thully

Sienna had always been able to keep her emotions in check, always keeping a calm demeanor, always being the one in control. But when she met Damian Laurent, everything changed. At first, it was intoxicating—the way he looked at her, the way he held her, the way he made her feel like she was the only one in the world. Their chemistry was undeniable, and the physical attraction was undeniable too. They became tangled up in each other’s sheets, letting passion take over as they indulged in a dangerous, yet irresistible, fling.

But everything changed the day Sienna found the wedding photo.

That single image shattered the illusion that Damian was just a man who lived for the moment. In that photo, he was with a woman—someone who looked so much a part of his life, so undeniably connected to him. It raised questions Sienna wasn’t prepared to confront, and they gnawed at her. Had he been married? Did he have a past? And if so, where did that leave her in his life? She wasn’t foolish enough to think that this was anything more than a casual fling, but still, the weight of that photo settled in her chest.

Unable to ignore the constant unease that grew inside her, Sienna decided to distance herself from Damian. It wasn’t just the photo. It was everything. The possessiveness that crept into his actions, the way he seemed to always be watching her, the way he made her feel safe and wanted but also, inexplicably, trapped. She couldn’t deny how much she needed him, but she feared how easily she could lose herself in him if she wasn’t careful.

The decision was clear. She needed to walk away before she lost herself entirely.

But walking away from Damian Laurent wasn’t going to be as easy as it seemed.

Sienna knew that quitting her job at Velvet Noir was the only way to truly escape him, to cut the ties that bound them together. So, with a heavy heart and trembling hands, she handed in her resignation. It was the only way she could think to break free, to remove herself from t

OWNED BY OBSESSION

They left the cemetery with the weight of grief pressing down on their shoulders like an invisible chain, dragging their hearts to the ground. The drive back to the Laurent mansion was painfully silent, each person lost in their own swirl of emotions, sorrow etched deep into their expressions. The city moved around them—cars passed, pedestrians crossed the streets—but inside the sleek black vehicle, time felt frozen. 


When the towering gates of the Laurent estate opened and the car eased into the long driveway, a gust of wind rustled the ivy climbing the outer walls. The mansion stood tall and grand, but the air around it felt hollow. The moment they stepped inside, the heaviness of guilt settled like a thick fog in every corner of the home. 


The staff moved quietly, heads slightly bowed, their footsteps muffled by the velvet carpeting. No one spoke unnecessarily. No one smiled. The mourning wasn’t just a moment—it had become a presence in the house. 


CHAPTER 54