This was happening.
???
The drive passed in a blur. I had no idea which part of London we were in when the car slowed before tall black metal gates. Hidden lights along the wall ignited, catching gold along the spiked tips of each bar. A high white wall enclosed the rest of the property.
I’d arrived at my cage.
The car rolled forward again.
Rowan didn’t say a word when he stopped the car. He cut the engine, and the soft glow of the dashboard lights died instantly, plunging the interior into darkness. He stepped out without looking back.
I took a steadying breath before opening my door.
I watched his back as he moved toward the stairs, unhurried, like this was nothing more than routine. Four steps later, we stood before a dark grey door.
It wasn’t an ordinary door. It looked industrial—heavy-duty. Instead of a traditional handle, a long vertical strip of metal ran down its centre. When the lock disengaged with a dull, final thud, a chill ran through me.
I couldn’t tell whether it was meant to keep people out.
Or keep them in.
I didn’t know who Sophie was. I didn’t know what she’d done at the casino.
But I knew I didn’t want to end up strapped to a medical bed in a basement.
“Ella.”
The door was already open. He was standing just inside, waiting.
I stepped over the threshold. My fluffy pink slipper looked absurd against the dark, polished wood beneath my feet.
The house looked… normal.
Minimalist. Muted colours. No clutter. No warmth.
Cold.
“Follow me.”
He led me through the kitchen first—sleek counters, a cooking area, a dining space, then a lounge opposite wide patio doors that disappeared into darkness outside. Nothing personal. Nothing lived-in.
We returned to the hall. He gestured toward a closed door.
“That’s the living room.”
As we passed the front door, my gaze lingered there a second too long—but he was already heading upstairs.
My foot hesitated on the first step.
I swallowed and forced myself forward.
He was waiting at the top.
He opened a door and stepped aside.
“Your room.”
Relief flickered, brief and fragile, until I stepped inside.
