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"They did." she said smiling at her daughter. She felt a bit of guilt lying to her daughter, but it wasn't a lie that they loved each other but she wasn't so sure if they'd ever actually get to live happily ever after. But she wouldn't let her daughter live in fear.

Ivy leaned down and kissed Alice's forehead. "Time for bed, baby," she whispered, her voice filled with love and the quiet strength that had carried her through the storms of her own life.

Alice nodded, her eyes still filled with the magic of the story. "I love you, Mommy," she murmured, her voice barely a breath as she snuggled deeper into the blankets.

"I love you too, more than words can say," Ivy whispered back, her eyes shining with a mix of love and sadness. "Goodnight, my sweet girl," she said, pressing a kiss to Alice's forehead. She tucked the blankets around her daughter one last time before standing up, her eyes lingering on the peaceful expression that had settled on the little girl's face.

With a sigh, she turned to leave the room, her heart feeling heavier than it had in a long time. She knew that the story she had told Alice wasn't the whole truth, but it was the closest she could come to explaining the complexities of theirsituation without breaking her daughter's heart any further. As she walked down the long, dimly lit corridor, the echo of her footsteps the only sound in the castle, she couldn't help but think about the life she had left behind, and the choices that had led her to this moment.

The castle was vast and cold, its ancient stones whispering secrets of past battles and lost loves. Ivy had grown used to its silence, but tonight it felt oppressive.

CHAPTER 23:

The water that cascaded down on her from the shower head grew cooler as the minutes stretched on, but the coldness couldn't touch the icy grip of reality around Ivy's heart. Had she allowed herself to be fooled by a monster's kindness. "What have I done?" she whispered to herself, the echo bouncing off the stone walls of the opulent shower. She had promised herself she would do anything for Alice, and now that promise had become a prison for both of them.

Her body shivered as she turned off the water and stepped onto the cold stone floor. She wrapped herself in a towel, her eyes red and puffy from crying. The mirror reflected a woman who looked more broken than the shattered pieces of her soul felt. "Why did he have to bring Alice into this?" she murmured, her voice hoarse from the sobs.

Her thoughts swirled like a tornado of regret and despair. She had been so naive to believe that Vice had any intention of letting her go, of letting any of them go. Now, not only was she trapped, but her daughter was as well, in this twisted fairy tale with a villain who had no intention of playing the hero. She dried her hair with trembling hands, trying to tame the storm within her.

She Dressed and stepped out into the cool darkness of the bedroom. The castle was eerily quiet, the only sound the occasional hoot of an owl outside.

Her mind raced with the weight of her decision. She had been a fool to think that she could manipulate a monster like Vice. The realization that he had played her from the start was a bitter pill to swallow. The love she felt for Alice had been twistedinto a noose around her neck, and she had willingly let him tighten it.

"I've made a deal with the devil," she thought to herself. "What kind of mother does that?"

Now even more determined to protect Alice, Ivy had agreed to stay forever, to be his...his what? His lover? His plaything? His hostage? She didn't know.

But she did know one thing for certain: she could never leave.

Was this truly a gift from Vice, or was it now a prison for Alice, ensuring her own compliance?

The bedroom door creaked open, and Vice stepped in, his eyes lingering on her. He wasn’t wearing his mask or coat. He was dressed in a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and black pants. This was only the second time she was seeing the face of the man who had captured her. His eyes searched hers, looking for something she wasn't sure she wanted him to find.

"This feels different, seeing you like this," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Vice stepped closer, his eyes never leaving hers. "I was finally ready for you to see the real me," he said, his voice low and gruff. "The man beneath the mask."

The vulnerability she saw in his gaze was disarming, a stark contrast to the monster she had painted him to be in her mind. "Why now?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Vice took another step closer, his hand reaching out to brush a stray strand of hair from her cheek. "Because you've seenthe truth," he replied, his voice softer than she had ever heard it. "You know what I am now."

Ivy stepped back, her heart pounding in her chest. "What are you?" she whispered. "A man or a monster?"

Vice's expression darkened, the softness of his voice replaced by something more sinister. "I am both," he said, closing the space between them.

Ivy felt the warmth of his hand as it wrapped around her wrist, pulling her closer. She tried to resist, but his grip was unyielding. His eyes searched hers, and she saw the hunger for power, for control, the need to own her.

"Let go," she whispered, her voice shaking with fear and anger. "I'm not you're toy."

Vice's grip tightened, his eyes narrowing. "You're not a toy," he said, his voice a low growl. "You're what I've been waiting for."

Ivy felt a spark of anger ignite within her. "And what about Alice?" she demanded, jerking her hand free from his grasp. "What happens to her when you're done with you're games?"

Vice stepped back, his expression unreadable. "Your daughter's fate is tied to yours," he said calmly. "As long as you stay with me, she will be safe." The words sent a cold chill through Ivy's body. She knew she had no choice. For Alice, she would endure whatever horrors he had planned for her.

"But why?" she asked, her voice strained. "Why go through all of this just to keep me here?"

Vice leaned against the doorframe, his eyes piercing hers. "Because you're the only one who's ever seen beyond the monster," he said, his voice laced with something she hadn't heard before - vulnerability. "You see the good in me, the part of me that I’ve never allowed anyone to see."