Welcome to My Cage

Chapter 4: Welcome to My Cage

The car finally stopped.

I didn’t realize how long we had been driving.

Minutes?

Hours?

It felt like forever.

My fingers were still clenched into fists, nails digging into my palms as I stared out the window. The city lights had disappeared a long time ago, replaced by darkness and towering gates that slowly creaked open as we approached.

My breath hitched.

“No…” I whispered.

This place—

It wasn’t normal.

Huge iron gates.

Tall walls.

Security cameras watching every angle.

And beyond them…

A mansion.

Massive.

Cold.

Beautiful in the most terrifying way.

“This is your home?” I asked, my voice barely steady.

“No,” he said calmly, stepping out of the car.

A flicker of confusion hit me.

Then he walked around, opening my door.

“This,” he corrected, holding his hand out, “is yours.”

My stomach dropped.

“I’m not going in there.”

His eyes met mine.

Dark.

Unmoving.

“You don’t have a choice.”

“I always have a choice!”

“Not anymore.”

My chest tightened.

“I’m not your prisoner,” I snapped, even though my voice trembled.

A slow smile spread across his lips.

“Of course you are.”

Before I could react—

He grabbed my wrist again.

And pulled me out of the car.

“Let go of me!” I struggled, but it was useless.

He didn’t even slow down.

“Stop fighting,” he said, almost bored.

“I hate you!”

That made him pause.

Just for a second.

Then he glanced at me over his shoulder.

“No, you don’t.”

I froze.

“Yes, I do!”

“You’re scared,” he corrected softly.

A pause.

“And you’re mine.”

The words hit harder this time.

Because now…

I was inside his world.

—

The doors opened before we even reached them.

Two men stood inside.

Dressed in black.

Silent.

Watching.

I swallowed hard.

“Boss,” one of them said, nodding slightly.

Boss.

Of course he was.

This wasn’t just some obsessed man.

This was worse.

Much worse.

He was powerful.

Dangerous.

Untouchable.

And I had just been dragged into his life.

“Prepare her room,” he said casually, walking past them without stopping.

Her room.

Like I was staying.

Like this wasn’t temporary.

“Wait—no!” I pulled back. “I’m not staying here!”

He stopped walking.

Slowly turned toward me.

The air shifted instantly.

Heavy.

Cold.

“Don’t,” he said quietly.

My heart skipped.

“Don’t what?” I whispered.

“Test me.”

Silence fell.

Even the guards looked tense now.

Like they knew something I didn’t.

My throat went dry.

“I want to go home,” I said, softer this time.

A mistake.

Because his expression changed.

Not angry.

Not violent.

Something worse.

Possessive.

“This is your home now.”

“No, it’s not—”

“It is.”

His voice was calm.

But absolute.

Unbreakable.

I shook my head, backing away.

“You can’t just take me and decide my life!”

“I already did.”

My breath caught.

That—

That wasn’t normal.

That wasn’t sane.

“You’re insane,” I whispered.

His lips curved slightly.

“I know.”

And somehow…

That made it worse.

—

My room.

If you could even call it that.

It was bigger than my entire apartment.

Soft lighting.

Expensive furniture.

A massive bed in the center.

A balcony overlooking the dark grounds.

It was beautiful.

Perfect.

And completely suffocating.

I stood near the door, refusing to step further inside.

“I’m not sleeping here,” I said.

He leaned against the wall, watching me.

“You will.”

“I won’t.”

“You will.”

“I said—”

Before I could finish—

He moved.

Fast.

In a second, he was right in front of me.

Too close.

Way too close.

My breath hitched.

“You talk too much,” he murmured.

“I—”

His hand lifted.

I flinched.

But instead of hurting me—

He gently brushed his fingers against my cheek.

I froze.

The softness confused me.

Scared me.

“You’ll get used to this,” he said quietly.

“I don’t want to!”

“You don’t have to want it.”

His thumb traced my jaw lightly.

Like I was something fragile.

Something precious.

Something his.

“I don’t hurt what’s mine,” he repeated.

“There you go again,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “I’m not yours.”

This time—

He didn’t smile.

He didn’t argue.

He just looked at me.

Long.

Intensely.

And then—

“You will be.”

My heart skipped.

“What does that mean?”

A pause.

Then—

“It means,” he said softly, leaning closer, “I’m not done with you yet.”

A shiver ran through me.

Not just fear.

Something else.

Something I didn’t want to feel.

Something dangerous.

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. “No, I won’t—”

“You will,” he interrupted gently.

Always so sure.

Always so calm.

Like my resistance didn’t matter.

Like my choices didn’t exist.

“I hate this,” I said, my voice cracking.

His gaze softened again.

Just slightly.

“I know.”

That wasn’t comforting.

That wasn’t enough.

“I want to leave,” I whispered.

Silence.

For a moment…

I thought—

Maybe.

Maybe this time—

But then he stepped back.

Creating distance.

Breaking whatever fragile moment that was.

“You can try,” he said.

Hope flickered.

“You mean—?”

He turned toward the door.

And that’s when I saw it.

The lock.

On the outside.

My breath stopped.

“But you won’t get far.”

The door opened.

Then closed.

And I heard it—

Click.

Locked.

I stood there.

Frozen.

Heart pounding.

Mind racing.

This wasn’t a room.

This wasn’t a home.

This was a cage.

And I was trapped inside it.

Alone.

With him.

And no way out.

—

I slowly turned, looking around the room again.

Beautiful.

Perfect.

Prison.

Tears burned in my eyes.

“No…” I whispered.

This couldn’t be my life.

This couldn’t be real.

But deep down…

I knew.

It was.

Because somewhere in this mansion…

He was watching.

Waiting.

And planning.

And no matter how much I fought it…

One truth was becoming impossible to ignore.

I didn’t belong to him.

But he wasn’t going to let me go.

Not now.

Not ever.

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