just once. “It was exactly like that.”

He stepped closer, just one long stride between us now. “She doesn’t matter.”

“She kissed you,” I whispered. “And you let her.”

“I didn’t kiss her back.”

“That doesn’t make it better,” I said, voice trembling despite how hard I tried to sound calm. “You didn’t stop her either.”

Silence.

A beat passed. Then another.

Finally, he spoke again. “You’re not supposed to care.”

His words stung more than they should have. “Then maybe you shouldn’t keep sleeping with your arm around me like I belong to you.”

His eyes flashed briefly. “You do belong to me.”

I let out a breathless laugh, bitter and tired. “Not like that.”

Another silence. His fists clenched at his sides.

“If I didn’t care,” I said, swallowing the knot in my throat, “this wouldn’t hurt.”

He didn’t say a word.

And that, somehow, was worse than anything else.

He didn’t move. Just stared at me, the tension building in the air like a storm ready to crack open the sky.

Then his voice dropped, darker. “Is that what this is?”

My brows pulled together. “What?”

He took a step closer. “You’re jealous.”

I opened my mouth, then shut it.

“I saw your face downstairs,” he said, eyes locked on mine. “And just now. You didn’t like seeing her kiss me.”

“No one would like seeing that,” I snapped, trying to keep my composure.

His lips twitched not a smile, not softness. It was something more dangerous. “So it does bother you.”

I turned away, trying to put space between us, but he didn’t let me have it. His hand caught my arm, not rough, but firm and pulled me back just enough so I’d face him.

“Is it that you like me?” he asked bluntly. “Is that what this is?”

The question hit harder than I expected.

Do I like him?

I hated his rules. His control. The way he made me feel like property.

But I couldn’t deny the way my chest tightened when he looked at me.

Or how the sound of his voice settled low in my stomach.

Or the way I couldn’t forget the weight of his arm around me at night.

The way I’d started noticing the scar near his jaw.

The way I’d started caring.

Did I have a thing for Hunter Rivers?

I didn’t answer, because I didn’t know how.

But Hunter watched me like he already had his answer.

He leaned in, his voice like gravel and heat. “You don’t get to play games with me, Adriana. You want to act cold? Fine. You want to lie to yourself? Go ahead. But don’t think for a second I don’t see right through you.”

He stepped back finally, eyes raking over me like I was something he owned, something he didn’t like being questioned about.

“Finish the paperwork,” he said tightly. “Every page, every file. I want it perfect.”

I swallowed hard, nodding once.

He turned to the door but paused, his hand gripping the frame. “And when you’re done…” His voice dropped even lower.

“You’re getting punished.”

My breath caught in my throat.

He didn’t wait for a response. He left the room, closing the door behind him with a quiet finality that sent a shiver down my spine.

My hands were trembling, but not from fear.

From him.

From everything.

I had no idea what his punishment would be.

And I wasn’t sure I was ready for it. Or why a part of me was already craving it.