Caught Between Two Men

Chapter 12: Caught Between Two Men

Serena was restless.

The mansion felt like a cage. Luxurious, cold, and too quiet. Mona had brought her food twice. She barely touched it. Hours dragged like chains and the walls began to close in.

So when the sun dipped slightly and the air shifted, she slipped out. Quiet. Fast. Just to breathe.

She didn’t think Lucian would notice.

But he did.

From the far window of the west corridor, Lucian stood in shadow, watching her dart between the hedges, her frame small against the stretch of green. His jaw clenched, but he didn’t move.

Let her go.

Let her think she had a choice.

---

Serena walked through the gates, breathing deeply for the first time in days. The city air was no cleaner, but it felt real. Familiar. It carried the dust and noise of life — a world she had almost forgotten.

Her feet led her home. Not the house where Lucian kept her. Not the apartment Mr. Keller had cleared out. But the one she carried in her mind — full of noise, fights, cheap furniture, and love.

She passed the corner near Mabel’s fruit stall. Walked past the bakery that used to throw out bread at dusk. And then she saw it.

The park.

It was still there. Still bright. Still full of children and laughter and tired parents chasing toddlers with sticky hands.

She stopped in front of the rusted gate, frozen.

How many times had she begged to come here? How many times had her mother promised “next time” when the bills were paid and food was on the table?

Her eyes blurred.

She used to dream about this place.

Now, she could buy it if she wanted. But it didn’t matter. The little girl in her was still standing on the other side of the fence.

She wiped a tear and turned to leave.

And then she saw him.

Emerald green eyes.

Four long strides.

“Serena.”

Marcus Diego.

Her heart stuttered.

She turned away, tried to disappear into the sidewalk, but he caught up.

“Wait.”

She spun, anger flashing beneath her lashes. “Leave me alone.”

He stopped. “You disappeared. No calls. No messages. For years, I thought—”

“I’ve been fine without you,” she snapped, voice sharp and trembling. “I didn’t need you then. I don’t need you now.”

Marcus looked at her — really looked. The darkness under her eyes. The tension in her shoulders. The pain she didn’t say.

“I let you go once,” he said quietly. “I’m not making that mistake again.”

And just like that, she broke.

Tears spilled, hot and angry. She hit his chest with the side of her fist. “Why now? Why are you here?”

He didn’t answer. He just wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in, steadying her shaking frame. She sobbed into his shirt like she hadn’t cried in years.

She didn’t notice the man across the street taking discreet photos. She didn’t see the van parked with tinted glass. She didn’t know the Devil was watching.

---

Inside Lucian’s private study, a soft beep echoed.

He turned from his desk and looked at the large screen. The live surveillance feed lit up with a photo grid — timestamped, labeled.

The moment he clicked it, the image opened: Serena in the arms of another man.

His hand stilled on the mouse.

Another click.

A zoomed-in shot: Marcus brushing the hair out of her face. Her head against his chest. His jaw clenched.

Lucian leaned back slowly, eyes hard.

Kael’s voice buzzed in his earpiece. “We tracked the man’s movement. Still compiling his background. His name is Marcus Diego. We'll have full intel by tomorrow.”

Lucian’s silence was loud.

“I… I thought you should know, sir.”

Lucian cut the line.

Marcus Diego.

He knew everything. Controlled everything. But somehow, he had missed him. The one man Serena fell into like he was home.

He stared at the screen a moment longer.

Then he whispered, “Serena Amanda Vale… you’ve been a very bad girl.”

He stood slowly.

“I’ve been gentle. I’ve let you cry, scream, test boundaries.”

He opened the drawer, pulled out a small silver key.

“But now, you’ve shown me who you still belong to. And it’s time you remembered who you signed yourself to.”

He walked to the locked door at the end of the hall.

“Your punishment, little wife,” he muttered, “will be something you’ve never imagined.”

—

Back at the park, Marcus handed her a tissue.

“I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

She shook her head. “You didn’t. Life did.”

He offered a small smile. “Come on. There’s still that coffee shop you used to drag me to. Let’s sit. Talk.”

She hesitated, but nodded. “Fine. Just coffee.”

As they walked down the sidewalk, hand brushing hand, she didn’t realize how much had shifted.

And she didn’t know that by nightfall… Lucian would be waiting.

Watching.

Ready to remind her exactly who she belonged to.