Chapter 6

Ruby’s feet barely touched the ground as Dante dragged her through the corridor.

Her breath came in sharp, broken gasps, lungs burning as panic clawed its way up her throat. The hallway was narrow, dimly lit by emergency lights that flickered like dying stars. Sirens wailed behind them, muffled now, distant but not gone.

Kelvin’s voice echoed in her head.

I’ve got you.

She twisted violently, nails digging into Dante’s wrist. “Let me go!” she screamed.

Dante hissed in pain but didn’t release her. Instead, he yanked her closer, one arm locking around her waist, the other clamped over her mouth.

“Stop fighting,” he growled into her ear. “You’ll hurt yourself.”

Her body went rigid at the sound of his voice so close too close. Her skin crawled. Memories surged again, unwanted and sharp: the taste of drugged tea, the heaviness, the darkness.

She bit him.

Hard.

Dante cursed, shoving her forward until her back slammed into the wall. The impact knocked the air from her lungs. He loomed over her, chest heaving, eyes wild and bright in the red glow.

“You really are trouble,” he muttered.

Tears streamed down Ruby’s face, blurring her vision. “You raped me,” she whispered, the words tearing her open all over again. “You don’t get to touch me.”

Something flickered in Dante’s expression too fast to name. Guilt. Anger. Something darker.

“I never planned for it to be like that,” he said quietly.

She laughed hysterically. “That’s what all monsters say.”

His jaw tightened. “You don’t understand.”

“I understand enough,” she shot back. “You drugged me. You took my body. And now you think you can take my children too?”

At the word children, his gaze dropped just for a second to her stomach.

“They’re mine too,” he said.

“No,” Ruby screamed. “They’re not things you can claim!”

Footsteps thundered somewhere behind them. Shouts echoed. Dante swore under his breath and grabbed her again, hauling her through a side door that burst open into cold night air.

They emerged into an underground garage.

Black vehicles waited, engines already running.

Dante pushed Ruby toward the nearest one. She stumbled, nearly falling, dizziness washing over her in waves. Before she could recover, hands seized her arms from behind his men, faces hard and unreadable.

“Put her in,” Dante ordered.

“No!” she cried, thrashing weakly. “Kelvin!”

Her voice cracked on his name.

For a split second, Dante hesitated.

Then he looked away.

They shoved her into the back seat. The door slammed shut with a final, echoing thud that felt like a coffin sealing closed.

The car jerked forward.

Ruby sobbed uncontrollably, curling in on herself, arms wrapped around her stomach as if she could shield her babies from the world.

Kelvin’s face haunted her bloodied, desperate, reaching for her as the door closed between them.

I’m sorry, she thought. I’m so sorry.

The car sped through the night, city lights blurring past the windows like tears she couldn’t wipe away.

Kelvin woke up to pain.

White-hot, splitting pain.

His head throbbed violently as he forced his eyes open. The ceiling above him swam in and out of focus. His body felt heavy, sluggish, like he’d been dragged back from the edge of something dark.

“Ruby…” he croaked.

“She’s gone.”

Amara’s voice was tight, controlled, but her eyes burned with fury as she stood beside his bed. A fresh bandage wrapped his temple. His knuckles were raw and bloody.

Kelvin surged upright, ignoring the sharp protest of his body. “Where?”

“She was taken,” Amara said. “Dante escaped during the breach. He planned it used the task force chaos as cover.”

Kelvin swung his legs over the bed, dizziness hitting him hard. “I’m going after her.”

“You can’t,” Amara said sharply. “Not like this.”

“She’s carrying my children,” Kelvin snarled. “I will burn the world if I have to.”

Amara didn’t flinch. “That’s exactly what Dante wants.”

Kelvin froze.

“He wants you reckless,” she continued. “Desperate. He wants you to make mistakes.”

Kelvin dragged a hand down his face, chest heaving. “Then what do we do?”

Amara hesitated.

“That’s not comforting,” Kelvin snapped.

“There’s something you need to know,” she said finally. “About Dante’s endgame.”

Kelvin’s jaw clenched. “I already know enough.”

“No,” she said softly. “You don’t.”

She leaned closer. “Dante doesn’t want custody. He wants legitimacy.”

Kelvin frowned. “Explain.”

“The board,” Amara said. “They won’t accept a child conceived through assault. Even Dante knows that. But if Ruby disappears long enough… if the narrative changes…”

Kelvin’s blood ran cold. “You think he’ll rewrite the story.”

“He already has,” Amara replied. “If he can convince the world she left willingly ran to him then the child becomes consensual. Legal. Untouchable.”

Kelvin slammed his fist into the bed. “He won’t break her.”

Amara met his gaze. “You don’t know what he’s willing to do.”

Ruby woke to darkness.

Not complete darkness just enough light to remind her she wasn’t free. Soft lamps glowed in the corners of the room, casting warm shadows across polished wood floors and silk curtains.

A bedroom.

Large. Luxurious.

A prison dressed like a sanctuary.

She sat up slowly, head pounding. Her body ached, but she wasn’t restrained. That realization startled her more than cuffs would have.

“Smart girl,” a voice said.

She flinched.

Dante stood near the window, jacket discarded, shirt sleeves rolled up. He looked… calm. Too calm.

“Where am I?” Ruby asked hoarsely.

“Safe,” he replied. “For now.”

She laughed bitterly. “You have a twisted definition of that word.”

He turned to face her fully. “I brought you here so we could talk.”

“There is nothing to talk about.”

“There is everything to talk about,” Dante countered. “Especially now.”

She slid off the bed, backing away until her legs hit the edge. “If you touch me”

“I won’t,” he said immediately.

That surprised her.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” he continued. “I never was.”

Her hands shook. “You already did.”

Silence stretched between them.

“I was raised to take what I needed to survive,” Dante said quietly. “Affection was currency. Control was love. I didn’t know any other way.”

“That doesn’t excuse you,” Ruby snapped.

“I know,” he said. “But it explains why I won’t let Kelvin win.”

Her heart clenched at Kelvin’s name. “This isn’t about him.”

“It always was,” Dante replied. “From the moment Father chose him over me.”

Ruby’s voice broke. “And what about me? Was I just a weapon?”

Dante stepped closer, stopping a careful distance away. “You were supposed to be leverage,” he admitted. “But you became something else.”

Her stomach twisted. “Don’t.”

“You don’t get to decide what I feel,” he said softly.

She pressed a hand to her chest, breathing hard. “You scare me.”

He nodded once. “Good. Fear keeps you alive.”

“That’s not love,” she whispered.

“No,” Dante agreed. “It’s survival.”

Tears slid down her cheeks. “Kelvin will find me.”

Dante’s mouth curved slightly. “I’m counting on it.”

Her eyes widened. “You’re using me to bait him.”

“I’m forcing him to choose,” Dante corrected. “The company… or you.”

Ruby’s voice shook. “He’ll choose me.”

Dante studied her for a long moment. Then he said, almost gently, “I hope you’re right.”

That night, Ruby lay awake, staring at the ceiling.

Her body was exhausted, but her mind wouldn’t stop racing. Every kick, every flutter in her womb reminded her of what was at stake.

She whispered into the dark, “Hold on. Both of you.”

A door opened softly.

She tensed.

Dante stood there, silhouetted by the hallway light. “You should sleep,” he said.

She turned away from him. “Get out.”

He hesitated. “Tomorrow, everything changes.”

Her heart skipped. “What do you mean?”

He didn’t answer.

He closed the door.

Ruby lay there, fear curling tight in her chest, one terrifying thought echoing louder than the rest—

Tomorrow, she might have to choose between escaping… and surviving.