Chapter 40 Chapter 0040

Chapter 40 Chapter 0040
•ISABELLA•

“You can’t make me want you when I don’t anymore, Tom. Just let me go and you and I won’t ever have to talk about this again. Trust me, you don’t want Antonio coming for you,” I scolded as he led me into the room with my hands tied behind my back.

The door shut behind us.

The room was large, furnished, and disturbingly comfortable, as if that could make up for the fact that I had been dragged here against my will.

Before I could move away, Tom pulled me by the waist and pressed me against his chest.

“Don’t you remember how happy we were before your father took you to his club?” he murmured near my face.

I inhaled slowly and looked down at his lips. For a brief second, a memory flashed in my mind of how they once felt against mine, how I used to melt when he kissed me.

My heart reacted out of habit, skipping once, but the warmth that used to follow never came.

“You can’t tell me that you ignored me for five months because you didn’t want me to work at the club,” I said, forcing myself to look up at him. “You didn’t just ignore me. You called me a whore in front of your friends.”

His jaw tightened. “You expected me to watch my girl work for my enemy? You know how notorious Antonio is. He stole from my father.”

I shook my head, anger burning away any lingering nostalgia. “And isn’t it wonderful that your grudge cost you everything? He married me, Tom. I am his wife. Whatever fantasy you think is happening here will be over soon.”

He leaned closer, his expression darkening. I could see the conflict in his eyes, but I didn't feel that pull toward him anymore.

He had once been my first love, the boy I trusted with my dreams and my fears. I had believed we would end up together.

Then one day he looked at me as if I disgusted him, and something inside me broke.

His hand suddenly wrapped around my throat. He didn't squeeze hard enough to choke me completely, but enough for me to feel his strength and the threat behind it.

“You’ve always been mine, Bella. You are not leaving until I say so.”

I struggled against the ropes binding my wrists, panic rising in my chest. “You’re hurting me, Tom,” I gasped.

He released me abruptly, and I coughed as I tried to steady my breathing. My throat burned where his fingers had pressed.

“This is your room until you learn to comply,” he said coldly and turned toward the door.

“You can’t leave me like this,” I shouted after him. “Untie me.”

He looked over his shoulder with a smirk that made my stomach twist. “Stop pretending you don’t want me and maybe I will.”

The door closed again, and I was left alone with the sound of my own breathing. I walked slowly to the bed and sat down, exhaustion washing over me.

I still couldn't believe that he had abducted me and taken me all the way to Brazil. Everything had happened so fast that it felt unreal.

Fear crept into my thoughts when I considered how long it might take Antonio to find me. I knew he would look.

I knew he would tear the world apart if he had to. However, Brazil was far away, and Tom had clearly planned this carefully.

Just as I lay back against the pillows, the door opened again. Tom entered carrying a tray of food as if we were simply a couple having dinner together.

I rolled my eyes when he placed the tray on the bed between us.

“I brought you food,” he murmured. “You know I’ve always loved feeding you.”

“I’m not hungry. Take it away.”

“You haven’t eaten since morning,” he insisted, his voice gentle in a way that almost felt convincing.

“I said I’m not hungry.”

Something shifted in his expression. His patience snapped, and in one quick motion, he shoved the tray off the bed.

Plates shattered on the floor, and food was scattered everywhere.

I flinched at the sudden burst of rage. I had never seen him like this before. Even when we argued in the past, he had never lost control this way.

“The sooner you understand that you are staying here as long as I want, the better,” he said, his voice raised. “I invested too much in you to let Antonio think he can just take you.”

My eyes filled with tears before I could stop them. I hated that I was crying in front of him, but fear and disappointment overwhelmed me.

I had once wanted freedom from Antonio’s possessive world, yet what Tom was offering was far worse.

When he noticed my tears, his anger softened. He knelt in front of me and placed his hands on my thighs. His touch no longer comforted me. It only made me tense.

“I love you, Bella. Can’t you see that?” he whispered.

He lifted my chin and wiped my cheeks gently.
Looking into his eyes, I realized something with complete clarity. I was no longer angry with him. I was not confused either. I simply did not love him.

“I’m not in love with you, Tom,” I said through trembling breaths. “I want to go home. I want to go back to my husband.”

The change in him was immediate. He stood up slowly, his face hardening as if my words had slapped him.

For a moment, silence filled the room. I held my breath, terrified of what he might do next.

“Fine,” he said finally, his voice low and controlled. “If that is how you want to play this, then I will make you understand that you don't have a choice. Either you do this my way or the people you love will suffer.”

My stomach dropped.

My father’s fragile state in the hospital flashed through my mind. Sarah’s laughter echoed in my ears. I thought of Antonio too, but I knew he could defend himself. But my father and Sarah couldn't.

“No, Tom. Please. Don’t involve them,” I begged. “This will backfire on you. If Antonio tracks you down, he will not spare you.”

He pulled out his phone without breaking eye contact. My heart pounded so loudly that I could barely hear the dial tone.

“Yes, we have a problem,” he said when the call connected. “I want you to bring Andrea Albero to my location as soon as possible.”

The world seemed to tilt beneath me.

Tom slipped the phone back into his pocket and gave me a look that held both triumph and warning.

“You forced my hand, Bella,” he said quietly.

Tears streamed down my face as I realized that this was no longer just about me.

Whatever twisted love he believed he felt had now turned into something dangerous, something that could destroy everyone I cared about.

And for the first time since he took me, I was not only afraid for myself. I was afraid of what Tom was truly capable of becoming.