All Chapters of The Tyrant's captive bride : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

~Harper~I wake up to a man I don’t know staring at me from the foot of the bed.Not Elias. This one’s older, salt-and-pepper hair, wearing a three-piece suit at, I check the clock, 7:03 a.m. He’s holding a garment bag like he’s about to dress a corpse for its funeral.I scream very loud. The man doesn’t even flinch. “Good morning, Miss Harper. I’m Reginald. Mr. Voss instructed me to prepare you for the ceremony.”I yank the blanket up to my chin even though I’m wearing one of Elias’s T-shirts that hangs to my knees. “Ceremony? What ceremony? And why are you in here?!”The bedroom door slams open so hard it bounces off the wall. Elias storms in wearing nothing but low-slung gray sweatpants and a scowl that could melt steel.“Reginald,” he growls, “I said knock.”“I did knock, sir. Three times. She sleeps like the dead.”Elias’s eyes flick to me. “Clearly not anymore.”I point a shaky finger between them. “Somebody explain what the hell is happening before I start throwing lamps.”Eli

~Harper~I’m still riding the high from blurting out that I like him like actually like him when everything goes sideways two days later.It starts normally. Well, normal for us. I wake up to Elias sliding back into bed after his run, all sweaty and annoying and pressing cold hands to my stomach just to make me yell. I shove him off, call him a disgusting caveman, and he laughs and kisses my neck until I stop pretending to fight it. I spend the morning in the darkroom, blasting music through the little speaker he bought me, developing a roll of film I shot from the rooftop the night of our date. The prints come out perfect, string lights blurry in the background, his handsome profile sharp in the foreground while he’s looking at me like I hung the moon. I pin them up and stare way too long, feeling like a complete sap.Around noon Sofia knocks again. This time she’s got a tray with lunch, sandwich, chips, pickle and another tiny paper bag tucked under the plate. More pills. My stomac

~Harper~I’m digging through the dresser for my favorite hoodie, the one I took from him when my hand hits something lacy and weird.I pull it out.Black lingerie. Tiny. Expensive-looking. Tags still on, but the kind of set that screams “I’m here to ruin your life.”Not mine. Definitely not mine. I don’t own anything that small or that slutty. And the size? Yeah, no. These are for someone with actual boobs and no self-respect.I stand there holding it like it’s a dead rat, stomach dropping straight to the floor.Elias walks in right then, fresh from the shower, towel low on his hips, hair dripping. He stops when he sees my face.“What’s wrong?”I hold up the lingerie between two fingers. “Care to explain this?”He blinks. Looks at it. Frowns. “It’s old.”“Old.”“Yeah. From before. Probably Aurora or someone. I forgot it was in there.”I laugh. It’s not a happy laugh. “You forgot a sexy lingerie was hiding in your drawer. Sure. That happens, or did you just keep it to sniff everytime”

~Harper~I’m pretending everything’s fine.I let him kiss me good morning. I eat the breakfast he makes, burnt toast and perfect eggs because he’s trying too hard. I even laugh at his stupid jokes while we drink coffee on the couch, legs tangled like nothing happened.But inside I’m numb. Wrist still bruised ugly purple. Head replaying those videos on loop. Sofia’s warning echoing. Aurora. Lies. All of it.He knows something’s off. I see it in the way he watches me, eyes narrowed when I think he’s not looking. The way he touches me more hand on my thigh, fingers in my hair like he’s checking I’m still here.By evening he’s pacing. Tie loose. Shirt untucked. Hair messed from running his hands through it.“You’re quiet,” he says finally, stopping in front of me while I flip through some prints in the darkroom.“Am I?”“Yeah.” He leans against the doorframe. “Talk to me.”“Nothing to say.”“Bullshit.” He steps in, crowds me against the counter. “You’re pulling away again. I feel it.”I s

~Harper~Twenty-four hours feels like a week.No food. No water except what I can cup from the bathroom faucet. Throat raw from screaming at first, then just hoarse whispers begging through the door. He never answers. Not once.I’m curled on the floor by the bed, head pounding, lips cracked, when the lock finally beeps.The door opens.Elias steps in. Fresh shirt. Hair neat. Like he slept fine.“Brought water.” He holds out a bottle.I stand slowly , legs shaky, and walk straight up to him.Take the bottle.Open it.Then spit right in his face.Watery spit because I’m dehydrated, but it lands on his cheek and drips down.He doesn’t move. Just closes his eyes for a second, wipes it off slowly with his sleeve.“You done?”“No.” My voice is gravel. “I hate you.”“Yeah. Got that.”He steps in, shuts the door behind him. Sets a tray downsandwich, fruit, more water.I ignore it. “Let me see Lila.”“No.”“Then fuck you. I’ll scream until the whole building hears.”He grabs the remote from th