Chapter 9 Tension Lines

I've made a decision, no more Marcelo Dominique. I'm done with him. Completely. He no longer owns space in my mind or heart. No more late-night thoughts of his touch or tortured dreams about the way he looks at me. I'd focus on college, graduate, and get the hell out of here. Once I hold that degree in my hand, I'll disappear, and there'll be nothing he can do to stop me. No guards, no threats, no power plays. Just freedom.

Our last class of the day ended, and as I zipped up my bag, I caught a glimpse of Sophie walking out of the lecture hall. My heart clenched. Guilt. For days I avoided her, too ashamed to face the truth, that her boyfriend's disappearance had everything to do with me.

I ran after her. "Sophie! Wait!"

She turned, hesitant but polite. "Hey, Lucia."

"Can we talk?" I asked. She nodded.

We sat by the fountain outside, the hum of water breaking the silence. I started gently, "How are you?"

She exhaled shakily. "Honestly? I don't know. I was worried sick about Dave... and then I saw him yesterday. With another girl."

I blinked. "Wait... you saw Dave?"

She furrowed her brow. "Yeah, why? When I confronted him, he acted like he didn't even know me. Like I was just some crazy girl."

My breath left me in a rush. I had been sure he was... Marcelo's victim. I stared at Sophie, speechless for a moment.

"You don't need someone like him," I said sincerely, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "He's a coward. And you're so much more than that."

Sophie scoffed. "Says the girl who always ignored me. I thought you found me annoying."

I winced. "That's not fair... okay, maybe at first. But your energy? It reminded me of my brother. Adam."

Her expression softened. "Really? Where is he now?"

My heart ached. "He's...he's gone."

Her eyes widened. "Lucia... I'm so sorry."

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, her hand gently covering mine.

And, for the first time, I did.

"Adam was only seven. The sweetest, goofiest little boy. Always pulling pranks or dancing around the living room in his Superman cape." My voice cracked. "He was killed. Along with my sister Delilah-she was the quiet one, the bookworm. And my mom... she had the warmest laugh. She smelled like roses. I lost them all. They were taken from me in one night."

Tears poured freely down my cheeks, and Sophie immediately pulled me into her arms. I clung to her, sobbing, finally letting go of all the grief I had buried deep inside.

"I was the only one who survived. And sometimes... I wish I hadn't."

When I pulled back, my voice was raw. "I'm not strong. I've just been pretending to be."

"You're wrong," Sophie whispered. "You're one of the strongest people I've ever met. I'm honored you told me."

"Thank you," I murmured.

A shadow fell across us. My bodyguard, as usual, signaling it was time. Sophie raised an eyebrow.

"So those guys-your shadows-are always watching because...?"

"Yes," I said with a resigned sigh. "For protection."

"Well, I really want to meet this bastard who thinks he owns you."

I smiled weakly and headed for the car.

Later that night, I was curled up in bed, a textbook in my lap, trying to drown myself in studies when a knock broke my focus. I opened the door with an annoyed huff.

"Gwen, what now-"

But it wasn't Gwen.

It was him.

Marcelo.

Tall. Broad. Tension radiating from his body like heat. His sharp jaw clenched. I froze, the air knocked out of me.

"What do you want?" I asked, harsher than I meant to. His stormy eyes took me in-wet hair, bare legs, his hoodie hanging off my body. Something in him shifted.

"Can I come in?" he asked-more a command than a question.

I stepped aside, heart pounding. His scent wrapped around me as he entered. He strolled to my desk, flipping through my notebooks, silent, invasive. I crossed my arms.

"What do you want, Marcelo?"

He turned slowly, his voice low. "A lot of things."

"Fuck you."

"Get out of my room."

He ignored me. "So... college treating you well? I heard you've got a little boyfriend now. The one from the club?"

I narrowed my eyes. "How is that your business?"

"It is," he growled. "Because you're mine. And I won't have what's mine being touched."

"Touched like a whore?" I spat. "Like you called me?"

His jaw clenched.

I stepped closer, taunting him. "He kissed me like I was the only girl in the world. Touched me like he owned me. And when I moaned his name, I didn't think of you at all."

A dangerous fire flared in his eyes. In a flash, I was slammed against the wall, his hard body caging me in.

"Don't lie to me. No one has touched you the way I have. No one touches you like I do," he snarled. "You're mine. Only I get to ruin you."

His lips found my neck, hot and hungry. His hands gripped my thighs, lifting me slightly, and I gasped and moaned at the heat. The contact was electric-too much, too good.

"Say you're mine, Lucia," he growled, fingers brushing up my inner thigh, grazing the soaked fabric between my legs. I moaned hard at the action. "So fucking wet for me..."

He shoved my panties aside and slipped a finger into my pussy. I moaned, arching.

"Marcelo..."

Another finger. Pressure. Heat. I trembled. My legs were shaking at the pressure.

"You feel this?" he hissed in my ear. "No one else gets this. No one."

He pulled his fingers out and I dragged them to my lips, licking them with a slow, devastating hunger while staring at him breathless.

I could see the desire in his eyes and I loved how powerful I felt.

I reached for his hardness and cupped it, he took in a sharp breath. Then for his zipper, driven by a desire I couldn't control, but his phone buzzed. The woman's face from before flashed on the screen.

Everything stopped.

He looked at it-then left.

Just like that.

The door slammed. Silence.

I laughed bitterly, the ache in my chest twisting into rage.

Who the hell was she? His girlfriend? His wife?

And how many times was I going to let Marcelo Dominique make me feel like this?

Like nothing. Like everything.

Like mine... but never his.

I laughed again, bitter and broken.

What a fool I was.

What a fucking fool.