Chapter 3

When Ethan came back, he smelled faintly of blood. He stood in the entryway with his head lowered, not daring to look at me. In his hand was a box of my favorite strawberries. His knuckles were scraped raw.

"Sophie, I made him leave." His voice trembled slightly, like a kid waiting to be scolded. "He won't bother you again."

I walked over and took his hand. Instinctively, he tried to pull away, but I held on tight. "Does it hurt?" I asked.

He froze, then looked up at me. The eyes that had been ice-cold a moment ago were now filled with something almost pitiful. "Don't you think I'm scary?" he asked quietly. "I almost killed him."

"He had it coming," I said. I led him to the couch and grabbed the first-aid kit. I cleaned his cuts carefully, my touch gentle.

Ethan watched me the whole time, like I was something rare and breakable.

"Next time, you don't have to get your hands dirty," I said as I pressed a bandage over his knuckles. "If you end up in jail, who's going to cook for me?"

Suddenly, he pulled me into his arms. He buried his face in the crook of my neck, his body trembling slightly. "Sophie, you're so good to me," he murmured, his arms tightening around me. "You're mine. No one's ever going to steal you away from me."

I patted his back, but in my head, I was thinking he really was too easy. He thought he was the one in control. In truth, he was walking exactly where I led him.

Still, this twisted little arrangement of ours? I had to admit, it worked for me just fine.

*****

As the days went by, Ethan's possessiveness spiraled into something almost absurd. He even set up a giant birdcage in the living room. It was painted gold and lined with soft cushions inside.

He pointed at it, a crazy glint flickering in his eyes. "Sophie, if you stay in there, I'll buy you that limited-edition LEGO set you wanted."

I looked at the roomy, cushion-filled cage. Then I looked at the LEGO catalog in his hand. "Deal."

I climbed in without hesitation and even adjusted myself into a comfortable position.

Ethan froze, his hand hovering in midair with the lock still in his grip. He clearly hadn't expected me to agree so fast. "Aren't you going to struggle at least a little?" he asked, sounding almost disappointed.

"Why would I?" I shot back. "It's comfier than the couch. And I can game in here. Oh, and don't forget to pass me my charger."

Ethan silently locked the cage. He sat outside it, staring at me through the bars. The way he looked at me—it was like I was the unpredictable one. Like I was the real monster here. "Sophie, what are you thinking?" he asked.

I set down my console and looked at him seriously. "Ethan, do you think this is torture for me?"

He didn't answer.

"For me, the outside world was hell," I said softly. "Fake small talk. Endless competition. Exhausting relationships. With you, I don't have to pretend. I just get to be myself."

"Even if you're locked up?"

"Even if I'm locked up."

He reached through the bars and brushed his fingers lightly against my lips. The darkness in his eyes softened, like something inside him was melting. "If you ever want freedom," he said quietly, "just say the word."

"My freedom," I replied, "is staying by your side." I took his hand and pressed a kiss to his palm.

His face turned red all over again. He jerked his hand back like a startled puppy and shot to his feet. "I—I'll go cut you some fruit."

Watching him retreat in a fluster, I couldn't help thinking—this obsessive psycho still had a lot of room for professional growth.

*****

Even though my life had finally reached its ideal setting, there was always something that could shake things up. Like my brutally honest, no-nonsense bestie, Lily Hart.

Lily was a social butterfly. She was also the only person who knew where I lived. Since I'd been ghosting her for way too long, she decided to drop by unannounced.

That day, Ethan was in the kitchen peeling shrimp for me. The second the knocking started, his whole body went on high alert. "Don't open it," he said coldly.

But I knew Lily. If we ignored her, she'd pound on that door all day.

"It's my friend. Let her in," I said.

Ethan's expression darkened, but he went to open the door anyway.

The moment Lily rushed in, her eyes landed on me—sitting comfortably inside the golden cage. "What the hell, Sophie? What are you doing?" she screamed. She pointed at Ethan. "Is he a psycho? Did he kidnap you? Don't panic—I'm calling the police."

I calmly popped a piece of shrimp Ethan had just fed me into my mouth. "Lily, relax."

"Relax my ass! You're in a cage!" She ran over and tried to pry the lock open.

Ethan stood off to the side, eyes deep and stormy, still holding the small knife he'd used to peel the shrimp. The murderous vibe alone made Lily's hands shake.

"Ethan, don't scare her," I said. Then I looked at Lily. "I'm here because I want to."

She blinked. "You want to? Have you lost your mind?"

"Think about it," I said, counting on my fingers. "Here has no awkward family gatherings. No mandatory team-building events. No fake networking with people I can't stand. Plus, Ethan cooks like a five-star chef. He even handles all my daily hassles. Is this imprisonment? No. This is a luxury retirement home."

Lily glanced at the deluxe setup inside the cage, then at Ethan—who looked like he'd walked straight out of a magazine. She fell into deep thought. "Okay, I mean... I kind of see the appeal?"

Ethan let out a snort from the side. "It's peeled. Eat up." He completely ignored Lily. His attention never left me.

Lily looked at me, then at Ethan. Her expression shifted from outrage to confusion to something dangerously close to excitement. "So... Sophie, any chance your neighbor's got a brother? Mind hooking me up?"

I had no words.

Ethan just said, "Scram."