Chapter 2 Like I Don't Belong To Myself Anymore

I woke up feeling... strange. Not bad. Not safe either. Just... blank. Like my body knew something happened, but my brain hadn't caught up yet.

The sheets smelled like a man. Clean, sharp, expensive.

Not mine.

I was in a stranger's bed. His bed.

Dominic's.

I didn't remember sleeping. I don't even think I dreamed. My body was stiff, like I'd stayed frozen all night. I didn't move at first. Maybe I thought if I stayed still, none of it would be real.

The ceiling was too high. The room too quiet.

It wasn't like any bedroom I'd ever seen.

It was too... sterile. Like a showroom. Everything had a place. Even the dust didn't dare to land.

I sat up slowly, expecting pain or something worse.

But there was nothing.

No bruises.

No ache between my legs.

Just my skin and bones... and fear.

He hadn't touched me. At least not like that.

But it didn't feel like mercy. It felt like a delay.

I stood up. My knees didn't want to cooperate at first. I grabbed the edge of the nightstand to steady myself. My heart was beating too fast-like it was trying to escape before I could.

I didn't know what time it was. There was no clock. No phone. No anything.

One of the doors stood slightly open. Bathroom.

The other one was shut. Probably locked. Of course.

I turned toward the desk near the window. Not because I wanted to snoop-but because I needed to do something. My hands were shaking. They needed a reason to exist.

Then I saw it.

A silver pocket watch. Small. Clean. Out of place.

I shouldn't have touched it.

But I did.

I picked it up carefully, like it might scream. It was warm from the sunlight on the desk. The metal felt too heavy for its size.

It clicked open when I pressed it.

No photo.

No engraving.

Just the ticking. Steady. Sharp.

Then-

"Put it down."

I dropped it.

It didn't fall.

Because he was already there.

Dominic.

He stood in the doorway like a shadow had taken shape. Just... watching.

I backed up. My breath caught in my chest like it was stuck.

"I wasn't- I didn't mean to-"

I sounded pathetic. I hated that. But my voice wouldn't work right.

"You don't touch my things," he said.

Calm. Cold. Like I'd just scratched his favorite car.

"I didn't know. I mean-"

"I don't care what you meant."

He walked over and picked it up off the desk. Like it was something fragile. He didn't even glance at me.

"You think because I didn't fuck you last night, you're free to start digging through my life?"

My stomach twisted.

I looked down. My hands had started shaking again.

"No. I wasn't... I wasn't thinking."

He clicked the watch shut and slipped it into his pocket.

"That's the problem. You weren't thinking."

Silence.

Then he said, "You slept like a child. Mouth open. Drooling."

My face burned. I didn't know if he was mocking me or... something else.

He moved to the window and dragged the curtains open. Light spilled in and made me flinch. It hit my eyes like punishment.

"Get up. Shower. Clothes are in the closet."

Then, after a second-

"Breakfast. Ten minutes."

He didn't ask. He ordered.

I hesitated. "What if I'm not hungry?"

He turned his head slowly, just enough for me to catch his eyes.

"Then you'll sit there. And watch me eat."

My throat closed.

"You're not in control here, Liana. You don't ask. You obey."

I should've said nothing. But something inside me snapped. Something small and scared and angry.

"Then why didn't you touch me?" I whispered.

He froze.

I hated the silence that followed. It was heavy. Deadly.

Then he turned to face me fully.

"Because I don't break my toys on the first day."

My breath caught.

He walked toward me, slow. Measured. Not loud, not fast-just... unstoppable.

He stopped inches from me. I could smell him again. Leather and smoke. And something darker.

"You belong to me now," he said, low. "But that doesn't mean I'll use you the way you think."

"Then how will you use me?"

I didn't mean to ask that out loud.

His lips twitched. Not a smile. A warning.

"We'll both find out."

Then he turned and walked out, leaving the door open behind him.

Like a dare.

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