Aria's POV
I woke up to sunlight slicing through the window blinds like knives. My head throbbed, my body feeling heavy as though I'd been carrying stones in my sleep.
I lay on the bed for a long moment staring at the ceiling, trying to remember if last night had been real or just another nightmare stitched from the wreckage of my life.
Lucian had sat on the edge of the bed. I remembered that much,I was half asleep but I sure felt his breath brush over my cheeks. His thumb had brushed my cheek and he'd whispered something. The words blurred now, half-dream, half-memory.
I touched the spot he'd touched,there was no bruise nor mark.
I sat up slowly,stood and went into the bathroom for a much needed bath
When I stepped out, wrapped in a towel, the penthouse was silent.Lucian had stepped out without letting his "wife know".
I dressed in jeans and a simple sweater—clothes from the closet he'd stocked for me. They fit perfectly, of course.
I walked to the kitchen. A note sat on the counter beside a fresh pot of coffee and a plate of fruit and pastries.
*"Meeting until 3.Don't go anywhere till I get back. We'll talk when I get back."*
*Lucian*
I crumpled the note and threw it in the bin.But that didn't change anything,I was still a slave even if I decide to burn the paper.
The day stretched ahead like a prison sentence. I was in Lucian's dungeon,just me in the company of glass walls and the city that watched but never helped.
By noon I was restless, pacing again, anger simmering low in my belly. I needed air. I needed to move. I needed to feel like I still had control over something.
I walked to the front door. The lock was digital—thumbprint and code. I tried my thumb. Nothing. I punched in random numbers but all efforts still amounted to nothing.
I banged my fist against the door once and hard enough to sting.
Then I slid down to the floor, back against the wood, knees to my chest.
This was my life now.
A gilded cage.
A husband who apologized with one breath and caged me with the next.
A body that still remembered his touch even when my mind screamed to forget.
I eventually stood up, curling up by the door wasn't going to change anything.No one was coming to save me. I walked back to the living room and picked up my phone again.
Andre had texted.
*"You okay? News is everywhere. Call me when you can. Love you."*
I stared at the message. My thumb hovered over the call button.
Then I opened Twitter instead.
The top trend was still #EthanProposesMia.
But now there was a new one climbing fast: **#VossSavesAria**
Someone had leaked grainy footage from the hotel hallway.Lucian storming in, his fists flying and how he dragged me out. The clip was shaky, but the caption read: "Billionaire husband beats ex-fiancé after attempted assault. Aria Thorne safe. Protect her at all costs."
Comments were split.
"Husband goals "
"Lucian Voss is terrifying but I'm here for it"
"Ethan deserved every punch"
"Aria still looks like she's in shock. Hope she's okay."
I watched the clip again. And again.
Lucian's face in the video was unrecognizable and filled with pure rage
For me.
I closed the app. My heart was pounding.
I didn't know what to feel.
Gratitude? Fear? Anger? Or all of it?
I stood and walked to his room. The door was ajar as if he had intentionally left it open for me to see.
The bed was still unmade from last night. I walked to the nightstand. The birth control packet was still there, untouched.
I picked it up. Turned it over in my hand.
He'd ordered me to take them, called me a whore,hit me and then he'd nearly killed a man for touching me.
I dropped the packet back on the nightstand.
The elevator dinged in the distance.
He was home.
I walked back to the living room and stood by the window, arms crossed, back straight. I wouldn't run. Not this time.
He stepped out of the elevator,his eyes found me immediately.
"You didn't leave," he said.
"You locked the door," I replied.
He nodded once. Walked closer. Stopped a few feet away—like he was giving me space, or testing whether I'd bolt.
"I spoke to my lawyer," he said. "Ethan's pressing charges. Attempted assault on you. Self-defense on my part. But don't worry,I'll have it handled"
I didn't answer.
He took another step. "I'm sorry for the slap if that's still keeping you upset."
I looked at him. Really looked.
His eyes were tired. Not the cold steel I was used to but something softer.
"I lost control," he continued. "I swore I'd never—" He stopped. Swallowed. "I won't do it again. I promise."
I searched his face. "Why should I believe you?"
"Because you lied for me at the hospital," he said quietly. "You could have destroyed me but you didn't."
I looked away. "I didn't do it for you."
"Then who?"
I didn't answer again.
He stepped closer. Close enough that I could feel his heat.
"I'm not good at this," he said. "At caring. At… being anything other than what I've always been. But I'm trying Aria,don't you see?."
My throat tightened.
He lifted his hand and gently brushed a strand of hair from my face.
"I don't want you to be afraid of me," he whispered.
I met his eyes. "Then stop treating me like a prisoner."
He nodded once. "I'll unlock the door. You can leave whenever you want. But just make sure to come back to me.Always remember your contract and what's at stake."
I stared at him.
For the first time, I believed he meant it.
I stepped back. "I need time."
He nodded. "Take it."
He turned and walked toward his study.
I watched him go.
Then I walked to the front door.
The lock clicked open when I touched it.
I stood there, hand on the handle, heart pounding.
Freedom.
But freedom meant facing the world alone again—facing Ethan, the media, the hate, the debt that wasn't really gone.
Or I could stay.
In the cage.
With the devil who'd just handed me the key. It might not be total freedom but it's something at least
I closed my eyes and let go of the handle.
I wasn't ready to leave.
"You're still here?"Lucian's voice echoed from behind.
"I couldn't.Not now,it's still not safe out there for me" I managed to mumble.
"Tell yourself the truth Aria,you have feelings for me".