Chapter six

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It had been two days since Dominic left.

Aveline stood by the window, her breath fogging up the glass slightly as she exhaled. The room felt more suffocating with each passing hour. She hadn't stepped outside since he left. The servants brought her food to the room, always silent, always avoiding her eyes.

She was starting to feel like a prisoner in a luxurious cage.

"Come to think of it," she muttered, pulling away from the window, "I haven't even seen the rest of this mansion. Maybe this is my chance to look around while that monster isn't here."

She walked over to the door and paused, her hand instinctively moving to her neck.

The collar was still there.

She hated it. Every time she touched it, it felt tighter, heavier. She had wanted to take it off the moment he left but fear held her back. What if the servants noticed? What if they reported it to him?

Her stomach twisted at the thought of what Dominic would do.

She sighed. "I can't stay in here forever. It's not like they don't already see me wearing this every time they walk in."

With that, she opened the door and stepped into the hallway, bracing herself. She expected to see a guard stationed outside her room, but to her surprise, there was none. She glanced in both directions and spotted a few guards posted farther down the corridor, but none paid her any mind.

Carefully, she began walking.

Her bare feet made no sound against the cold marble floor. As she passed the guards, her heart pounded half-expecting them to stop her or call out.

But they didn't even look at her.

Relief washed over her in waves.

Her hand lightly brushed the velvet wallpaper as she moved, feeling its soft, intricate patterns beneath her fingertips. The hallway curved unexpectedly, stretching wider the farther she walked, almost like the house itself was shifting, trying to confuse her.

Every door she passed was locked.

All except one.

It was a heavy wooden door, slightly ajar. Warm sunlight spilled in through the tall windows inside. She stepped closer and pushed it open.

It was a library.

Rows of towering bookshelves stretched up to the ceiling. Dust floated lazily in the golden light. The scent of leather, paper, and old wood surrounded her like a memory.

She stepped inside.

Her fingers trailed along the spines of ancient books. Many were in languages she couldn't recognize. Some had no titles at all. One book, loose on the shelf, fell open as she touched it.

Inside were newspaper clippings, photographs, and scribbled notes. Her eyes scanned the yellowed paper. A headline caught her eye:

"Billionaire Family's Empire Crumbles Overnight Suspected Sabotage."

There were articles about bankruptcies, court cases, and buried rumors. She saw a photograph of her father, circled in red ink.

"What in the world…" she whispered.

She dropped the book in shock and turned to leave but something else caught her attention. A small, narrow door tucked into the far wall. Almost hidden behind one of the bookcases.

Drawn by curiosity, she walked over and gripped the door knob.

It turned easily.

The door opened with a soft creak.

Her breath caught.

Inside was a small room, dimly lit with a single dusty lamp in the corner. And on the walls, photographs. Hundreds of them. Lined up in rows. Pinned. Some were stacked in boxes.

All of her.

Her in alleyways. Sleeping under bridges. Eating from a fast food bag on a park bench. Sitting at a bus stop. Holding a crumpled job application. Crying beside a train station.

Some were grainy, taken from a distance. Others were close, detailed, chillingly clear.

He had been watching her.

For years.

Aveline took a shaky step back. Her skin felt clammy, her throat dry. A sudden creak echoed behind her.

Someone was coming.

Panic surged through her chest.

She turned and bolted.

Back through the library. Down the hallway. Her feet carried her faster than she thought possible. She nearly slipped as she turned the corner and stumbled back into her room, slamming the door shut behind her.

She pressed her back against it, panting, heart racing in her chest.

How long had he been watching her?

Every second of her misery, her desperation, her survival he'd been there. From the shadows. Recording her downfall like a twisted documentary.

And now she was inside the cage he had been building all along.

She touched the collar again, this time trembling.

Her life wasn't just being controlled now.

It had been...

Planned.

Dominic planned all this....