Appearance

The message that changes the shape of the day arrives just after eleven.I am in the upstairs hallway when Adrian’s phone buzzes on the dresser. He reads it once, then again. The controlled stillness that settles over him is more alarming than any open anger.He turns the screen toward me.I’m outside the gate. We can do this quietly, or I can wait until the next time she leaves the house alone. Your choice.My pulse stutters.Adrian is already moving. He pulls on a jacket, checks the security feed on his tablet, and speaks without looking at me.“Stay upstairs. Do not come down until I call for you. Lock the bedroom door.”“Adrian—”“Now, Aria.”The authority in his voice leaves no room for argument. I step back into the bedroom and close the door. The lock clicks under my fingers. Through the window I can see the long driveway and the heavy iron gates at the end. A dark car sits just beyond them.Minutes stretch.I hear the front door open downstairs. Footsteps cross the foyer. Then

Terakhir Diperbarui : 2026-08-19

Baca selengkapnya

After the gate

The house feels different after Damien’s appearance at the gate.Not safer. Just tighter. Every exterior camera stays live on Adrian’s tablet. The gates remain closed unless someone is cleared in advance. I am not allowed to step outside without him or Kai. The rule is absolute, delivered without discussion, and enforced by the way Adrian’s eyes track me whenever I move from one room to another.I spend most of the morning in the study while he works. The silence between us is no longer empty; it is weighted with the knowledge that Damien had stood only a few hundred yards away and spoken to Adrian face to face. The fact that the confrontation stayed controlled does not erase the violation of it.Just before noon Adrian’s phone lights up again. He reads the message, jaw tightening, then turns the screen so I can see it.You can close the gates. You can cut the access. You can keep her locked inside like something precious. I still remember how she sounded when she broke for me. That d

Terakhir Diperbarui : 2026-08-19

Baca selengkapnya

Quiet pressure

The days after Damien’s appearance at the gate settle into a strange, suspended rhythm.The house remains locked down. Gates stay closed. Cameras cycle endlessly on Adrian’s tablet. I am not allowed outside without him or Kai, and even inside the property the air feels watched. Adrian moves through the rooms with a controlled intensity that never fully relaxes. Every unknown number is treated as a potential threat. Every unexpected sound draws his attention before it draws mine.I adapt because there is no other choice.Mornings begin in his bed. He wakes before me most days, already reviewing messages or security feeds on his phone, one arm still locked around my waist as if even sleep requires the constant proof that I am still there. When he notices I am awake he does not ask how I slept. He simply pulls me closer, presses his mouth to the side of my neck, and reminds me—without words—that the rules have not changed.I am his.I stay where he can see me.Anything from Damien comes

Terakhir Diperbarui : 2026-10-07

Baca selengkapnya

Semua Bab FORBIDDEN DESIRE : Bab 31 - Bab 33

Appearance

After the gate

Quiet pressure