Chapter One Hundred And Thirty Four

I shook my head, my pulse roaring in my ears. "You're delusional."

Thomas chuckled, his thumb brushing lazily over my lower lip. "Am I? Then tell me, Sofia-when was the last time you were truly free?"

I swallowed hard, but I had no answer.

"Exactly." His voice was silk over steel, smooth and inescapable. "You were never free. Not with Theo. Not with me. The only difference is that I don't pretend to be your savior."

His fingers drifted lower, tracing the pulse hammering at my throat. "And deep down, you know that."

I clenched my jaw, refusing to let him see the crack in my resolve. "I don't belong to either of you."

Thomas exhaled sharply, amusement flickering in his gaze. "Oh, sweetheart." He leaned in until his lips were a whisper away from my ear. "You always belonged to me."

A shiver ran through me.

He pulled back slightly, watching me with dark, assessing eyes. "But don't worry," he murmured, brushing a stray hair from my face. "I never wanted to kill her anyway."

I stiffened.

"She was just… in the way."

My breath hitched. "In the way of what?"

Thomas tilted his head, studying me like I was an equation he was still solving. "Justice."

I let out a hollow laugh, though my stomach churned. "That's what you're calling it?"

His gaze darkened. "That's what it is." His grip on my jaw tightened just enough to make my pulse spike. "She knew the truth. And she still chose to protect a lie."

I forced myself to hold his gaze, despite the fear clawing at my insides. "So you killed her?"

Thomas's lips curled, but there was no humor in it. "She made her choice. And I made mine."

I sucked in a sharp breath, bile rising in my throat.

"They thought they could erase me," he continued, voice eerily calm. "Pretend I never existed. But I'm still here." His fingers trailed down my arm, slow, deliberate. "And now, I take back what's mine."

My stomach twisted.

He wasn't just here for revenge.

He was here to win.

And I was part of the prize.

A bitter laugh bubbled up in my throat, but I swallowed it down. When will I ever be free?

From one Rodríguez to the other, my life had become a game played by men who saw me as nothing more than a piece on their board.

Everything-every nightmare, every cage, every chain-started with one foolish mistake.

My father.

He borrowed four million dollars from Theo.

I closed my eyes for a fraction of a second, the weight of it pressing down on my chest. That single decision had set everything in motion.

I sacrificed myself to be Theo's pet for a year.

And now, nine and a half months had passed.

Nine and a half months of playing the role he carved out for me. Of being his fiancé, his possession, the thing he could control with a look, a touch, a whispered command.

I had counted every single day.

And yet, here I was-trapped again, only the hands holding the chains had changed.

I opened my eyes, meeting Thomas's unrelenting gaze.

"What's the plan, then?" My voice was hoarse, but I refused to let it break. "Keep me locked away like Theo did? Control me the way he did?" A cold smile curled my lips. "You talk about fate, but you're no different from him."

Thomas's expression didn't flicker. If anything, he looked amused.

"Ah, mi amor," he murmured, tilting his head. "You still don't get it, do you?"

His fingers brushed against my collarbone, featherlight, deceptively gentle.

"Theo caged you to keep you." His lips curved. "I'll cage you to set you free."

A chill ran down my spine.

"Freedom?" I whispered, my throat tightening. "You don't even know what that means."

His gaze darkened. "Neither do you."

Thomas sighed, almost as if this conversation had exhausted him. He glanced at the watch on his wrist, then back at me, a slow smile creeping onto his face.

"I'd love to stay and chat, mi amor, but I have things to take care of." His fingers ghosted over my cheek, a mockery of tenderness. "But don't worry, sweetheart." He leaned in, his breath warm against my skin. "I'll be back."

I stiffened as his lips brushed the corner of my mouth, his touch barely there, but it sent a wave of nausea rolling through me.

"To catch up on old times," he murmured.

Then, just as quickly as he'd invaded my space, he pulled back, straightening his suit jacket like he hadn't just shattered the fragile control I had over my fear.

"Be good while I'm gone, Sofia." His eyes gleamed with something unreadable. "I'd hate to have to remind you who you belong to."

And then he was gone, leaving behind only the ghost of his touch and the suffocating weight of his words.