No fucking way!
But the memory won’t let go—the smell of leather and sweat, the same voice whispering,Don’t fight.
It’s him.
It’s Miles.
My breath catches.
“Chloe?” Miles’s voice is gentle, but I can hear the worry in it.
I shake my head, staring at that mark like it’s burned into my vision. “Just… how hard did he choke me?”
He frowns. “What?”
“I must be hallucinating,” I whisper. “Because I could swear—”
“No,” he says quietly.
My chest tightens. I try to stand, but the cuff yanks me back down. “What the hell is this, Miles?”
He runs a hand down his face. “It’s complicated.”
“Why am I tied up!”
Jamie shifts on the couch, muttering something under his breath. Miles ignores him.
“Calm down first,” Miles says. “Then we’ll explain.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down!” I snap. “Youkidnapped me!You’re reading myjournal!And you want me to—”
He grabs my wrist before I can finish, not roughly, but firm enough to stop me from thrashing. His voice drops low. “If you don’t calm down, you’re going to hurt yourself.”
I stare at him, breathing hard. His face is too close. His eyes are steady, searching mine for something.
But I see straight through it. There’s a flicker of guilt he tries to hide.
He knows. Heknowswhat this is.
My stomach drops.
This isn’t a misunderstanding. It’s not a prank or a mistake or some desperate attempt to protect me like he’s pretending. This is a choice.
They brought me here.
And tied me down.
My hands go cold.
“What are you planning to do to me?”
Miles hesitates. “Nothing. We’re not going to hurt you.”
“You already did.”
He looks away first.
That tells me everything.
