Bound By Sin And Desire

s

couldn't sleep throughout the

r inside me grew when I saw him standing at m

snap at any moment. My pulse pounded in my ears as Dante's wor

roken and pathetic, lay crumpled on the floor, barely able to lift his head. He didn't plead this ti

me like he could see right through my skin to the fear twisting inside. There was no warmth in those

at. Every instinct screamed at me to run, to fight, to

, and feel the suffocating weight of responsibility crushing my chest. He had do

ce," I whispered, hating

g at the corner of his mouth. "No, Isla, I'm giving

palms. The anger was there, simmering just beneath the

.. agree?" I asked, my voi

ng the light. He was so calm, so certain of his control.

d stop them, but the icy dread that curled in

is tone so matter-of-fact it made my blood run cold. "You

s no way out. Not for me, not for my fath

me. Couldn't. Shame, guilt, or maybe just the weight of eve

like a death sentence, final and inescapable. But I couldn't let my fath

sfaction gleaming in his eye

at the corners of my eyes. I wouldn't cry. Not in front of him. Not

was light, but it sent a shiver down my spine. "Come,

d followed him out the door. My feet felt hea

*

he dim glow of the streetlights casting long shadows across the pavement. D

e back door, and I hesitated for a fraction of a second. This wa

ard with a gentle but unmistakable force. "Don't keep me wait

e door closed behind me with a solid thud, sealing me in. A moment later, Dante slid

f streetlights and shadows. The world outside felt distant, like I was watching it from behind a gla

n't dare look at him. My hands were clenched in my lap, my knuckles white from the fo

barely above a whisper, the question

ng to me," he said, his tone casual, like it was the most natural thing

anger flaring up despite the

t, I thought I'd gone too far. But instead of lashing out, he smile

e window, focusing on the blur of lights and buildings passing b

I knew that h

-

et Dante see the turmoil raging inside me. My mind raced, cycling through everything that had happened in the last hour-m

a thing. I was trapped, bound by a bargain I never agreed to. My f

sprawling estate. Dante's mansion loomed ahead, its dark silhouette lit by

r with every passing second. This was where I'd live now. Und

ight of reality pressing down on me, before stepping out onto the gravel dr

ing. He turned to me, his eyes gleaming with that

his voice dripping with control. "You

p my composure as the truth of hi

as