All Chapters of Rejected: Dangerous solace in the masked stranger : Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

Lisa POV The wine glass sweats in my hand, droplets sliding down like they want to escape as badly as I do. My fist locks around the stem, too tight, as if the glass can anchor me to this place. The stool beneath me creaks whenever I shift, reminding me how out of place I am in this glittering hall. Thank my stars that every eye passes over me, not quite seeing me. I’m more like a piece of furniture in the room. The room is too loud, too polished, too much. Crystal chandeliers dangle above like they’re laughing, scattering diamond shaped light across people who have never eaten without silver cutlery or worn anything that isn’t custom made. Their laughter comes sharp and easy, the kind that stings because I can never join in, no matter how hard I try. And then my gaze finds him, David, My boyfriend, My anchor,My undoing, He sits at a round table near the center, where all the important people gather. His sharp suit fits him like a second skin, every detail so deliberate i

Lisa POV For a moment there is nothing but the rattle of cooling metal and the tiny sounds of the night pressing close. Then, without warning, he exhales, starts the engine again, and turns the wheel. Gravel crunches beneath the tires as he guides the car back.The trees thin. The suffocating dark gives way to the open stretch of night sky. And then with a steady turn of the wheel ,we are back on the way to my house ,Relief trickles in, quiet and unsteady, but it doesn’t last........... Everything he said “I’ve been watching you, Lisa” The words slice straight through me. My throat tightens. My chest aches, raw and unguarded. I can’t stop it. The words, the fear, the helplessness they tumble out in a way I can’t control. My hands won’t stay still. My breath catches like I’m about to choke. Tears slid down my cheeks. Hot, unwelcome, burning trails. I bury my face in my hands, hoping he won’t notice. Hoping he’ll just drive me home and leave me to wallow in my own shame

The night presses heavy. I turn for what feels like the hundredth time, sheets dragging across my skin like restraints. Every breath seems too loud, shallow and shaky, as if the silence of the room has sharpened into something watchful. I squeeze my eyes shut. Nothing. I open them again. Darkness blinks back. But the air is wrong. It isn’t just the restless heat beneath my blanket anymore. It’s thicker, colder, humming as if the shadows themselves have taken a breath. My body stiffens. I know, before I see him. The floor beneath me is no longer the mattress I collapsed onto hours earlier—it is stone, slick and cold, seeping into my bare feet. My sheets have vanished, and in their place stretches a vast chamber cloaked in shadow. The silence is absolute. No hum of the fan, no ticking clock. Even my heartbeat seems muffled, as though the chamber itself is swallowing sound. The air smells of iron and damp stone, heavy and ancient, pressing against my lungs. Only him.

Lisa’s POV“Good morning, ma’am.” Katty’s smile is small and soothing, the kind that always makes people feel calm. “Do you need me to help with anything?”“Good morning, Katty.” I return her smile. “No, I don’t need anything. I just came to see David. Hmm… is he in?”“Yes, ma sir’s in the office.” She hesitates, pressing her lips together. “But it seems Ms. Annette is in there with him,” she adds, uncertain.I tilt my head, forcing a soft smile. “Oh… I’ll go in. It’s urgent. I’m sure he won’t mind.”“Oh oh, okay, ma.” She forces a small smile, her voice shaky as she steps aside.I give her a pointed look. “Hmm, I’ll just go then.”Her gaze flickers away, focusing on anything but me. “Ye… yes, ma.”I walk past her, straight down the hallway, then turn right and the office door sits ahead, closed and too quiet.My hand rises to knock.“Hmmm, you do this too well.”The sound freezes me. My hand stops mid-air. No… please no.“Of course I do. No one else could satisfy you the way I do no