Love in Captivity: Chains of Obsession

Italy

I slowly stirred, the warmth of his arms no longer surrounded me. Instead, the cool air brushed against my skin. My eyelids fluttered open, and the sight that greeted me was... unfamiliar. The soft hum of distant voices, the sound of waves lapping gently against a shore. The walls weren't the ones I knew, and the bed I lay in wasn't ours.

Panic rose in my chest.

I tried to sit up, but my head felt heavy like a dull haze was pulling me back down. What happened? My fingers pressed into the silk sheets beneath me, and memories from the night before came rushing back. I'd been with him, apologizing, trying to make amends. He had held me, reassured me. I was scared, begging him not to be mad. He'd given me a drink to calm my nerves.

The drink.

Oh god.

I shot up, my heart racing, my mind finally catching up. He had given me something that made me drowsy. I remembered feeling the pull of sleep much sooner than usual, much stronger until I couldn't fight it anymore.

But where was I now?

The door to the room creaked open, and I turned toward it. He walked in

"You're awake," he said casually as if nothing unusual had happened.

I blinked, my throat dry. "Where... where am I?"

He walked over to the window, pushing the sheer curtains aside, revealing a breathtaking view of rolling hills stretched beyond the balcony, The sea sparkled in the distance.

"Italy," he said casually as if it were the most normal thing in the world to whisk me off to another country without my consent.

I stared at him, disbelief crashing over me. "Italy? How did we get here? What did you do to me?"

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he walked over to the bed and sat down beside me, his hand reaching out to brush a piece of hair behind my ear. "I did what I had to," he said softly, his eyes studying my face. "You weren't going to listen to me. I told you I would protect you, and this is how I do that."

I jerked away from his touch, my heart pounding harder. "You drugged me!" My voice shook with a mixture of fear and anger. "You can't just—"

"I can," he interrupted, his tone firm, his gaze unyielding. "I told you, baby. You're mine. I'll do whatever I need to keep you safe, even if that means taking you far away from everything."

"You didn't give me a choice," I whispered, feeling the sting of betrayal rise in my chest. "You said you loved me, but this isn't love."

His jaw clenched instantly and his eyes darkened. "It is love," he insisted, his voice low. "I'm doing this for us. For you."

I shook my head, tears welling up in my eyes. "I would have come with you if you had just asked me. But this? You didn't even let me decide!"

His expression softened, but only slightly. "You were scared. You would have said no. I couldn't risk that."

"You don't own me," I said, my voice trembling.

He cupped my face gently, tilting my chin up so I had no choice but to look into his eyes. "I don't own you," he murmured, his thumb brushing my cheek possessively. "But you are mine. And I'm going to make sure you understand that."

I swallowed hard, my mind spinning. "What are you going to do with me?" My voice was barely above a whisper.

"Nothing you don't already know," he replied softly. "You'll stay here, with me. We'll make a life here. No one will bother us. No one will come between us."

I felt a shiver run down my spine.  "And if I try to leave?"

His smile didn't reach his eyes. "You won't."

I trembled beneath his gaze, the reality of my situation sinking in deeper. I was in a foreign country, far from anyone who could help me. No one even knew I was here. He had planned this perfectly.

"You need to rest," he said, rising from the bed and pulling the covers back up over me as if I were fragile, breakable. "We'll talk more later."

He was right the drugs still were working out of my system and my eyelids were heavy.