✔️ ILLICIT DESIRES | 18 +

Chapter 48

RITA

Darkness cloaks Me.

Absolute darkness. I blink. Pitch-black. I feel the panic unfolding within me. I gasp. Then, sob. It was all a dream. I am back in the cell. I never left — my mind deceived me.

"No, no, no," I whisper, my whole body trembling as I push myself up, searching for an ounce of illumination, a path out. "Let me out! Please, let me out!"

Stumbling over my own feet, I let out a sharp cry as I collapse onto the harsh ground. The darkness is consuming. Scaring me.

Frantically, I run my hands over the floor, searching for a hint about my whereabouts. But there is nothing. Only emptiness. Just like the cell.

Am I truly back? Have I ever left?

Curling into myself, I let out a choked sob, vulnerable and exposed. My chest heaves, my breath ragged. I feel the beads of sweat forming on my forehead — and on my spine, trickling down.

They will starve me again. They will treat me like filth. They will let me freeze. Feeling rock-bottom, I close my eyes, demanding my mind to take me back.

Footsteps. My breath hitches. My pulse quickens. They are coming to kill me. The footsteps resonate closer. I whimper, wanting the darkness to swallow me, conceal me.

And then — a beacon. Illumination floods the room, hurting my eyes, seizing me back from the hollow dark. I see again.

Roman stands by the door, his hand still on the light switch. Worry flickers in his gaze as it locks onto mine. He strides toward me.

When he reaches me, he cradles me in his arms, and I feel fragile. I feel so weak in his strong embrace, yet so safe that I wrap my arms tightly around his neck.

Even when he places me on the bed, I refuse to let go. I hold on for dear life — terrified of the darkness, terrified of blinking, terrified of losing myself again.

"No, don't let go," I hiccup as he begins to pull away, my arms tightening even more around his neck, pressing my trembling frame against his solid one.

"I'm not. I will never let go of you," he murmurs, his words soothing with a bottled promise as he sits on the bed, shifting me onto his lap with gentle ease.

"Are you alright? What happened?" he asks, his warmth engulfing me, calming my nerves as my cheek presses against his chest.

"Darkness..." I gulp, struggling to steady my breath. Pulling back a little, I see how my tears have dampened his shirt — a subtle pool forming in the middle of the garment he is wearing.

"Right — the lights," he says, his serenity calming me further, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "They weren't on? You didn't turn them off?"

I exhale shakily. "No. I thought... I thought I was back there. Back in the cell. Back in the coldness. Back in the... torment."

"You're safe," he assures me, his lips pressing a kiss to my temple as his arms tighten around me. "I swear, I won't let him hurt you ever again."

But even in safety, there is no peace. My mind is consumed with worry for my mother. The fear of falling victim once more haunts me.

Anxiety bubbles in my chest, making my heart thunder. "He can't get inside the mansion, right?" I whisper, still shaky.

"No, he can't. Not a single intruder can enter unnoticed — every entry is guarded and monitored from the CCTV room," he assures me, pressing a gentle kiss to my hand.