Held between Fear and Trust
“I don’t know what I feel.”
That answer unsettled him more than fear would have.
“Go to your room,” he said after a pause.
She stood immediately and walked past him, never once meeting his eyes.
Ethan remained where he was.
The house felt different now. Heavier. Like something fragile had cracked, and the sound was still echoing.
He didn’t know whether he was losing control—
Or tightening it.
And somewhere deep beneath the power, the violence, the obsession, something far more dangerous stirred.
Not hatred.