Twisted Desire

Chapter 8: In Chains

The sound of the metal door slamming shut echoed through the vast emptiness of the room, reverberating off the cold, bare walls like a final, damning sentence. Adira flinched as the noise ricocheted in her skull, her body instinctively curling tighter into itself. Her wrists ached, the metal cuffs cutting into her skin, leaving raw, red marks where she had struggled against them.

But she didn't struggle anymore.

There was no point.

Adira lay on the hard floor, the cold seeping through her thin clothes and into her bones. Her body was bruised, battered, a map of Dante's rage marked in purple and black across her skin. Her breaths were shallow, each one coming with effort, and every inhale felt like another reminder that she was still trapped, still helpless, still completely and utterly at Dante's mercy.

It had been days—she had lost count of how many—since Dante had locked her away. Her world had shrunk down to this small, windowless room, the air heavy with dampness and the stench of fear. There was no escape. The door was reinforced steel, locked tight from the outside. Even if she managed to free herself from the chains binding her to the wall, there was nowhere to run.

Dante had made sure of that.

Adira's mind was numb, her body frozen in a state of exhaustion and pain that went beyond the physical. She had been here before. Not this room, specifically, but in the darkness of Dante's world—where his control was absolute, where she was nothing more than a possession, a plaything for him to toy with and discard as he pleased.

But this time was different. This time, the chains felt heavier, more final. The walls were closing in, and she could feel herself slipping further and further into the abyss.

She didn't know how long she had been lying there when the door creaked open again. The sound startled her, her body tensing instinctively as the light from the hallway spilled into the room. Footsteps followed, slow and deliberate, each one a reminder of the power that walked toward her.

Dante.

His shadow fell across her, long and dark, like the darkness that had consumed her life. He stood in the doorway for a moment, watching her, his eyes cold and calculating, taking in every detail of her broken form. Then, with a quiet, almost casual sigh, he stepped into the room, the door clicking shut behind him.

Adira didn't move. She couldn't. Every muscle in her body was screaming in protest, but even more than that, she knew what resistance would bring. There was no escaping the inevitable, no fighting the storm that was about to hit her.

"You've disappointed me," Dante said softly, his voice laced with a calm fury that made her blood run cold. He crouched down beside her, his hand reaching out to lift her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. His touch was gentle, but it carried the weight of his control, his dominance, as though even in his tenderness, he was reminding her of her place.

Adira's eyes flicked up to meet his, her heart pounding in her chest. She didn't speak. There was nothing she could say that would change anything. Dante had already made his decision.

"You betrayed me," he continued, his voice growing colder as his fingers tightened on her chin. "You thought I wouldn't find out about your little meetings with Eli?"

Adira's stomach twisted at the mention of Eli's name. She had tried so hard to keep her distance, to protect him, to protect herself. But Dante had eyes everywhere. There was no secret that could stay hidden from him for long.

Dante's eyes darkened, his grip tightening even further, his nails digging into her skin. "Did you think I wouldn't notice? Did you think I wouldn't punish you for trying to undermine me?"