“Why are you doing this?” she whispered fiercely as they danced, her voice barely audible over the music. “Why can’t you just leave me alone?”
Rowan’s gaze never wavered, his eyes boring into hers with an intensity that made her skin prickle. “You know why, Amara,” he replied, his voice soft but carrying a weight that made her chest tighten. “You might think you hate me, and maybe you do, but you also know that you belong to me.”
Amara’s heart thudded painfully in her chest, anger and fear mixing with something far more dangerous. She tried to pull away from him, but Rowan held her fast, his grip like iron.
“Let me go,” she hissed, her voice trembling with the effort to keep her emotions in check.
But Rowan didn’t relent. Instead, he leaned in closer, his lips brushing against her ear as he whispered, “You can try to run, you can hate me all you want, but you can’t change what’s between us. You’re mine, Amara. You always have been, and you always will be.”
Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She refused to let him see her break. “You’re delusional,” she spat, her voice quivering with suppressed rage. “I’ll never belong to you.”
Rowan’s expression darkened, his eyes flashing with a dangerous mix of emotions. “You can lie to yourself all you want, Crimson, but we both know the truth. I see it in your eyes, in the way you respond to me. You feel it too.”
Amara’s breath hitched as she stared up at him, trying to deny the truth in his words. She hated him… oh.. how she hated him.. but there was a part of her, buried deep beneath the layers of anger and pain, that couldn’t resist him. It was that part of her that terrified her the most.
Rowan’s hand moved from her waist to her cheek, his thumb brushing lightly against her skin. “You’re mine,” he repeated, his voice a dark, possessive growl. “No matter what you do, no matter how far you run, you’ll always be mine.”
Amara’s body trembled with the force of her emotions, her heart pounding so loudly in her chest that she could barely hear anything else. She wanted to scream at him, to tell him he was wrong, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, she could only glare at him, her eyes filled with a mix of defiance and despair..
“Mommy?” Vaughn’s voice cut through the tension, his innocent tone bringing both of them back to the present. “Are you okay?”
Amara forced herself to break away from Rowan’s gaze, turning to look at her son. “I’m fine, baby,” she said, her voice softer now, but still strained.
Rowan let her go, his hand lingering on her for just a moment longer before he stepped back. “We’ll finish this conversation later,” he said, his voice carrying an unspoken promise that sent a shiver down Amara’s spine.
As Rowan walked away, Amara felt her knees weaken, but she refused to show any sign of it. She pulled Vaughn close, hugging him tightly as if he were her anchor in a storm. Her mind raced, torn between the hatred she felt for Rowan and the terrifying pull he had over her.
But as she held her son, she knew one thing for certain.. she couldn’t let Rowan win. She couldn’t let him control her life any longer. No matter what it took, she would find a way to break free from him, to protect Vaughn from the darkness that surrounded Rowan.
But as much as she vowed to fight, a part of her.. the part that had already been connected with Rowan… whispered silently that it might already be too late.
In the shadows, Rowan watched them, his expression unreadable. He had seen the flicker of fear in Amara’s eyes, the way she clung to Vaughn as if he were her shield. But he also knew that fear wasn’t the only thing she felt. He could see the way her body responded to his touch, the way her breath quickened when he was near.
She could hate him all she wanted, but he knew the truth. She belonged to him, and no matter how much she tried to deny it, she would always be his.
As the music continued to play, Rowan’s mind was already working on the next steps. He wouldn’t lose her.. not to Alessandro, not to anyone. He would make sure she understood that, make sure she realized there was no escaping him.
Because in the end, love and hate were two sides of the same coin, and he had no intention of letting her go. Not now, not ever.
As Amara clung to Vaughn, the warmth of her son’s embrace was the only comfort she had left in the chaos that had become her life. The weight of everything.. Rowan’s relentless obsession.. Alessandro’s expectations.. and the secrets she carried.. she felt it all pressed down on her…suffocating in its intensity… and making it hard for her to breathe.
She heard footsteps behind her and stiffened. The sound was unmistakable, the measured pace that sent a shiver down her spine. Rowan was near, but before she could brace herself, another voice cut through the night.
“You’re here, Amara. I thought you’d already left for the hotel.” Alessandro’s voice was smooth, warm even, but it lacked the fire that ignited between her and Rowan. It was a comfort, a safety she didn’t deserve.
Amara looked up, forcing a smile as she met Alessandro’s gaze. “Yeah… I was just about to leave.”
Alessandro’s smile widened as he glanced at Vaughn. “Shall I pick you up, little man?”
Vaughn, who had been nestled securely in Amara’s arms, turned his gaze to Alessandro with the same intensity that Rowan often had. It was uncanny how much the boy resembled his real father, the fire in his eyes, the set of his jaw. Vaughn’s expression hardened, and he shook his head, his voice firm. “No thanks.”
Alessandro blinked in surprise, the rejection stinging more than it should have. He glanced at Amara, searching for an explanation, but her eyes were focused elsewhere.. on the figure standing just a few feet away.
Rowan stood there, his eyes locked onto hers with a possessive, unyielding intensity. The fire in his gaze was all-consuming.. threatening her to not to go with Alessandro.