LORI

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Lori’s POV.
“Lori,” Nicole began, settling down on a worn leather chair beside me, “are you really giving Santorini a chance? I see the reluctance behind your smile. It’s like there’s another name echoing in your heart.”
I frowned slightly, my hand absentmindedly brushing a stray lock of hair from my face. “Nicole, you know it’s not that simple,” I replied, choosing my words with care. “I’m waiting. I’m still giving Knight a chance to change… to show that he’s not the monster I once believed him to be.”
Nicole tilted her head, a small smile playing on her lips. “Lori, you’ve been hurt. But I worry that you’re still in love with that beast of a man. The way you talk about him-it’s like you haven’t let go.”
My breath caught in my throat. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to sort through the tangled web of emotions. “Maybe I am,” I admitted softly. “Or maybe I just think that people can change, even those who seem lost in darkness. I’m not ready to turn against him completely. There’s still a part of me that believes there’s good in Knight, even if it’s buried deep.”
Before Nicole could respond, a firm knock on the door interrupted our conversation. I recognized that sound immediately-a deliberate, measured knock that came from nowhere near the casual knocks of delivery men or neighbours. My pulse quickened, and I excused myself with a murmured, “Just a moment.”
Opening the door, I was met by Murphy, Knight’s trusted bodyguard. His expression was unreadable behind the dark glasses, but his tone was low and urgent. “Lori,” he said curtly, holding out a sealed box wrapped in fine fabric. “Knight has asked that you come with him to his cabal tonight. There’s something he wants you to see.”
I hesitated, glancing back at Nicole, who raised an eyebrow. “Your cabal?” I repeated the word echoing in the quiet hallway.
Murphy didn’t wait for an answer. “Inside the box is a dress, miss. I was told it is… very special.” He held the box in such a way that it seemed to invite my curiosity. “He wishes you to wear it when you meet him.”
I took the box from him, feeling the smooth texture of the fabric under my fingertips as I unwrapped it carefully. Inside lay a dress that immediately stole my breath away. It was a deep crimson garment made of silk and lace. The dress clung to the curves of its mannequin-like form even in its folded state, adorned with intricate black lace along the bodice and a daring slit that promised both elegance and seduction. The dress whispered secrets of nights filled with both danger and desire.
“Knight has an eye for detail,” Murphy remarked, his tone almost admiring even as his voice remained impassive. “He believes this dress will show you more than just your beauty. It’s part of his… way of telling you that he’s serious about wanting you back in his life.”
Nicole’s eyes flickered with a mix of concern and disbelief as she watched me. “Lori,” she said softly, “are you sure you want to go? Sometimes the things we think might change can end up changing us completely.”
I gazed down at the dress, running my fingers along the delicate embroidery. “I know,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. “But I need to see him. I need to know if there’s anything worth saving. Maybe tonight I’ll understand how much he’s truly changed-or if he’s just the same Knight I remember.”
With a long, steadying breath, I nodded to Murphy. “I’ll be there,” I told him, determination laced with a lingering doubt. “I have to see it for myself.”
Later that night, after Nicole had insisted on staying behind to wait for a call or two, I found myself standing before a tall mirror in the quiet hallway of my villa. The dress lay spread out on the bed like a promise of a night that might redefine everything. I slowly slipped into it, feeling the cool silk brush my skin and the delicate lace accentuate my silhouette. In the mirror, I hardly recognized the woman staring back at me-a woman balanced on the razor’s edge between hope and despair.
My phone buzzed again. It was a text from Knight. “Lori, come to the cabal. I’m waiting.”
The message pulled me away from my reflection, and my heart pounded in anticipation and fear. I texted back a brief acknowledgement before grabbing my purse and heading out into the night. Each step toward the cabal felt like a step into the unknown-a step toward a confrontation with the man I was still, painfully, enamoured with.
As I entered the cabal, the atmosphere was dim and strangely charged. There were few people around; a few familiar faces and silent watchers acknowledged my arrival with curt nods. I spotted Knight immediately. He leaned against a marble pillar, his eyes dark yet full of an intensity that was hard to decipher. There was a distance between us, an unspoken tension woven through years of shared history and pain.
“Lori,” he said, his voice soft yet loaded with emotion. He reached out to brush a stray strand of hair from my face. “You look stunning tonight. Like you’re wearing the promise of a new beginning.”
I stepped closer, the dress swishing around me in quiet defiance. “Knight,” I replied simply, my voice steady despite the storm of feelings inside.
For a moment, there was silence, punctuated by the soft echo of our exchanged memories. Then he spoke again, his tone arrogant. ” A dog who wants to escape her caged canary.
I searched his eyes, my mind a jumble of hope and scepticism. ” I’m not your dog, Knight!”, I said to Knight as a tear fell from my eye “treat me with respect for goodness sake Knight”, I continued as I wiped the tear from my eye, “show me some likeness and don’t call me your dog again”, I added keeping mute.
He grabbed my throat, forcing me to the wall and whispered. ” you’re my dog forever, Lori. You must dance to my tone.”
My throat tightened as I looked away, the reflection of the dim lights catching the tear that threatened to form. “I’m not sure if I can,” I admitted, voice wavering. ” one day I will be free from these shackles.”
Knight stepped forward, bridging the small gap between us. “You talk too much! Maybe you need to be fucked!”.
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THE NEXT CHAPTER CONTAINS SOME EROTIC CONTENT AND IT MUST BE STRICTLY 18+.