What would you do if you were trapped in a gilded cage, surrounded by the world's beauty and wealth, but with no one who truly saw you? Aurelia Ashford married Lucian Blackwood-the perfect man, the perfect husband, the perfect life. But behind the polished smiles, behind the closed doors, a darker reality exists. Lucian's loving facade crumbles to reveal a man who controls, manipulates, and ultimately imprisons her. Her marriage was supposed to be a dream come true, yet it quickly becomes a nightmare. Aurelia has never known true love. She has only known ownership, power, and deceit. In a moment of desperation, Aurelia questions everything and discovers that there is one person who might truly care: her bodyguard, Kael Crowe. But Kael's past is just as shadowed as her husband's, and his protective instincts come with dangerous promises. Can she trust him to save her, or will she only find herself deeper in the dark? "I want to be free," she whispers to him, her soul aching with the with the truth. "You will be," Kael replies. "But freedom comes at a cost." As Aurelia is torn between a dark, controlling marriage and a man who understands her pain, she must decide whether to fight for the life she wants or remain trapped in the lies that bind her. In a world of luxury, power, and betrayal, will she find the freedom she craves? Or will the chains of love and control forever hold her captive?

[Edited Version ● Alternate Ending] "Colin? I feel so awful lying to you so I have to tell you what happened..today," Frankie blurted out, nervously cracking her knuckles as she stared at her boyfriend from one side of the living room. Colin's bright blue eyes danced. "What is it, sweetheart?" "I...I bumped into my ex-husband in the elevator today." "And?" Frankie exhaled. "And we had sex. In the elevator." There was an interminable silence before Colin smiled. "We'll work through this, honey. Don't worry." "Work through this?" she spluttered in disbelief. "How? How can we, when all I want is for him to do it again? And again, and again, and again, and..." She trailed off, sighing. It pained her to see Colin's hurt expression, but then again, it pained her to know that Konstantin had made her climax in that elevator more times than Colin had in their whole relationship... *cover by @hartlings*

For months Summer is trapped in a cellar with the man who took her - and three other girls: Rose, Poppy, and Violet. His perfect, pure flowers. His family. But flowers can't survive long cut off from the sun, and time is running out...