Chapter 1
Rebecca learned long ago that fear could sound dangerously close to love.
It lived in the little things.
The way Daniel tracked her location whenever she left the apartment.
The way his jaw tightened when another man looked at her too long.
The way he wrapped possessive hands around her waist at parties hard enough to bruise while whispering, You’re mine.
At first, she had mistaken it for passion.
Now she knew better.
Rain battered against the apartment windows as Rebecca stood silently in the kitchen, reheating dinner for the third time while anxiety twisted violently in her stomach.
11:42 PM.
Daniel was late.
Again.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she checked her phone.
Three unread messages.
Daniel: Where are you?
Daniel: Why the fuck are you ignoring me?
Daniel: Answer me.
Rebecca swallowed hard.
She had been home all evening.
Like always.
Quickly, she typed back.
I’m home. Dinner is ready. I’m sorry, my phone was charging.
The reply came instantly.
Wear the black dress I bought you.
Her stomach dropped.
Not because of the dress.
Because of what mood it meant he was in.
Rebecca slowly looked toward the bedroom doorway.
The black dress was hanging there already.
Daniel liked choosing what she wore.
Said she looked prettier when he dressed her himself.
The first time he had slapped her was over a red dress.
“You embarrass me when you argue,” he had told her afterward while holding ice against her cheek like he was the one comforting her.
Rebecca closed her eyes tightly.
Don’t think about that.
The sound of keys rattling outside the apartment made panic flood her chest instantly.
Then the door opened.
Daniel walked in smelling like expensive cologne, whiskey, and rainwater.
Perfectly styled dark hair.
Sharp suit.
Cold eyes.
The kind of man strangers admired instantly.
Rebecca had once admired him too.
“There she is,” he murmured.
His voice sounded calm.
That was always worse.
Rebecca forced herself to smile softly. “Hi.”
Daniel tossed his keys onto the counter before his gaze swept slowly over her oversized sweater and leggings.
Silence.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
“I told you to wear the dress.”
“I was just about to change.”
“You were just about to,” he repeated softly.
Rebecca’s pulse began pounding.
Daniel stepped closer slowly until she could smell the whiskey on his breath.
“You know what I hate about liars, Rebecca?”
Her throat tightened. “I’m not lying.”
His hand gripped her jaw suddenly.
Hard.
Pain shot through her face.
“Don’t do that,” he said quietly. “Don’t fucking argue with me tonight.”
Fear crawled beneath her skin instantly.
Rebecca nodded quickly. “Okay.”
Daniel studied her for a long moment before finally releasing her face.
“Go change.”
Rebecca hurried toward the bedroom, her breathing shaky.
The apartment felt suffocating.
Beautiful marble floors. Expensive furniture. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city skyline.
A luxury prison.
By the time she returned in the black dress, Daniel was sitting on the couch scrolling through his phone.
He looked up slowly.
For a second, his expression softened with approval.
“You look beautiful.”
Rebecca hated how desperately she still craved those moments.
The kind ones.
The rare ones.
Because they made her question everything else.
“Thank you.”
Daniel held out his hand.
“Come here.”
Rebecca obeyed automatically.
The moment she reached him, his hand slid possessively around her waist and pulled her onto his lap.
“You know I take care of you, right?”
Warning bells rang in her head immediately.
“Yes.”
“I give you everything.”
“Yes.”
“So why do I keep hearing that you were talking to another man at the café yesterday?”
Rebecca froze.
“It wasn’t like that—”
Daniel’s grip tightened painfully around her waist.
“Wrong answer.”
Tears burned instantly behind her eyes.
“He just asked if the seat beside me was free.”
“And you smiled at him.”
Rebecca stared at him in disbelief.
“You’re jealous because I smiled?”
The second the words left her mouth, she knew she had made a mistake.
Daniel’s expression changed instantly.
Cold.
Deadly.
“You think this is funny?”
“No—”
His hand slammed against the couch beside her hard enough to make her flinch violently.
“I work my ass off for you,” he snapped. “I protect you. I pay for this apartment. Your clothes. Your life. And you sit there acting like some fucking innocent victim every time I get angry.”
Rebecca’s breathing became uneven.
“I wasn’t trying to upset you…”
“Then why do you keep doing it?”
Tears slid silently down her cheeks.
Daniel stared at her crying face before sighing heavily like she was exhausting him.
“You’re so emotional lately.”
Rebecca looked down quickly, ashamed.
“I’m sorry.”
“You always say sorry.”
His fingers suddenly brushed beneath her eye, wiping away a tear almost gently.
That tenderness hurt more than the cruelty.
“Do you know why I get angry?” he asked quietly.
Rebecca remained silent.
“Because I love you too much.”
The words wrapped around her throat like chains.
She wanted to believe him.
God, part of her still did.
Daniel tilted her chin upward again.
“If you embarrass me again,” he said softly, “I won’t be this patient next time.”
Fear settled deep into Rebecca’s bones.
Then he kissed her forehead like a loving boyfriend.
And somehow that felt like the cruelest part of all.
