Chapter 15 Chapter 15
Valerie POV
Lauren agreed to help me get my passport.
The moment she said yes, I felt my chest loosen, like I had been holding my breath for too long. I knew Lauren. When she decided to help, nothing could stop her. She always found a way. No matter how hard or dangerous it was, she would get it done. Still, I didn’t want to go back to the mansion.
I knew the bodyguards would still be waiting outside, watching every move, ready to drag me back into a life I was no longer sure I wanted. My heart pounded as I grabbed Lauren’s arm and begged her to leave through the back door.
“Please,” I said. “I can’t face them tonight.”
She didn’t argue. She never did when she saw that look on my face.
We slipped out of the office building quietly, unseen. No guards. No shouting. No commands. When we finally arrived at Lauren’s apartment, the moment she opened the door, something inside me broke.
I dropped onto the couch like my body had given up holding me together. The soft cushions welcomed me, and for the first time in days, I felt safe.
“Home sweet home,” I whispered, my voice shaking.
Lauren smiled at me, her eyes full of warmth. She rushed into the kitchen, already talking about dinner, while I stayed on the couch and turned on the TV. A random movie played, but I barely watched it. My mind was still racing.
Then my phone started ringing,once. Twice. Again and again, I checked the screen and felt my stomach twist. Luciano.
Fifteen missed calls.
I turned the phone face down and tried to breathe. I couldn’t answer. Not tonight. I needed space. I needed silence. I needed to remember who I was before his world swallowed me whole.
I had already decided. I will return to the mansion tomorrow. Just not today.
“Pick your call, Valerie,” Lauren muttered as she came back and placed a cold bottle of soda in front of me.
“I don’t want to,” I said, shrugging. “It’s nothing.”
She raised an eyebrow. “The last thing I want is someone breaking down my door.”
I laughed softly, even though fear still sat heavy in my chest. The thought wasn’t funny but with Lauren, everything felt lighter.
We spent the night talking, laughing, and pretending life was normal. The sky grew darker, and time slipped away without warning. For a few hours, I forgot about passports, mansions, and men who controlled my fate.
Then morning came.“Valerie,” Lauren’s voice called softly.
I turned in bed, pulling the covers tighter around me. I was still half asleep when she called again.
“Valerie… someone is here for you.”
My eyes flew open.
My heart dropped straight to my stomach.
I jumped out of bed so fast my head spun. The door was open. The air felt wrong.Heavy. Cold, And then I saw him.
Damien stood in the corner of the room, dressed in black, his face hard and unreadable. His eyes locked onto mine like he had been searching for me all night.
“What the hell—” I gasped, my voice breaking.
He didn’t move. Didn’t speak.
Fear rushed through me, sharp and burning.
Because if Damien was here, That meant my time was up.
“Good morning, madam. Luciano asked that I bring you back home,” Damien said quietly.
His voice was calm, but it made my skin crawl.
I sat up straight, my heart pounding. “Do I look like a child to you?” I snapped. “Tell Luciano I’ll return when I decide to.”
My voice echoed in the room, sharp and angry. Inside, my thoughts were a mess. Everything felt tangled, like I was stuck in a web I couldn’t escape. No matter how hard I tried to make sense of things, I knew one truth clearly, I had made the worst mistake of my life by agreeing to this fake engagement with Luciano.
The deal was supposed to protect me. Instead, it was trapping me.
“Madam, please,” Damien said, his tone changing. “I don’t want to use force.”
That was when fear hit me.
I opened my mouth to yell at him again, but Lauren stepped closer and leaned toward me. Her voice was soft, but serious. “Go with them,” she whispered.
“I’ll call you. I promise.”
Her words hurt more than Damien’s threat.
I didn’t argue. I didn’t fight.
I jumped out of bed, my body moving before my mind could catch up. My hair was a mess, my pajamas wrinkled and loose, but I didn’t care. None of that mattered anymore. I followed Damien out of the apartment, down the stairs, and into the car like I was being led back into a cage.
The car drove away,the ride to Luciano’s mansion was silent. Too silent. I bit my lip hard, holding back curses, holding back tears. How had this happened so fast? How had I become so weak, so exposed?
Luciano had the upper hand now.
And I hated it, This wasn’t right. This wasn’t what I signed up for. When we finally reached the mansion, I saw him before the car even stopped. Luciano stood outside, his posture stiff, his face dark with anger. The moment the car pulled in, he rushed toward it.
The door flew open, Before I could react, his hand was on my arm, pulling me out of the car. His grip was tight, almost painful.
“Have you lost your mind?” he demanded.
His voice was low, rough, and dangerous. I could hear the fury beneath it.
I yanked my arm free. “No,” I shot back. “You’re the one who’s lost his mind.”
He stared at me, shocked.
“Need I remind you,” I continued, my voice shaking but loud, “that this is a fake engagement? Fake. We’re not married. You don’t own me.”
My chest burned as words poured out of me, ones I had been holding in for weeks.
“You don’t get to control my life,” I yelled. “You don’t get to decide where I go, who I see, or how I live. I will go wherever I want. I will do whatever I want. I will choose my own life.”
Luciano’s jaw tightened,“Don’t try to cage me,” I screamed. “Don’t try to scare me into obedience. I won’t let you.”
The silence that followed was heavy and deadly, My hands were shaking. My heart felt like it might tear out of my chest. I didn’t know what Luciano would do ne
xt but I knew one thing for sure.
I was done being quiet, and I was done being controlled.