Chapter 5
817words
I twisted my lips into a cold smile and slipped past him, my fingertips steady as stone.
Back at the reception, I retrieved my handbag with practiced nonchalance, nodded to several colleagues, and headed for the exit.
A black Bentley glided silently to the curb before me.
The window lowered to reveal Etheris's driver.
"Dr. Silodai, sir asked me to drive you home."
"That won't be necessary."
I refused promptly, turning toward the street to hail a cab.
Just as I unlocked my phone, a slight sting spread across the back of my neck.
A tranquilizer needle.
Efficient. Precise.
I awoke on a large, soft bed.
Pure white surrounded me—walls, ceiling, floor—even the bedding was immaculate white.
No windows.
The only exit: an equally white door with a sophisticated electronic lock.
I sat up and flexed my wrists.
My body felt weak from the anesthetic, but my mind remained unusually clear.
I didn't attempt the door, just perched quietly on the bed's edge, waiting.
Soon, the electronic lock clicked softly, and the door swung open.
Etheris entered carrying a tray of exquisite food.
He'd changed from his suit into soft loungewear, softening his sharp edges while adding a touch of morbid obsession.
He placed the tray on the bedside table, avoiding my eyes.
"Silodai, you must be hungry."
His voice remained hoarse, with a barely perceptible note of desperation.
I finally spoke, my voice as steady as during a lecture.
"Etheris, this is kidnapping."
His body stiffened as he jerked his head up.
"I just…" he faltered, searching for words that wouldn't come.
He closed his eyes briefly and whispered words he'd rehearsed countless times: "I've missed you so much."
"Miss me?" I chuckled coldly. "So you kidnapped me? Is this how Alphas court these days? How… distinctive."
My words struck like precision knives, finding his most vulnerable spots.
His eyes instantly reddened—a kicked dog, abandoned and helpless.
"Does Talia know how unhinged you are?" I pressed. "Or is kidnapping some new kink between you AO lovebirds?"
"Don't mention her!"
He snapped, his face contorting with raw pain.
When he lunged, I caught his wrist, using his momentum to spin and pin him hard against the wall.
His chest heaved against mine, hot breath washing over my neck. Like a cornered beast, his panting carried years of suppressed madness.
"What exactly do you want?" My voice was soft but froze the air between us.
My Enigma pheromones released silently—not a scent but a void, a black hole consuming his rampaging cedar like nothingness itself.
Etheris's pupils contracted sharply, the Alpha gland at his nape trembling instinctively.
"Silodai! Why… why must you always bring up others?" Tears slid from the corners of his eyes.
With bloodshot eyes, he crushed his lips against mine.
Not a kiss but a ravaging—four years of suppressed despair erupting at once. His lips and tongue forced past my teeth with scalding fury, as if to devour me whole.
Blood spread between our mouths.
Etheris's body shuddered as if doused with ice water, and he jerked away.
He stumbled back, fingers touching his bloodied lips, pain shocking him back to reality.
"I… I didn't mean… Silodai… I…"
He stammered incoherently, color draining from his face, leaving only naked anxiety and self-loathing.
The next second, he slapped himself hard across the face.
The sharp crack echoed through the silent room.
After that day, Etheris no longer restricted my movements within the villa.
Except for that one password-protected door.
Like a dutiful servant, he delivered three meals daily, placing them silently at my door before retreating.
I barely ate, spending most of my time in that white room, refusing to acknowledge Etheris.
Etheris visibly withered.
Late that night, as I lay with closed eyes, the bedroom door creaked open.
Etheris's silhouette appeared in the doorway.
Thinking me asleep, he tiptoed in and curled up on the carpet beside my bed.
I snapped my eyes open.
"Get out."
My voice wasn't loud but struck like an ice pick, making him tremble.
He rose from the floor, eyes pleading, nearly overflowing with desperation.
"Silodai… I can't sleep… I'll just stay here. I won't disturb you…"
After days of captivity, my resentment finally boiled over.
I threw back the covers and stood, glaring down at him. "I said, get out."
Etheris began to shake uncontrollably. Then, under my gaze, he slowly unbuttoned his shirt—one button, two—until he exposed his pale chest.
It was covered with crisscrossing scars and blurred brand marks.
He fell to his knees at my feet and tilted his head up, tears streaming down his handsome but bloodless face.
His voice broke beyond recognition, carrying a humility that bordered on sacrificial.
"Silodai, baby, look at me…"
"I've been washing for so many years. I'm not dirty anymore… really…"
