"If you can't make me your equal, then I'll go."

He hadn't said anything for a long time, but when he did, his expression twisted from shock and confusion to frustration and anger.


"Is this really an excuse or is this just your excuse to escape again?" He asked, his voice losing its edge as if he had finished fighting her.

"What?"

"You never responded to what I told you, Rosabella. You insisted on letting me tell you how I felt, however, I got nothing in return. So is this what it is? Your free card out of jail? So you don't have to tell me how you really feel about me."


She panted.

"This is crazy."


"That is it?"

No words were uttered.

She opened and closed her mouth, but she was completely unable to defend herself in this regard.

Was he right? Is she doing this because she's scared? Is she sabotaging herself?

"Go back to your room."

"But, Charles..."

"You hear me. You want to go, Rosabella? There's no reason for you to stay here and act like you're giving me the time of day."

He got up and started to go to the bathroom, but when she called his name again, he turned to look at her.

"This isn't why I'm leaving. I can't be the trophy wife you want me to be."

Charles said nothing to that. He just stared at her blankly and after nodding one last time, he turned around and left her on the bed.

---

Rosabella twisted around, unable to sleep. She is not used to being alone in bed.

She and Charles hadn't spoken in the past three days since their fight and Rosabella missed him.

Remember his closeness. She misses talking to him, misses his kisses, his touch, his hot tongue between her thighs.

He told her that he loved her. Every time she recalled those words, her heart tightened, she believed it would stop beating only for it to start beating twice as hard.

At the time, she insisted that he would tell her. Say those words to her. Oh my god, how much she needed to hear them.

Even now, if given the chance, she would ask him to tell her this confession over and over again. No one had ever told her something like this. They weren't really honest about how they felt either.

What about Rosabella? All Rosabella wanted at that moment was to cry in relief. Get on her knees and tell him how much she loves him. Because she loves Charles. She really did.

She was so obsessed with this man, she almost wondered if what she felt for him could be classified as some kind of mental breakdown.

When did this happen? Rosabella wanted to emphasize and said it had to be somewhere between sleeping with him and being open. But she will lie to herself.

That's right, Rosabella is a woman who is so good at showing off her strong exterior that she sometimes even deceives herself.

But Charles had her the first time they talked properly. She remembers it very well.

Audrey had just brought her into her room and told her this is where she was going when he walked in and told her to leave.

And once they were alone?

The moment he stepped closer and stared at her when he asked her what she knew about the attack, Fanny, and the intruders.

She knew he wasn't just asking those questions for informational purposes. Because at that moment, he told her something between the lines. And it's that he owns her.

Rosabella knows that she is not a victim of push or bullying. She is not a submissive girl or a people pleaser.

But when it comes to this man. When it comes to none other than Charles? She is all at once.

In his presence, she would allow him to break her completely just to put her back together. Because that side is just for him. Only for him.

Why? Why can't she stay? Why couldn't she just give in and allow her to love him back? Admit to yourself that this is what she wants.

Why is she scared at the prospect of everyone else knowing that she belongs to someone? When it's just them, secretly doing what feels right is somehow good.

But why is it the exact opposite of publicly confirming it? Was it because she put her in another cage?

Getting up from her bed, finally resigned to the fact that she wouldn't find sleep that night, Rosabella decided to go downstairs and sit outside in the yard.

With the recent clear weather, she hoped for a cool breeze to put her mind at ease.

Although, she never expected to run into Charles as soon as she entered the living room on her way to the garden.

He swept her down, looking at her suspiciously as she stood in leggings and sweatshirts.

"Everything's OK?" He asked her.

Rosabella quickly recovered from the anxiety that had hit her stomach by confronting the man after a long period of non-interaction.

"Yes, just wanted to get some fresh air."

She slowly approached him and his eyes followed her movements like a tiger would an antelope.

A strange spark of excitement filled her. Despite knowing that he was mad at her, Rosabella could still feel an undeniable attraction between them.

As she nearly touched him, Charles stalked toward her and, without warning, suddenly pressed his lips against hers.

Rosabella gasped as she stuck her tongue in his mouth. His hands tore at her clothes, tore at her body.

As they fell to the ground, he tore off his thin lace bra and panties. His hungry gaze flicked over her, then he twisted her towards him and bit her throat, then her nipple.

Rosabella gasped in pain and excitement because she knew full well that this dark side of him could irritate her.

Charles pushed her toward the sofa and bent her over the backrest, his hand holding her neck as the other slid between her folds.