The smile on his face faded, replaced with something colder. “Because, Danica… I don’t need you anymore. I never did. I’m done pretending. I’m done being the good husband. You’ve always been a means to an end. And now that Dulcie’s here, I don’t need you to play the part anymore.”
I could feel my heart breaking, piece by piece. This man, this monster, had never loved me. He never even liked me.
“I should’ve known,” I said, voice shaking with emotion. “I should’ve known when I saw you two together. Four years ago, on the staircase.”
His eyes flashed with irritation. “You’re still stuck on that?” He scoffed, running a hand through his hair. “You’re crazy, Danica. You’ve always been crazy. Just like your mother.”
The words stung more than anything. My mother. The woman who had slowly lost herself to the darkness, to the lies. And now, Reagan was using her as an excuse for his cruelty.
He stepped closer, his breath hot on my face. “Run, and I’ll bring your father’s empire to its knees. Titanis will fall. He’ll die knowing his daughter caused it.”
I felt the air leave my lungs. My father… I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t destroy him. Not for me.
“You’re trapped, Danica,” he said coldly, his lips curling into a cruel smile. “You’ll stay with me. You’ll do as I say. Because if you don’t, everything you love will burn.”
My stomach turned. I wanted to scream. I wanted to throw him out, to tear everything apart. But I couldn’t. Not while I carried these babies inside me. I was bound to this man, to this hell he’d built.
I thought I was done with the pain, that I had hit rock bottom. But then, as if fate had other plans, I saw something that froze my blood.
In the study, standing near the window, was Dulcie.
She was waiting for me.
I walked in, my feet moving before my brain had fully caught up.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I demanded.
Dulcie turned to face me, her lips curling into that familiar, venomous smile. “Oh, just making myself comfortable,” she purred. “You don’t mind, do you? I’m going to be staying here from now on.”
My vision blurred. I couldn’t take it anymore. “You—you are staying here?” I hissed, stepping toward her. “In my home? With him?”
She met my gaze with the kind of smugness only she could manage. “Oh, sweetie, I don’t think you have any say in this anymore.”