CHAPTER ELEVEN

Gazing out the window, my fingers tapped rhythmically against the pane, accompanying the chirps of the birds. Noon had arrived, and soon it would be dinner, but my mind wasn’t occupied with thoughts of food. Instead, I found myself consumed by worry for my mother. As time passed, my curiosity intensified, aching for answers.

If only he hadn't confined me, deploying guards and placing restrictions on my movements. I longed to sprint down the stairs, greet a waiting chauffeur, and storm into his office to confront him, even if it felt like a potentially reckless move.

Though we were both lusting after each other, I knew for a fact that we both hated each other as well. Although I felt butterflies in my stomach whenever he was close by and the scent of his minty breath filled my nostrils, it was more of an uncomfortable feeling of being extremely close to him. It marked the first time I had engaged in something I never desired, yet, in a peculiar way, I couldn’t deny the wanting that lin