CHAPTER 15

Selena

The door creaked open, and my heart almost stopped.

I fumbled with my phone, ending the call so fast my fingers barely kept up with my thoughts. In a panic, I threw it to the far end of the bed, hoping praying he hadn’t heard anything.

Stephen stepped inside, slow and deliberate, like a predator sizing up its prey. His eyes locked on mine, unreadable but intense enough to send a wave of panic through me.

Had he overheard my call? Was he here to punish me like before?

I sat frozen on the bed, my back pressed against the headboard, legs trembling beneath the blanket. The silence between us stretched thin and tight.

“Who were you talking to, Selena?” His voice was low but laced with sharp possessiveness.

Something inside me snapped, maybe from the fear or maybe because I was just tired of being scared. “Don’t I have the right to make a call?” I said, my voice shaky but defiant.

His brows lifted in surprise as if he couldn’t believe I’d dared to talk back. Honestly, neither could I.

Then came that devilish smirk.

No. Not that smirk again. It was always the beginning of something twisted.

I held my breath, wishing I could take the words back. Wishing I hadn’t challenged him. He didn’t say a word at first just stared with that glint in his eyes, a storm brewing behind them.

“Follow me,” he said coldly.

“I don’t want to,” I replied, softer this time, almost a whisper.

A loud crash startled me. The desk beside the bed shattered beneath his foot, splinters flying everywhere. I flinched, heart pounding so loud I could barely hear myself think.

“I’ll come,” I gasped, jumping up from the bed. My legs nearly buckled.

His hand grabbed my wrist, tight and unrelenting. Pain flared instantly.

“You dare not go against me ever again,” he hissed through gritted teeth.

***********

The ride was silent.

Darkness cloaked the night as he drove, his jaw clenched, one hand gripping the steering wheel like it owed him something. I stared out the window, my reflection blending with the blur of streetlights.

“Where are we going?” I asked, finally breaking the silence.

He didn’t answer.

A pit formed in my stomach. Was this the end? Had I pushed too far?

When the car pulled up in front of a club, my blood ran cold.

No. No, no, no. “Please, I don’t want to go in there,” I whispered, already shaking my head. “Let me go home. Please.”

He turned his head slowly and gave me a cold, mocking smile. “You’ll find out why we’re here.”

Then, without another word, he stepped out and came around to my side. Before I could resist, he yanked the door open and dragged me out of the car.

The music inside the club was deafening. Lights flashed. The smell of alcohol and sweat was thick in the air. People moved aside as Stephen entered, bowing in respect. Some even looked away, fearful.

Then a guy walked over, eyes flicking to me.

“Damn, another one? Your woman’s already waiting upstairs.”

Stephen didn’t speak. He didn’t have to.

He shoved the guy so hard he slammed into the wall. The crowd gasped and scattered. Chaos erupted as Stephen’s voice thundered, a low, dangerous growl that didn’t even sound human.

“Don’t you ever call her a bitch.”

My heart nearly stopped. I’d seen him angry before but never like this.

He grabbed my hand again and stormed up the stairs, pulling me toward a private room like I was nothing more than a doll in his grip.

And then I saw her.

Julia.

She was perched on the edge of a white velvet sofa, wearing a red dress that clung to every curve. She stood slowly, a sultry smile stretching across her face.

“Ooh, babe,” she purred. “I heard your roar downstairs. Who dared make you angry?”

Her voice dripped with honey, and she walked toward Stephen like she owned him, her fingers sliding over his chest like it was her territory.

I didn’t know what came over me—but watching her touch him like that made my stomach turn. Something bitter bloomed in my chest. Jealousy? Disgust?

When she glanced my way and gave me a smirk so sharp it could cut glass, I instinctively pulled my hand from Stephen’s grasp.

I didn’t want any part of this. Not this madness. Not them.

Julia shoved Stephen onto the sofa with a giggle that curled through the air like smoke. Without hesitation, she climbed into his lap, her hands sliding over his chest, her lips dangerously close to his neck. She moved as if I were invisible—like I was nothing more than a speck of dust on the edge of her perfect world.

The bass from the club’s speakers pounded through the walls, but all I could hear was the ringing in my ears. My breath caught in my throat. My chest tightened.

Was this why he brought me here?

To watch this?

My eyes burned. I blinked rapidly, willing the tears to stay where they were, buried behind every wall I’d ever built to survive him.

I turned toward the door. I didn’t care where I’d go—I just needed to be anywhere but here.

“Sit down,” his voice cut through the room like cold steel. “You dare not leave.”

I froze mid-step.

The weight of his command rooted me to the floor. My fingers curled into my palms, nails digging into skin. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

So this was the game.

He wanted me to watch. Watch as she touched him, as he let her. Watch while every piece of my dignity shattered like glass under his boots.

My stomach twisted.

A cruel smirk painted Julia’s face as she slowly tilted her head toward me, her eyes glinting with triumph. Stephen said nothing, made no move to stop her.

And in that moment, standing there in the center of that lavish VIP room with strobe lights flickering across leather couches and champagne-scented air, I understood—

He wanted to break me.

Why was he tormenting me like this?