All Chapters of My Possessive CEO (Can love conquer pain?): Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

“Wake up.”The words cut through the darkness before I can open my eyes.Cold.That’s the first thing I feel.Cold metal against my back. Against my wrists.I try to move—I can’t.Panic surges instantly.My eyes snap open.Dim red light floods the room, flickering like a warning. My hands are bound behind me, wrists locked in something hard, unyielding. Chains. My legs—secured.Trapped.My breath comes faster.No.No, no, no—“Easy.”That voice.My entire body goes rigid.I know that voice.I wish I didn’t.“You always panic when you wake up,” he says, stepping into view.And just like that—The past crashes into the present.Adrian.My chest tightens violently as memories I tried to bury claw their way back to the surface.Dark rooms.Locked doors.His voice.Always calm.Always in control.“You remember me,” he says softly, almost pleased.I shake my head instinctively. “No…”A lie.A weak one.He smiles.“Maria Eduarda,” he murmurs, like my name belongs to him. “You’ve grown.”Fea

“Step away from her.”The command leaves my mouth before the shock even settles.My gaze is locked on him.Her father.Standing there like nothing is wrong. Like he didn’t just walk into a nightmare he created.Maria’s voice breaks beside me.“…Dad?”That one word—It shatters something.I don’t think.I don’t calculate.I don’t plan.I move.Fast.Violent.Uncontrolled.My fist connects with his face before anyone can react.The impact echoes through the room.He stumbles back, blood instantly spilling from his lip.Good.Not enough.“Leon—” Maria’s voice cracks behind me.Too late.I’m already grabbing him by the collar, slamming him hard against the wall.“You don’t get to stand there,” I growl, my voice low and lethal, “and pretend you’re not the reason she’s like this.”He exhales sharply, dazed but not afraid.That irritates me more.“You’re… exactly what I expected,” he mutters.Wrong answer.I hit him again.Harder.His head snaps to the side.“You don’t talk,” I say, tighteni

“Wake him.”Cold water slams into my face.I jerk forward, coughing, dragging in air like I’ve been buried alive. My vision snaps into focus—too fast, too sharp—and the first thing I see is concrete.Gray.Cracked.Stained.Blood.Mine.Good.That means I’m still alive.“For now.”Adrian’s voice.Of course.I lift my head slowly.Every movement hurts.My ribs burn. My arm feels like it’s been torn apart. My head—pounding.But none of that matters.“Where is she?”No greeting.No hesitation.Just the question.Adrian watches me from across the room, hands in his pockets, calm as ever.“You wake up,” he says, almost amused, “and that’s your first concern.”“Yes.”A pause.Then a faint smile.“Interesting.”I test my restraints.Metal.Tight.Reinforced.Expected.“You’re wasting time,” I say.“Am I?”I look up at him fully now.Cold.Focused.“If she’s hurt—”“She’s alive.”The words hit instantly.Relief—sharp.Immediate.Dangerous.I don’t show it.“Where.”Adrian takes a step closer

“No.”The word detonates across the room.Sharp. Final. Unbreakable.I don’t even remember deciding to say it.I just know—It’s the only answer that exists.“Leon—” Maria’s voice trembles behind me.I don’t look at her.Because if I do—If I see doubt in her eyes—If I see hesitation—I might soften.And I don’t have that luxury.Not here.Not with him.Adrian watches me carefully.Studying.Calculating.Like this is still part of his plan.“You’re rejecting the offer?” he asks calmly.“I’m rejecting you,” I reply.A pause.Then—A slow smile.“Bold.”“No,” I correct, my voice dropping lower. “Necessary.”Silence stretches.Tight.Heavy.Then—“You understand the consequences?” Adrian asks.“Yes.”“Say them.”My jaw tightens.But I say it anyway.“She stays.”“And?”“She loses herself.”“And?”I meet his gaze directly.“I lose her.”The words hit harder than anything else in this room.But I don’t look away.I don’t flinch.“Good,” Adrian says softly. “At least you’re honest.”Maria

“Say something.”My voice sounds wrong.Too tight.Too sharp.Like it’s barely holding together.Maria doesn’t answer.She just stands there.Still.Composed.Perfectly… empty.“Maria.”Nothing.Not even a flicker.Not even a breath out of place.Like she’s already gone.Something inside me cracks.“Look at me.”She does.Immediately.Obedient.Controlled.And that—That’s worse than if she ignored me.“Do you know who I am?” I ask.Silence.Then—“Yes.”My heart stops.Hope—violent, desperate—surges through me.“Then say it.”A pause.One second.Two.Then—“Leon Vitorino.”Flat.Precise.Emotionless.The hope dies instantly.Because she didn’t feel it.She just… identified it.Like data.Like information.Like I don’t mean anything.“Not like that,” I say, stepping closer. “Say it again.”No response.“Say it like you know me.”Nothing.My chest tightens.Breathing gets harder.Faster.Louder.“She recognizes you,” Adrian says casually behind me. “That’s already progress.”“Shut up.