CHAPTER FOUR

I can barely breathe. The air is thick with heat, with anger, with something suffocating that wraps around my chest and won’t let go. Roman’s hands are on me again, his fingers bruising my wrist as he forces me against the wall, his body a wall of muscle and rage. His eyes burn with fury, and there’s a glint in them that tells me this is not the Roman I know—this is the Roman who gets what he wants by any means necessary.

“Promise me you won’t leave,” he demands, his voice a low growl that sends a shiver down my spine. It’s not a request anymore; it’s a command. But it’s more than that. His tone, the tightness in his grip, the way he towers over me—it’s all a warning of what is to come.

I swallow hard, my heart thudding painfully in my chest. 

This is how it always starts. His words aren’t a plea; they’re a threat disguised in the illusion of affection. He doesn’t love me. He doesn’t know what love is. This is ownership. This is control.

I look away, my gaze flicking to the floor, to anything that isn’t his piercing stare. “Roman… please. You’re hurting me.”

He smirks, a twisted satisfaction curling his lips. “You’re too fucking sensitive Sonia. I’m not hurting you. I’m trying to save you from yourself. You think Damon’s going to keep you? He doesn’t care about you. He never did.” His hand slithers up my arm, his fingers cold as they trace the edge of my collarbone. “But I do. I’ll never let you go.”

I tremble, his touch turning my skin cold. My thoughts scatter like a storm inside my mind. Damon… His name is like a light in the darkness, a reminder of the love I once had, of something real. But the weight of Roman’s presence, the oppressive heat of his body against mine, drowns everything else out.

Roman’s grip tightens, his fingers digging into my skin until I feel the pressure of his anger, his frustration, seeping into my very bones. “I’ve given you everything, Sonia,” he screams through gritted teeth, his breath hot against my ear. “I’ve been patient. I’ve been kind. But you’re pushing me too far.”

His other hand moves to my throat, fingers wrapping around it again with sudden, brutal force. My breath hitches, panic rising in my chest as I try to claw at his hand, but it’s like he’s made of stone. His thumb presses into my windpipe, squeezing until I can’t catch my breath, until the world starts to blur at the edges.

I’ve seen this side of him before but never this intense, never this angry.

“Roman… please… you’re choking me,” I gasp, my hands weakly trying to pry his fingers away.

He doesn’t respond. He just watches me, his eyes cold, calculating. He enjoys this, enjoys watching me struggle, watching me beg. This is who he really is, I realize with a sickening clarity. Not the man I once thought I could love. Not the man I could ever trust.

I can feel my vision narrowing, the edges going dark, but the thought of Damon—his face, his smile, the warmth of his touch—cuts through the panic like a lifeline. I can’t breathe, but I can still think. I can still hold on to the one thing that has always been real.

In a flash of strength born from desperation, I shove Roman off me, stumbling back as I try to catch my breath. My hands fly to my neck, trying to soothe the burn left by his grip, but it’s not enough. It’s never enough.

Roman staggers, caught off guard for a moment, but then his eyes snap back to me, fury blazing. “You think you can just walk away from me, Sonia?” His voice is low, guttural, a promise of violence hanging on every syllable. “You can’t. Not after everything I’ve done for you.”

I take a step back, my pulse thundering in my ears, my mind racing. What have I done to deserve this? My whole body aches, a mixture of exhaustion and terror, the bruises that are invisible on my skin but heavy in my heart. This isn’t love. This is a cage.

His hand shoots out, grabbing me by the arm and yanking me toward him. I stumble, barely keeping my balance as he forces me closer. His face is inches from mine, the stench of his anger hot on my skin. “I told you,” he whispers darkly, his breath hot against my lips, “You’re mine, Sonia. You belong to me.”

I try to pull away, but he’s too strong. His grip is unrelenting, his body pressed so close that I can feel every muscle, every ounce of control he wields. 

“You’re not who I thought you were,” I whisper, my voice breaking as I push against him, my hands trembling with fear and frustration. “You don’t love me. You never did.”

Roman’s expression twists in rage, his fist slamming into the wall beside my head, shaking the whole room. “Don’t you dare say that!” he roars, his voice shaking with fury. “You don’t get to walk away from me like this. I’ve made you, Sonia. You owe me.”

I owe him? The thought is too much to bear. I feel like I’m suffocating in this web of lies, this prison he’s built around me. And for the first time, I know what I have to do. I can’t keep living like this, trapped in his world of violence and control. I can’t.

“I owe you?” I lashed out defiantly. “I have worked countless hours, forsaken my pride, forsaken my dignity. I have done any and everything you have asked me. I have given myself to you, all of myself! All this to repay a debt that you know you will never let me escape.” 

At this point I have thrown caution out the window and any restraint I had left is gone. This is my breaking point.

And then, as if summoned by my broken resolve, the memory of Damon comes crashing back. He’s the light in the darkness. He’s the only one who ever saw me for who I truly am. I feel a flicker of hope in my chest, a tiny spark of rebellion.

I won’t stay.

With a final burst of strength, I wrench myself free from Roman’s grasp, staggering backward as I try to steady myself. My heart pounds, my whole body shaking, but I know that I have to leave. I have to escape him before he completely destroys me.

Roman watches me with a look of pure hatred, his chest heaving with rage. “You think you can just leave me, Sonia? We had a deal. And you still have a debt to pay.”

I keep walking away.

“You think you can just fuck me over and get away with it?” he spits. “You’ll regret this. I’ll make you regret it.”

But I don’t care. I don’t care anymore. I turn and run, my heels pounding against the floor, my heart hammering in my chest. I don’t look back. I can’t.

I burst out of the alleyway, into the cold night air, and for the first time in what feels like forever, I can finally breathe. I can finally think.

And there he is. Damon.

He’s standing in the shadows, waiting for me, his eyes searching mine like he knows exactly what just happened. He doesn’t ask. He doesn’t need to. His arms are open, and I stumble into them, the warmth of his embrace wrapping around me like a shield.

I may not know who this new version of Damon is. And after vanishing for 11 years without a trace, there sure will be hell to pay. But whatever happens, I can’t deny that in my heart, even despite having not forgiven him, Damon isn’t Roman.

And as pathetic as it may seem, that’s enough for now.

“Are you okay?” he murmurs, his voice gentle but filled with a quiet strength.

I nod, but I don’t speak. I don’t need to. I’m safe now.