Chapter 5 The Drawer that should stay closed

Chapter 5

I tried to forget about the drawer.

I really did.

But my curiosity didn't die-it grew louder.

Worse.

Hungrier.

Because Dante Wolfe didn't make mistakes. He didn't let things sit out. He didn't get surprised.

So why the hell was that drawer locked?

What was he hiding?

Ava, stop it, I told myself. You're not his wife. You're not even his girlfriend.

You're his toy.

You obey, you stay quiet, you take what he gives you and pretend it's enough.

But still...

The question scratched at my ribs like claws.

That night, Dante wasn't home.

A rare thing.

He'd kissed me once in the kitchen, tasted the soup I made, and whispered in my ear, "I'll be late. Stay out of trouble."

I nodded, trying to look innocent.

He smirked like he knew better.

When the elevator doors closed, I watched the numbers blink... and then I moved.

Straight for the study.

The door creaked open with a soft click. My heart was pounding. Every part of me screamed bad idea, but I stepped in anyway.

Same room. Same scent.

Power. Control. Expensive silence.

The desk was like a black altar-clean, deadly, immovable.

And the drawer was still locked.

I bent down.

There was a small silver keyhole. No key in sight.

But there was something else.

A faint scratch around the wood. Like it had been forced open before.

Someone else had tried this.

Or... he had.

And re-locked it.

Why?

That's when I saw it-underneath the drawer, nearly invisible, was a small magnetic strip.

A hidden latch.

My breath hitched.

I reached up, fingers trembling, and pushed it-

Click.

The drawer slid open.

And what I saw inside made my blood go cold.

Photos.

Dozens.

Of me.

Some recent.

Some... years old.

Me laughing at school. Walking in the rain. Sleeping on Harper's couch.

Photos no one should have taken. No one should have kept.

But he did.

And they were organized. Labeled. Dated.

Some even had short notes written beneath them.

"First time she smiled at me."

"18 today. Still untouched."

"Took Harper home. Ava watched me. Jealous?"

I stumbled back from the desk, hands shaking, heart pounding in my ears.

He'd been watching me for years.

Obsessing over me long before I stepped into his room that night.

This wasn't a slow seduction.

This was a plan.

A twisted, careful game.

And I walked right into it.

"Ava."

His voice stopped my heart.

I spun.

Dante stood in the doorway.

Still in his black suit. Tie loosened. Shirt open at the throat.

But his eyes...

They weren't calm.

They were on fire.

He walked in slowly, quietly, like a lion circling prey.

"You opened it."

I swallowed. "I-"

"You went through my things."

"I... I didn't mean-"

"You broke into something I told you never to touch."

"I had to know," I whispered. "You've been watching me. For years. Why?"

He said nothing.

Just stared.

Then he closed the drawer, locked it, and walked toward me.

I backed up instinctively until I hit the wall.

He stopped inches from my face.

"You're scared," he said.

"Yes."

"You should be."

His voice was low. Soft. Deadly.

"I thought I was just a toy to you," I said, my voice shaking. "Just a body."

"You were never just a body, Ava."

"Then what was I?"

He looked at me for a long time.

Then he lifted his hand and touched my throat gently.

His fingers stroked the exact spot where the collar usually rested.

"You were my obsession," he whispered. "Long before I ever touched you. Long before you even saw me."

"That's sick."

"Maybe." He leaned in. "But you didn't run."

My chest heaved.

"You want to know why I kept those photos?" he asked. "Because they were the only thing that kept me from dragging you into my bed the moment you turned eighteen."

"You're twice my age."

"And still the only man who knows how to make you scream."

He kissed me.

Hard.

Painful.

And I kissed him back.

Because I hated him.

Because I needed him.

Because the danger made me feel alive.

He didn't tie me that night.

He didn't spank me or call me his toy.

He made love to me like a man drowning.

Slow. Deep. Unrelenting.

And when I came, I didn't need permission.

Because he didn't stop me.

Afterward, I lay curled on his chest, his arm wrapped around me like a brand.

I whispered, "Why me, Dante?"

He didn't speak for a while.

Then, quietly, "Because you never belonged to anyone. And I needed something no one else had touched."

"That's twisted."

"Everything about me is twisted. And now, so are you."

I didn't deny it.

The next morning, Harper barged into the kitchen while I was pouring coffee in his shirt.

I froze.

She blinked at me. "That's... my dad's shirt."

I laughed awkwardly. "Laundry emergency."

She smirked. "You slept over again?"

"Yeah."

"Without telling me?"

"I figured you were asleep."

"Hmm." She poured her own coffee and gave me a weird look. "You've been acting different."

I swallowed. "Different how?"

She narrowed her eyes. "I don't know. Like... sexier."

I choked on air.

She laughed and shook her head. "Never mind. Maybe I'm just being weird."

I forced a smile.

But her eyes lingered.

And in that moment, I knew something had changed.

The first crack had formed.

She was starting to suspect.

And when the truth finally came out...

It would destroy everything.