INICIAR SESIÓNArielle “I’m not doing that,” Darius said flatly as he walked away. “I won’t repeat myself, Darius–““Shut your fucking mouth,” he snapped suddenly, turning back toward me. My heart jumped violently. “Okay? Enough!” He barked. “I have a long day tomorrow, and I need to prepare.”Fear spread across my face before I could hide it. The kind that froze my body instantly. And he noticed.Darius stopped moving. The anger in his expression faded almost immediately as he stepped back from me. I couldn’t say a word.“I’m sorry,” he apologized quickly, blinking hard like he was trying to regain control. “You need to sort that out yourself.”Then he left the room.The moment the door shut behind him, I finally breathed properly again. God. It took everything in me to stand up to him without backing down. When I saw him clench his fist earlier, I genuinely thought he was going to lose control again. But this time, he stopped himself. That alone shocked me. A text suddenly entered my phon
Arielle Darius had maybe turned a new leaf. Or maybe he was just pretending better now. Lately, he had been acting…different. The random stares whenever I changed clothes in the closet, thinking I wasn’t paying attention. The way I’d wake up in the middle of the night and catch him silently watching me sleep before looking away. He never argued back. Even when he loses control, he apologizes almost immediately afterward. The old Darius would never do that. He hated me too much to care. But now? He was slowly becoming the man I met at the beach house again. Gentle. Attentive. Dangerous in a quieter way. And somehow even more attractive. I just hoped none of it was an act. Or maybe he was only behaving because Tessa was around. Either way, I tried not to think about it too much. The weekend eventually came to an end, and Tessa started packing her things. Thankfully, I was feeling much better now. The dizziness had reduced, and the cough wasn’t as terrible as b
Arielle Darius got on his feet the moment he sensed the strange silence hanging in the room. I hated that my body reacted before my mind now. Fear. That was what he’d left inside me after last night. Tessa noticed it too. I saw it in the way her eyes followed my movements carefully whenever Darius got too close. He noticed it, too. That was the worst part. As he turned the door, I stopped him quietly. “Tessa’s spending the weekend here,” I said with full confidence, like I owned the place. “I really need her.”He blinked once and turned slowly. Then his eyes moved to Tessa. And hardened. “You heard the doctor. You need to rest.”“I know, but–““What exactly can she give you that I can’t?” He interrupted calmly. He had me completely shook. “There are maids in this house ready to get you whatever you want.”Tessa crossed her arms instantly.“And you,” he continued, finally looking at her directly. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”A small frown settled on her face. “This is e
Arielle I froze completely. For some reason, the news hit me harder than I expected. Joel’s reaction was even worse. “What in the bloody hell happened?” I asked in disbelief. Tessa exhaled heavily before answering. “According to Summer, Tiffany helped Blake rob her boss after she got fired. The same boss, by the way.” My eyes widened. “What?” Joel asked sharply. “What do you mean by fired? We talked three days ago.” “Look, maybe we shouldn’t talk about her right–“ “No,” I cut in quickly, turning to Tessa. “Keep talking.” Tessa blinked slowly. “Tiffany got fired two days ago,” she explained calmly. “Apparently, Darius actually meant it when he threatened her. After she lost the job, she needed money. Blake came up with the idea to rob her boss.” I stared blankly. “And now she’s in jail while Blake disappeared.” Of course she did. “Wait–“ “That’s not even the worst part,” Tessa added quietly. There was more? “This one’s about you.” I frowne
Arielle They both exchanged glances for a few seconds. I waited until they were done. “Y–yes, ma’am,” the doctor finally answered. “What did he tell you?” “He said you both had a little misunderstanding last night,” he explained carefully. “And?” “You became emotional and left the room. While going downstairs, you suddenly collapsed.” What the fuck? My eyes snapped to Darius instantly. “He lied to you,” I said immediately. “Darius shoved me onto this bed and grabbed me by the neck. He tried to kill me. He didn't say a word. Not a single reaction. “Can’t you see the marks on my neck?” I asked bitterly. The doctor hesitated. That tiny pause alone told me everything. Oh. He knew. For a moment, I couldn’t even speak. I just stared at the ceiling, feeling completely helpless. The doctor knew what Darius had done. And he still stood there pretending everything was normal. “You knew that, didn’t you?” I asked. The doctor didn’t react. I let out
Arielle Darius snapped out of it and released me instantly. He stepped back slowly like he’d only just realized what he’d done. Darius stared at his hands for too long. I coughed violently the second his grip loosened. My lungs burned so badly that I rolled off the bed and hit the floor beside it. I couldn’t breathe properly. Every cough scratched my throat raw like broken glass was lodged inside it. My chest tightened painfully while tears streamed uncontrollably down my face. What the fuck just happened? Just hours ago, he had been buying me jewelry. Carrying shopping bags. Acting almost normal. Now he’d nearly killed me. My fingers trembled slightly against my neck as I kept coughing. I could still feel the imprint of his hand around my throat. Then the door opened. “I apologize for barging in, sir. I thought someone was in trou–“ The voice stopped abruptly. A familiar voice. Darius paced backward frustratingly, dragging his hands through his ha
Arielle “Nice to see you again, Mr. Darius.” She said, after he stopped laughing. “I’m really sorry for not paying attention to the person sitting next to her. I was carried away by the bruises on her face. Thank you so much for saving her”. “Tiffany, right?” He asked finally. She nodd
Arielle I floated in darkness. I didn’t know where I was or what had happened. It all felt distant, as if I were underwater. All I was hearing was my mom’s voice, calling me for help. The more she called, the more the fear filled my chest. The sound grew sharper and louder. Then her voice bo
Arielle “Arielle, I can’t let you do this,” Tiffany said firmly. “You’re not accepting that son of a bitch’s deal just because he’s forcing you to.”Tessa clearly didn’t want me to either. She handed the letter back to me slowly. “I have no choice," I said quietly. Tiffany hesitated, still not c
Arielle Darius's eyes stayed on me, unblinking, as if he was waiting for something to fall from my lips. The silence between us stretched, thick and heavy, broken by only the hum of the engine and the faint rush of the wind against the windows. I folded my hands in my lap, staring s







