CHAPTER TEN: THE THORN IN THE VINE.

Sienna doesn’t realize the car is slowing until Noah yanks her out, gripping her wrist tightly. Blinking in surprise, she takes in her surroundings: a sprawling villa stands alone, surrounded by endless land and a chilling silence, broken only by the wind. The villa’s modern lines and grand windows feel cold and isolated.

It’s practically impossible to sneak in without getting caught on camera overlooking every corner.

“Noah, wait,” she protests as he pulls her forward, stumbling over the gravel. He doesn’t care; his hold tightens as he drags her to the front door—a massive slab of wood with beautiful carvings. When they step inside, the heavy door creaks, and Sienna begins to tremble out of fear.

The villa is as lifeless as the land outside. High ceilings and marble floors amplify their footsteps. A single chandelier illuminates the grand foyer. A winding staircase spirals upward, its polished banister gleaming in the gloom. The place feels immaculate, untouched, as if it has been waiting for something—or someone.

Noah pulls her up the stairs, her pleas falling on deaf ears. He flings open a door revealing a gray painted room with massive dark wood furniture, a bed the size of a football field.

With a sudden release, Noah lets her go, and Sienna stumbles into the room, her arms flailing wildly. Unable to catch herself, she lands with a soft thud on the carpet, the impact sending shockwaves through her face. Wincing in pain, she struggles to pick herself up, her gaze darting around the space some more.

To her right there’s a stunning marble-topped vanity with crystal perfume bottles and a gold-rimmed mirror on it. Next to it, floor-to-ceiling windows draped in silky gray curtains completely blocks external lights from filtering into the room. A bedside table with a golden orb shaped lamp on it.

“Noah, please—” she starts again, trying to pull back, but he is relentless.

He throws her onto the carpet, knocking the breath from her lungs. Sienna scrambles to her feet, desperation surging through her. But Noah is quicker, grabbing her arm with a fierceness that makes her cry out. She twists, trying to escape, but it’s futile. His strength overwhelms her, and her struggles only seem to fuel his anger.

Tears stream down her face as she pleads, her voice breaking. “Noah, please, stop. Let me go.”

He doesn’t stop. He won’t stop. “Noah!” she sobs, her voice breaking, but it only seems to push him further.

He doesn’t speak at first, just watches her as if she’s something fragile he’s about to break. Then, without warning, he yanks her closer, his lips brushing against her ear as he whispers, “Do you know how long I’ve waited for you?”

“You’ve grown up,” he continues, his grip on her tightening. “After so many years… so long… you finally appeared in front of me, but you forgot me. Completely.” There’s a bitterness in his voice now, something wounded and angry. “Do you know how that feels, Sienna? To wait for someone every single day, only for them to forget you exist?”

“You didn’t care to remember.” His words slice through her like a blade, sharp and unyielding. “You were right there, and I couldn’t get close. I missed you every day, suffered every day, but you didn’t care. You forgot me.”

She struggles against him, but it’s futile. Her mind races back to the days of their childhood, the innocent times they spent together, the little boy who loved blueberries so much that she had called him “Blueberry” in jest. It feels so far away now, that carefree time. The boy who once made her laugh now stood before her, twisted by years of resentment and pain.

Sienna’s body shakes beneath him, overwhelmed by the sheer force of his presence. The emptiness in his eyes feels unbearable. In her desperation, she does the only thing she can think of. She calls out a name she hasn’t spoken in years.

“Blueberry…”

Noah freezes. The nickname, like a faint playback from their past, slices through the moment. His hands pause, his breath catching as if for the first time since this nightmare began, he hears her. His eyes meet hers, and for a brief second, she sees something familiar.

“You remember,” he murmurs, his voice low, almost reverent. He eases his hold just slightly, but Sienna’s heart hammers in her chest. “You remember everything.”

Sienna doesn’t answer. She can’t. The memory of the boy he once flashes briefly before her, but it’s swallowed quickly by the cold man standing over her. His gaze darkens, the vulnerability gone in an instant. He leans down, his voice a chilling whisper, “Do you remember the promise you made? You said you’d be my bride.”

His words wrap around her throat like a noose, tightening as she gasps for air.

“I won’t let you go,” Noah says. “I’m going to take revenge on everyone in your family. And that includes you.”

Sienna’s body shudders. She’s trapped. The boy she once knew, the one she promised to marry in innocent childhood dreams, has become this—someone she doesn’t recognize, someone who terrifies her. She doesn’t see an escape.

Noah loosens his hold on her slightly, his hand brushing the tears from her cheek. The gentleness feels twisted, mocking.

Sienna is about to say something when he silences her with a rough kiss, his lips pressing against hers in a way that feels more like a punishment than an expression of love. It’s not gentle, not like the Noah she remembers from her childhood. It’s possessive, harsh, a claim being staked.

When he pulls back, his eyes bore into hers. “You’re mine now, Sienna,” he says softly, but the words are anything but comforting. “You’ll always be mine. No matter what happens, you’ll never be able to leave me.”

Noah pins Sienna beneath him, his weight pressing her into the soft carpet as his hands roam recklessly all over her body. His grip tightens on her wrists, holding them above her head, leaving her helpless as his other hand moves down her body. He’s not gentle—his fingers roughly graze over her breast, squeezing through the fabric of her gown, making it ride up as he continues. His breath is hot against her neck, the sound of it loud in her ears as she struggles, her body writhing beneath him.

“Noah, stop!” she yells, trying to twist away, but it only seems to spur him on. His mouth finds hers again, desperate and unrelenting, silencing her cries. His hand moves lower, fingers skimming bare thigh as her gown rides higher, exposing more of her skin. The roughness of his touch intensifies Sienna’s fear. She thrashes, desperate to free herself.