Chapter 38
Amy
The date with Azriel should have made me feel better. Instead, we ended up talking about Saint. It made me realize how much I kept looking for someone else.
By Tuesday afternoon, Saint’s chair is still empty. It’s as though the entire campus silently agreed not to ask where he went. Like his absence is something normal.
I leave class, hugging my notebook against my chest as I cut through the old courtyard toward my dorm. The stone arches throw long shadows across the brick path. Students laugh somewhere behind me.
I jolt when someone drops a stack of books.
I make my way to the coffee shop, forgoing my dorm room.
It’s the only way I can get my assignments done.
Sitting alone in my room will cause my mind to run with different scenarios.
I tried calling Saint, but his phone goes straight to voicemail.
I tried texting him, but all three messages show up as delivered.
When I turn the corner, I freeze when I hear his voice.
“My favorite girl.”
The world stops. My lungs forget how to work. I take deep breaths, but none of it seems to fill my lungs.
I know that voice. I know exactly how calm it sounds before someone gets hurt. Slowly, I turn.
Roman stands beneath one of the arches with his hands tucked into the pockets of a charcoal overcoat. Tailored. Immaculate. As though he’d stepped out of a magazine instead of a nightmare.
He smiles. The same practiced smile that never reached his eyes. I don’t know. I didn’t see it before when I first met him.
“I’ve missed you.”
Every instinct screams at me to run, but I can’t seem to get my feet to move. It’s like my brain is telling my body to run, but it won’t listen.
Roman must notice because his smile widens. “There she is.”
He walks toward me with the same unhurried confidence he always had. Never rushing, no need to chase. Because predators know frightened animals rarely think clearly when they’re cornered.
“You look good.” He looks up. “You know, you had me a little worried. It took me a while to find you, but you were never good at hiding.”
Lie.
Every word out of his mouth is a lie.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
He tilts his head. “Actually, I think the one that shouldn’t be here is you, Amy. This is not what we discussed.” He takes another step. “I paid a great deal of money to give you everything.”
I grip the strap of my bag. “I never asked you to.”
“No, but you simply accepted it the day I took care of your little problem with Daddy.”
I try to stay as calm as possible, but a drop of sweat slides down my spine. “I left because you gave me no choice.”
“You escaped.”
“I didn’t know I was locked in a cage.”
Roman chuckles under his breath. “I’ve always admired your imagination.”
He stops just outside my reach. Close enough that I can smell the expensive cologne that haunted every room of our house. Memories I buried claw their way back to the surface. The way he can sound and move so calm like a snake about to strike.
“You’ve changed your hair.” His eyes travel over me. “The sweaters are new.” Another smile. “I don’t like it. It looks cheap.”
He was always a stuck-up, entitled asshole. If it’s not designer, it’s cheap.
“I liked you better in what I bought for you.”
I force myself to meet his eyes. “Well, you never gave me a choice, did you?”
His expression doesn’t change. “I know.”
“I’m not going back.”
The words catch him off guard.
He looks at his watch. “I expected this.”
“What is that exactly?”
“You’ve always needed space before realizing you belong with me.” He tucks his bottom lip with his teeth. The certainty in his voice is more terrifying than anger ever could be. “You don’t belong here, Amy.” His gaze sweeps the campus, at the students walking by. “This was never your life.”
“It is now.”
“No.” His voice remains soft. “It’s a small vacation.”
He reaches inside his coat. My body tenses. Instead of a weapon, he removes a small envelope. I don’t know why I thought he would shoot me out in the open, but I wouldn’t put anything past him. He’s a snake, and like all snakes, you don’t know the exact moment it will strike.
He hands it to me, but I don’t take it. The last thing I want is anything from him. I freeze when he slips it into the front pocket of my bag instead.
“Read it later.”
“What is it?”
“Our marriage license.”
The words hit like ice water. “It was never finalized, not legally, and I don’t remember signing anything or agreeing to be your wife.”
He smiles. “But signatures can be corrected.”
My stomach turns. “I’ll never marry you, Roman. I think you know by now that showing up here was a mistake.”
Roman nods thoughtfully. “I’ve learned not to take your first answer personally.”
My heart pounds so hard it hurts. Everything blurs because he believes whatever narrative he has spun in that crazy head of his. The whole time I was with him, he made me believe he was my savior and I hate to admit the last day I saw my father, he was right. I traded one cage for a another.
Students pass behind us, but to me, it’s like I’m trapped in a nightmare. I hear laughter, talking, laughter, but no one notices what is happening. The thought of Saint showing up to save me floats away like a cloud.
The sharp realization hits me like a ton of knives in my back. He isn’t here, and he isn’t going to save me from Roman.
Roman glances toward the crowd. “Kanyan university.” He looks back at me. “Very selective.”
“I gotta go, Roman. I think you should go.”
“I intend to.” He smooths an invisible wrinkle from the cuff of his coat. “But before I do...” His smile disappears. “Make sure you remember who you belong to. It would be very unfortunate if something were to happen because you’re careless.”
It isn’t a question. It’s a threat. He made my father disappear, and he has the power, money, and connections to do it.
Roman doesn’t know that he is equivalent to a fly on the wall at Kenyan, but who would care if anything happened to me? Who would stop him?
Roman doesn’t know what goes on at this school. Here, I’m Prey. Which means no one would ask questions if I disappeared, and no one would look for me. I’m just another scholarship student. No protection. No power. No family.
Roman steps closer. “I’ll make this very simple, Amy.” His voice drops until only I can hear it. “I’m not asking you to come home.” He smiles. “I’m telling you to prepare.”
My eyes find his. “For what?”
His eyes hold mine. “To come back home.” The words are spoken with horrifying gentleness. “And for whoever thinks they have a chance with you, don’t confuse temporary possession with permanence.” He buttons his coat. “I’ll be seeing you soon.” Then he walks away.
It’s like the conversation had gone exactly the way he expected, and I had dreamed it all up.
Only when he disappears beyond the stone archway do my knees threaten to give out.
My hands shake so violently I nearly drop my notebook.
For the first time since leaving him, I understand something terrifying.
Roman never believed I’d escaped. He believed I was only borrowing my freedom. He let me think I escaped.
It was only a matter of time before he decided to come and get me. A cruel joke to let me think I had freedom.