“Business.” The word lands clipped and final, like a stamp on an envelope. The last step before it’s shipped off.
“That’s not an answer.”
“That’s all you get.” His mouth twitches.
I step closer, because standing back feels like surrender. “I’m your wife. I think that earns me more than a single syllable.”
He drifts past me, tugging on his gloves like he’s dressing for war instead of leaving his house. “If you were looking for transparency, Little Bird, you married the wrong man.”
“I didn’t choose anything,” I hiss. His brows lift, but he doesn’t respond. “And what am I supposed to do while you’re gone?” I follow him to the door, heat climbing up my throat.
He pauses with his hand on the handle, then looks over his shoulder like he’s considering whether to toss me a bone. “Stay put and behave.”
“Behave?” The word comes out bitter, like it tastes rotten. “I’m not a pet.”
“No . . .” He leans in until he is close enough that I feel his breath against my cheek. “Because pets get affection.”
The sentence shouldn’t hurt. It does anyway. It hits some old bruise I didn’t know was still there.
He steps back, and I feel like I’ve been punched.
“Don’t test the perimeter. My guards won’t take it well.” His tone is colder, and his jaw is stiff like steel.
“Are you serious?” I demand.
He opens the door, and the morning light slices across the foyer, bright and stupidly cheerful. It doesn’t belong in this house, especially right now. “Deadly.”
Then he’s gone.
A heavy final thud echoes through the cavernous space as the door slams shut. The silence that follows isn’t peaceful. It actually feels predatory.
Like if I step out of line . . . Well, I don’t want to think about what that means. His warning hangs in the air, heavy and suffocating.
My teeth grind and my heart pounds. I want to throw something . . . something expensive. Instead, I take one long breath. Then I turn and walk straight toward the nearest exit.
Because if Lorenzo Amante wants obedience, he should have married someone else.
I push open the back entrance and step outside. It’s chilly today. I probably shouldn’t be out here without a jacket, but I can’t find it in me to care. Because for one perfect second, the world feels normal. Like I’m just a normal woman stepping outside to breathe in the fall air.
Then all my illusions are smashed to the ground when two guards step into my path.
And by step, I mean materialize from the shadows.
“Mrs. Amante.” One of them dips his chin, voice low, polite, empty.
The title makes my stomach clench.
“I’m going for a walk.” I keep my tone light on purpose, like I’m asking permission to exist.
“No.” The answer comes clean and immediate.
The second guard folds his arms. “You were instructed to remain indoors.”
I blink at him. “You can’t be serious.”
“We are.” No apology. No smiles. Just an order, and a hidden threat beneath it.
A laugh bubbles out of me. “So that’s it? I’m trapped in my own home?”
