Chapter 2

Fiona POV

When I was seventeen, they discovered my secret.

I had feelings for Luca.

He was my father's best friend. And my guardian.

He destroyed everything with his own hands.

My drawing board. My easel. Those one hundred and eight sketches I'd secretly drawn of him, all turned to ash in the flames.

"Shameless."

Behind me, the iron gate slammed shut with a heavy thud that seemed to hit my spine.

A black sedan pulled up in front of me. The window rolled down, revealing Luca's cold profile.

The passenger door opened. A woman in a white dress stepped out, her hair pinned up, her smile perfectly measured.

"You must be Fiona. I'm Winona Reynolds."

I nodded, my throat too dry to speak.

"Get in the car. It's windy out here."

She finished speaking, slipped her arm through Luca's as naturally as breathing, and settled back into the passenger seat.

I opened the rear door and climbed in.

The car was spacious, yet oppressively suffocating.

In the front, Winona spoke softly to Luca. He occasionally responded, his gaze always on the road ahead.

In the rearview mirror, his eyes swept over me.

"Did you learn the rules in there?"

His voice came through the mirror, devoid of any warmth.

My body trembled slightly as those days and nights came flooding back.

"I learned them."

I answered quietly, head bowed even lower.

"And those inappropriate thoughts-are they gone too?"

My fingers twisted the hem of my clothes.

Five years. One thousand, eight hundred and twenty-five days. Every single day I repeated the same words to myself: Fiona Winters doesn't have feelings for Luca anymore.

"They're gone."

"Good."

His gaze moved away, and the car fell into dead silence.

The Thorne estate looked the same as before-vast and unsettling.

After the car stopped, I followed them into the main building.

"Fiona, your room..."

Winona turned around, an apologetic smile on her face.

"The lighting was perfect in there. So I turned it into a greenhouse. You know how much Luca loves the orchids I grow."

At the end of the second-floor hallway, the door that once belonged to me now had a sign reading "Greenhouse."

I showed no reaction.

"It's fine."

I said.

"You're the lady of the house. If you like it, that's what matters. I'll take a guest room."

Winona's smile froze for an instant before returning to normal. She turned to Luca, her tone carrying a hint of pride.

"Luca, see how well-behaved Fiona is now."

Luca studied me.

"Mm."

He responded coolly.

"Show her to the guest room."

At dinner, the long table felt like two worlds stretched between its ends.

Luca sat at the head, Winona beside him. I sat alone across from them, a large bouquet of flowers between us.

He carefully cut Winona's steak. Removed the bones from her fish. His movements were focused, tender, expressions I'd never seen on his face.

"Fiona, try this soup."

Winona smiled as she pushed a bowl toward me.

That sentence was like pressing a switch.

My spine went rigid. I picked up the spoon and mechanically scooped the scalding liquid into my mouth.

The burning broth scorched my mouth, but I didn't stop. Spoonful after spoonful, I swallowed.

This was the first rule they taught me in that place: Obey, then swallow everything.

Winona watched me until the bowl was empty.

"Luca, I told you, Fiona is very obedient now."

Luca's brow furrowed very slightly, then relaxed.

"Keep it that way. Get along with Winona."

His tone left no room for argument.

"Yes, Mr. Thorne."

I answered with my head down.

Back in the guest room, I closed the door and slowly slid down against it until I was sitting on the floor.

I pulled out a cloth bundle from my inner pocket. Inside were several bills crumpled by sweat.

This was what I'd saved, bit by bit, doing handwork in that place.

I took out my old phone, my fingers trembling as I typed in a destination.

A distant city in the south, where it was spring all year round.

Date: Thirty days from now.

Payment. Confirmation.

[Purchase Successful]

Thirty days.

This was the countdown I'd set for myself.

Night fell. I curled up on the bed without changing my clothes.

This was a habit I'd developed in that place-always ready for sudden emergencies.

The sound of the doorknob turning was soft, but enough to jolt me awake.

My body went rigid, my breathing stopped.

The door opened. A tall shadow entered, carrying something.

The most terrifying memories surged up instantly. I could barely breathe.

My mind went blank, but my body reacted before my consciousness could-an instinct carved into my bones through countless beatings and humiliations.

I rolled off the bed and crawled forward on my knees, my trembling hands fumbling to unbutton his shirt.

"Don't hit me..."

I cried.

"I'll serve you right away... please, don't hit me..."

The light came on.

Under the harsh glare, Luca stood there holding a bowl of soup.

He looked down at me.

"Fiona,"

His voice wavered unusually.

"What are you doing?!"