A glimpse from the past returning.

"Nirvana, can you hear me? Please… say something!" Luna's voice wavered as she pounded on the door for what felt like the hundredth time.

Silence.

"Damn it!" She pressed her forehead against the wood, frustration and fear twisting in her gut. "I'm sorry, Nirvana. I tried… I really tried, but they won’t let me in."

Behind her, Rayne’s men stood like statues, avoiding eye contact, their expressions carefully blank. She knew why…they were terrified. Rayne had been clear: No one goes in. No one comes out.

And for three days, they had followed his order to the letter.

Inside the dimly lit room, Nirvana lay curled on the cold marble floor, her body trembling, her breaths shallow. A deep ache spread through her limbs, heavier than before. She tried to keep her eyes open, to focus on the cracked ceiling above her, but the edges of her vision blurred.

Her fingers weakly traced the chain around her ankle…her prison…but even that motion felt exhausting.

"Not yet..." she whispered hoarsely, gripping onto consciousness like a fraying thread. "I have to save him..."

Her father needed her. She couldn’t afford to die here.

Then… a door slammed downstairs.

Heavy footsteps stormed through the hallway, fast, urgent. The air shifted. He was back.

Rayne.

The guards straightened as he approached, his presence sharp and suffocating. His jaw was tight, his black coat dusted with the cold night air.

"Open the damn door." His voice was low but laced with something dangerous.

They obeyed instantly, fumbling with the locks before stepping aside.

The moment the door swung open, Rayne stepped inside…then froze.

His heart lurched.

Nirvana was sprawled on the floor, motionless, her skin deathly pale, her lips colorless.

What the hell...?

"Why is she like that?!" His voice thundered through the corridor, his fury crackling like a live wire.

No one answered fast enough. His rage turned on the nearest person…Luna.

In a blink, his hand was around her throat, slamming her back against the wall.

"You were supposed to look after her!" he hissed. His fingers tightened.

Luna coughed, glaring up at him despite the pressure on her windpipe. She wasn’t scared. She was furious.

"You think this is my fault?" she spat, her nails digging into his wrist. "You were the one who ordered them not to let anyone in!"

His grip loosened…just enough for realization to slam into him.

Shit.

He had forgotten. Completely.

A curse tore from his lips as he released her and stormed into the room, his heart racing.

"Nirvana?" He dropped to his knees beside her, reaching for her cheek. Too cold. His stomach twisted.

She stirred weakly, barely lifting her lashes.

"Don't touch me." Her voice was barely a breath, but the venom in it was unmistakable.

Rayne clenched his jaw. "You're going to the hospital."

She used the last bit of her strength to push at his chest. "I... hate you..."

Something inside him twisted painfully. But there was no time for that.

He scooped her up, barely registering how light she was. Too light. It only fueled his anger…at her, at himself.

"Get the car!" he snapped.

His men scrambled to obey.

Luna pressed a hand to her bruised throat, watching as Rayne carried Nirvana out.

Just as they reached the doorway, Nirvana's head lolled against his chest.

Her breath slowed.

Rayne’s hold on her tightened.

"Nirvana, don’t you dare pass out on me."

But her body went limp.

Too limp.

"Are you out of your damn mind, Rayne?"

The sharp accusation cut through the tense hospital room as Dr. Elias Monroe slammed his clipboard onto the counter. His usually calm brown eyes burned with fury.

"Did you not know she’s anaemic? Or did you starve her on purpose?"

Rayne stood still, his face unreadable, but his fingers flexed at his sides.

"I didn’t know," he admitted, voice flat.

Elias scoffed, running a hand through his hair. "Unbelievable. You lock her up for three days with no food or water…hell, do you even know what could’ve happened to her? Her condition is serious, Rayne. She could’ve gone into cardiac arrest. But I guess that doesn’t matter to you, does it?"

Rayne’s jaw clenched. "Just tell me what she needs."

Elias exhaled sharply, shaking his head. He grabbed a prescription pad and scribbled furiously. "Iron supplements. Nutrient-rich foods. Red meat, leafy greens. And for God’s sake, stop treating her like a possession." He ripped the paper off the pad and shoved it into Rayne’s chest.

Rayne took it without a word and walked out.

When he entered Nirvana’s hospital room, she was awake.

She lay against the pillows, her body weak but her gaze sharp as a blade. He set the bag of food down on the table beside her, but she didn’t even glance at it.

"Eat." His voice was low, almost careful.

A breathy, humorless laugh left her lips. "Go away, Rayne. Stop pretending you care."

His fingers curled into fists at his sides. "I didn’t bring you here for you to run your damn mouth."

Her lips curled in mock amusement. "No, you brought me here because you don’t want your new toy to break too soon. That’s all I am to you, right? Just like Adrian..just like every man who thinks he owns me."

He was on her before she could blink. One hand wrapped around her throat..not squeezing, just resting there, just enough for her to feel the weight of his control. His eyes burned into hers.

"Watch your mouth, Nirvana," he warned, voice dark and dangerous. "This? This is just a taste of what happens when you defy me."

She didn’t flinch. Didn’t cower. Instead, she met his stare with a quiet, almost eerie calm. "You should’ve let me die."

His grip tightened..just for a second…before he let go. But his hand didn’t leave her. It moved to her hair, twisting, pulling as he yanked her forward. His mouth crashed onto hers in a bruising, punishing kiss, swallowing her weak attempts to push him away.

When he finally pulled back, his voice was quiet but full of promise.

"You’re not dying, Nirvana." His fingers traced her jaw possessively. "I’m not done with you. Not even close. And you better get well fast..because I have a job for you to do."

He straightened, turning toward the door.

"Rest up. You’ll need it."

And then he was gone.

Rayne stepped out of the hospital, inhaling deeply, his hands clenched at his sides. The cold night air did nothing to ease the tension knotted in his chest. His heartbeat was still erratic, his body still coiled tight with frustration.

Then, suddenly, a dry, bitter laugh slipped past his lips. A pained kind of laugh.

Why did it hurt this much when she said she hated him? Why did seeing her in pain make him feel like he was the one suffocating?

"Nirvana… come hell, come rain… you’ll always be mine," he muttered under his breath, voice laced with something dark, something unshakable. "Whether you hate me or love me…it doesn’t matter."

He pulled out a cigarette, flicked his lighter, and let the flame dance before pressing it to the tip. He took a slow drag, the nicotine doing nothing to steady the storm raging inside him.

"Boss."

Lucian Devereaux’s voice cut through the quiet. His right-hand man stood a few feet away, expression unreadable, hands tucked into his coat pockets.

Rayne exhaled a cloud of smoke, his gaze lifting lazily. "Speak."

"We found a lead on Sienna."

The cigarette nearly slipped from his fingers. His head snapped toward Lucian so fast, his neck tensed with the movement.

"Say that again." His voice was sharp, low, dangerously calm.

Lucian didn’t waver. "Bordeaux, France. She’s living under the name Juliette Moreau. We have a location."

The world around Rayne blurred for a moment. Memories clawed their way to the surface..the orphanage,The day he lost her, the fire, the screaming, the cold air on the street pavement, Don Luca's extended hand that had changed his life and turned him into the man he was today.

His pulse hammered. Sienna.

Without a word, he flicked the cigarette away, crushing it under his boot. His entire body shifted…rigid, determined.

"Get the jet ready." His voice was clipped, commanding. "We leave now."

Lucian hesitated. "Boss… what about Nirvana?"

Rayne stilled. His fingers curled into a fist. His jaw clenched.

"She’s not going anywhere." His voice was ice, final. "And when I return, she’ll learn that I don’t let go of what’s mine."

With that, he turned and slid into the car, the door slamming shut behind him.