Page 17 of Cain

He looks like someone who could have everything. Someone who could take whatever he wants. So why is he doing this to me?

He chuckles. “Make yourself at home.” He stands up, towering over me with his imposing figure. “You’re not a prisoner in your room. You’re free to go anywhere you want inside my house, but you can’t leave it.” He turns around to depart. “You just need to follow the rules.”

I stand up as well. “You can’t keep me here against my will!”

He doesn’t talk; he keeps walking toward the door.

“Hey!” Anger consumes me and replaces my fear. I need to stand up for myself. I grab the glass of water and throw it on the wall right next to him. He pauses. “I’m talking to you!” I snap, my voice gruff and sharp.

He faces me, his expression twisted and dark. I’m afraid. No, I’m not afraid. I am terrified. But I can’t stay here just because he saysso.

“You can’t just walk away from me!” I yell at him.

Unbothered, he moves closer to me, repeating his predatory behavior. However, this time, I don’t back down. I stand my ground and remain motionless. Steady and determined.

“I’d love to spend more time with you, little rose, but I have things to do.” His smirk grows wider.

“I was wrong about you. You don’t sound like a psycho,” I snap, clenching my teeth. “Youarea psycho!”

“I’ve been called far worse things than that.” He leans in closer, looming over me. His voice drops, low and raspy. “Understand this, Katerina … this won’t be easy for you. Not when you refuse to follow the rules.”

My ears ring with adrenaline and fury. I have to leave. “I hate you.”

“You might want to reconsider, because you won’t like it here otherwise. You can have anything you want while you’re here … but only if you cooperate.”

There’s a thin line between obeying and realizing it’s time to be brave.

All you need to do is step across.

Just do it. Toe the line, and do it.

I have nothing to lose.

Determined, I slap him fiercely on his cheek.

Before I can even blink, his hand closes around my throat, gripping me tightly as he throws me onto the bed and climbs on top of me.

“Don’t you ever try to do that again!” he shouts right next to my face as his palm clutches tighter around my neck, leaving me breathless. “You hear me?!”

I’m suffocating under his cold, wide-eyed stare, his furious breaths crashing against my lips.

“Okay,” I mutter with a shallow breath.

He doesn’t let me go right away. His eyes are darker, and I feel like they can see right through my soul.

He finally lets me go and draws back, leaving me coughing repeatedly.

Fear grips me once again. He is dangerous, an obvious psychopath. He has a dark side that I’m terrified to provoke and witness.

I crawl back onto the bed, giving him a terrified look. He follows my eyes, silent, as he tries to calm his uneven breathing.

I shouldn’t have done that. Now he’s even more pissed, and it’s clear he’s determined to keep me here, caged like an animal.

Then, he turns around and walks away, closing the door behind him.

I am doomed. Tears flood my eyes once again at the realization of it. He says he’s trying to protect me from someone, but who is going to protect me from him?

I haveno idea how much time I have been crying and picturing a million and one scenarios in my head. I’m too afraid even to stand up, let alone search the room for options. He claims I’m not his prisoner, but every action of his tells me otherwise.