10:00 AM – A False Sense of Calm
Isabella sat in the library, staring at the same page for the past twenty minutes.
She wasn't reading.
How could she?
Her mind was a battlefield, torn between anger and exhaustion.
The mansion was too quiet.
Too still.
No sounds of guards. No whispers of maids.
Only the ticking of the old grandfather clock.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
It felt like a countdown.
To what?
She wasn't sure.
But she could feel it—something was coming.
10:15 AM – The Devil Returns
The heavy doors creaked open.
She didn't have to look to know who it was.
Ethan.
His presence was an invisible force, pressing against her skin.
She kept her eyes on the book, refusing to acknowledge him.
Would he leave?
No.
Of course not.
Ethan never left when she wanted him to.
Instead, he walked to the liquor cabinet, pouring himself a drink.
"Still pretending to read?"
His voice was laced with amusement.
She clenched her jaw but didn't respond.
Silence was safer.
But was it?
Wasn't silence exactly what he wanted?
For her to shut down, to retreat, to bend?
She exhaled slowly.
"I'm not pretending."
Ethan chuckled, swirling his drink.
"Really? What's the book about?"
Her fingers tightened around the edges of the paper.
She had no idea.
But she refused to let him win.
"Power," she said smoothly. "And how people manipulate it."
He raised a brow.
"Interesting choice."
A smirk tugged at his lips.
"But the real question is—do you want power, Isabella?"
She finally looked up, meeting his gaze.
It was a mistake.
Because there, in his eyes, was the unspoken truth—
He already knew the answer.
10:30 AM – A Dangerous Proposal
Ethan set his drink down, leaning against the table.
"You have two choices."
There it was.
The beginning of another game.
Another trap.
She waited, saying nothing.
One corner of his mouth lifted in amusement.
"You can stay locked in this house, hiding in rooms, waiting for someone to save you."
Her nails dug into her palms.
"Or?"
"Or," Ethan continued, "you can stop pretending you're powerless."
A chill ran down her spine.
She should laugh.
Should mock him for even suggesting it.
But she didn't.
Because a small, treacherous part of her was listening.
Wasn't that what she wanted?
To stop feeling weak?
To stop being a pawn?
But at what cost?
Would playing this game make her just like him?
She shook her head, pushing the thought away.
"I'm not interested."
Ethan tsked, as if he was disappointed.
"Lying to me is one thing, Isabella. Lying to yourself? That's pathetic."
Her breath caught.
Because—
Was he wrong?
Or had he just said out loud the very thing she was afraid to admit?
11:00 AM – A Moment of Clarity
Ethan left.
He always knew when to retreat.
That was what made him dangerous.
He knew when to push.
And when to plant a seed and let it grow.
She stared at the ceiling, her mind racing.
She had always told herself she would never become like him.
But what if she needed to?
What if survival meant becoming the very thing she hated?
Would she cross that line?
And once she did—
Would she ever be able to go back?