A sharp pain cracked through my skull.
The world spun.
Darkness swallowed me whole.
I woke up in an unfamiliar room. The air was thick with a scent I couldn’t place—something expensive, something suffocating. My limbs were weak, my head throbbing.
I tried to sit up. That’s when I felt it.
A searing pain between my legs.
My breath hitched as horror crashed over me in waves. Slowly, shakily, I looked down.
Blood. Dried on my thighs. Staining my shorts.
A sob tore from my throat as I curled in on myself. No. No, no, no—
The door creaked open.
My head snapped up.
Bryant Harlow stood in the doorway, a towel wrapped loosely around his waist, damp hair curling against his forehead. His dark eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he leaned against the doorframe.
“Hmm…” His lips curved into a smirk. “I do hope I impregnated you, love.”
My world shattered.
Days blurred together.
I stopped counting them.
At first, I fought. I screamed. I clawed at the locked doors, threw things, refused to eat. But nothing changed. The only thing that greeted me every morning was the suffocating luxury of this bedroom—if I could even call it that. It was more of a gilded cage.
The four walls were draped in silk curtains, a chandelier casting golden light over the space. The bed was massive, covered in thick, expensive sheets that still smelled like Bryant. I hated it. I hated that I was stuck here.
Bryant barely visited. He only came to check if I was still breathing, smirking when he saw me curled up in the same spot. "You’ll get tired of resisting, love," he’d say before leaving again.
And maybe he was right.
Weeks passed before something changed.
One morning, the door creaked open. I expected another one of his staff bringing food, but instead, I saw him.
Bryant leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, eyes scanning me with an amused look. “You’re finally calm,” he noted.
I didn’t reply. I just stared at him, my hatred simmering beneath my skin.
“Come.” He gestured for me to follow.
For the first time since I woke up here, I was allowed outside the room.
I hesitated. This had to be a trap. But staying locked inside was worse, so I forced myself to stand. My legs were weak from weeks of inactivity, but I followed him through the long hallway.
And that’s when I saw it.
A mansion.