Shattered Escape

ISABELLA'S POINT OF VIEW

I folded the last of my clothes and shoved them into the small suitcase I had managed to drag out of the closet. My hands were trembling, not from fear this time, but from something I had not felt in years. Hope. The kind that burned through my chest like fire. I stacked documents, hidden savings, and every little piece of information I had gathered, clutching them like they were lifelines. I was going to leave. Finally.

The door burst open with a loud slam, and my body jumped. The suitcase slipped from my hand. Felix stood there, his eyes dark and wild.

“So it’s true,” he said, his voice low but sharp enough to slice through my chest. “It’s true that you’re actually planning on leaving.”

I swallowed hard, refusing to step back even though his presence felt suffocating. “Yes. I am. I can’t keep living like this, Felix. I can’t breathe here. You’ve taken everything from me, and I won’t let you take what little I have left.”

His lips curved into a cold smile, the kind that never reached his eyes. “Hope looks good on you, Isabella. But it’s foolish. You really think you can walk away from me? From this house?”

I forced myself to hold his gaze. “The contract is over. You had your ten years, Felix. It’s done. You don’t own me anymore.”

He laughed, a bitter, hollow sound that made my stomach twist. “Over? You think a piece of paper determines us? You think ten years was enough for me? No, Isabella. Ten years is not even close. I want more. I want you.”

I stepped closer to the bed, keeping distance between us, but my voice rose. “You don’t love me. You love control. You love the idea of trapping me. That’s not love, Felix. That’s a prison.”

His jaw clenched, and he walked inside, shutting the door behind him. “Maybe it is a prison. But it’s a prison you’re never leaving. Do you want to know why?”

I froze, clutching the edge of the suitcase. My chest pounded. “Why?”

“Because if you walk out that door, Julian loses everything,” he said calmly, almost too calmly. “His company, his freedom, maybe even his life. Do you want that on your conscience?”

My knees nearly buckled. “What?” My voice cracked.

He stepped closer, eyes burning into me. “I own him. Every debt, every mistake, every weakness. If you leave me, he pays. And not just him, Isabella. Your family too. The family I once claimed to protect. I’ll destroy them, one by one. Do you doubt me?”

Tears stung my eyes. “You wouldn’t dare.”

He leaned in until his face hovered just inches from mine, his voice a whisper that scraped like glass. “You know I would. You know I can. With my money, my power, there’s nothing I can’t do. If you leave, they die. Simple.”

I felt the air leave my lungs. My hands shook as I backed away, pressing my spine against the dresser. “You’re a monster.”

His expression didn’t change. “Call me what you want. Monster, villain, devil. I don’t care. You’re still mine.”

“I hate you,” I screamed, my chest splitting with rage and despair. “I hate you, Felix. I hate you for what you’ve done to me, for what you’re threatening to do. You’ve ruined me.”

He tilted his head, watching me with that same coldness. “If hate is what keeps you here, then hate me. But you’ll stay. Because deep down, you know I’m right. You’ll never risk their lives. Not for your freedom.”

I pressed my hands against my face, trying to stop the sobs clawing up my throat. “I can’t live like this. I can’t.”

“You’ll adapt,” he said flatly. “You always do.”

I lowered my hands, glaring at him through my tears. “You’re pathetic. You think trapping me here will make me love you? It won’t. It never will.”

His lips pressed into a thin line, but I saw the flicker in his eyes, the wound my words cut into him. “Love can be learned. Ten years wasn’t enough to teach you. But maybe another ten, maybe twenty, maybe a lifetime… maybe then you’ll see me differently.”

“Never,” I spat.

“Never is a long time, Isabella,” he murmured. He reached for the suitcase and kicked it shut, sliding it aside like it was nothing. Then he straightened, his face calm, composed, terrifyingly resolute. “You’re not leaving. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. The sooner you accept that, the easier this will be for you.”

My chest tightened until I could barely breathe. The hope that had filled me minutes ago crumbled into dust at my feet. “You’ve taken everything from me. My choices, my voice, my freedom. What more do you want?”

His eyes softened for the briefest second, but it was not comfort, only obsession. “You. All of you. Every breath, every smile, every tear. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. And I won’t stop until I have it.”

“You’ll never have my heart,” I whispered.

“Then I’ll settle for your presence,” he said, his voice final.

I sank onto the bed, my body trembling, my spirit breaking. I had dreamed of escape, of finally being free, but Felix had shattered that dream in minutes. I could not leave without endangering Julian. I could not risk my family. I was trapped.

He walked toward the door, his hand lingering on the knob. “Unpack your things, Isabella. This house is your world now. And me… I am your life.”

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me in suffocating silence.

My hands balled into fists. For the first time, I realized that even hope was dangerous in this place. But I also realized something else. If Felix thought I would bend and break, he underestimated me. He could cage my body, but my heart, my mind, my will… those were still mine.

I wiped my tears, forcing myself to breathe. I had lost this round, but the war wasn’t over.

Not yet.