Joy's POV

Ever since we got married, this would be the first time I'd see my mom.

The air in the room felt thick, suffocating. My pulse drummed in my ears as I stared at my reflection. My skin looked paler than usual, my eyes hollow, lips pressed into a firm line.

I wasn't the same girl she had last seen.

I wasn't a girl at all anymore. Adrik had made sure of that.

My mind drifted back to that moment—the cold press of the gun against my mother's temple, Adrik's grip steady, his voice cutting through the air like a blade. I had no choice. The words had burned my throat as I choked them out. I do.

And just like that, my life was no longer mine.

Now, she was coming here. To his house. To his rules.

A slow, deliberate knock echoed through the room. My breath caught.

The door opened without permission—he never needed it.

Adrik stood in the doorway, dressed in black, his sleeves rolled up, veins lined with ink and sin. He didn't speak right away. He never rushed. He enjoyed watching me squirm, letting the silence stretch just long enough to remind me who held the power.

Finally, he stepped closer, his gaze never leaving mine. "You look beautiful, don't make me ruin it."

That was all he said.

Not a threat. Not a warning. Just a fact.

A chill crawled down my spine.

And then he was gone, leaving the room as silently as he had entered, his presence lingering like the ghost of a nightmare.

I forced my hands to stop shaking as I made my way downstairs.

The moment I saw my mother, my throat tightened. She stood stiffly in the grand dining room, her hands gripping her purse like it was the only thing anchoring her to the ground.

She looked good and that made me happy.

Her eyes landed on me, and something inside them cracked. "Oh, my baby..."

I moved toward her, but before I could embrace her, I felt it—him.

Adrik leaned against the far wall, watching. Always watching.

My mother's body tensed as she noticed him, fear flickering behind her anger. She knew exactly what kind of man he was. She knew what he had done to me.

She hated him.

But she feared him more.

"Sit," Adrik commanded, his voice calm, final.

She hesitated only for a second before obeying.

I sat beside her, my heart pounding. I wanted to speak—to whisper something, anything—but Adrik was still there, his presence looming over us like a shadow that could not be escaped.

"Eat," he said.

Neither of us moved.

He exhaled, tilting his head as he studied my mother. "You don't want to make this difficult."

Her knuckles turned white around her fork.

I looked at her, pleading with my eyes. Don't fight him. Please.

She understood.

With a shaky breath, she picked up her fork, forcing a bite past her lips.

The dining hall was filled with nothing but the sound of cutlery scraping against porcelain. Silence sat thick between us, heavy with everything unsaid. My mother kept her eyes on her plate, but I could feel her tension, the way her shoulders remained rigid, her grip on the fork tight enough to make her knuckles turn white.

I had so much to say to her. So many words trapped in my throat, screaming to be freed. But I couldn't. Not with him sitting across from us.

The meal ended, and the maids moved swiftly to clear the table. Still, no one spoke.

Adrik leaned back in his chair, dabbing his lips with a napkin as if this were any normal family gathering. Then, with the same cold indifference, he pushed back his chair and stood.

"I'm leaving for the office," he said.

I exhaled, relief washing over me—until his next words came.

"By 2:00 p.m., the driver will pick you up," he told my mother.

My breath hitched.

She froze, her hand still resting on the table. Slowly, she turned to face him, her expression hardening. "I'm not going anywhere."

Adrik's eyes darkened, but he said nothing.

She straightened in her chair, voice steadier now. "I am not leaving this place without my daughter."

The air shifted.

The tension in the room became suffocating. My heart pounded against my ribs, my fingers curling into my lap as I fought the urge to scream no, no, no—don't push him.

Adrik simply stood there, unmoving. Then, ever so slowly, his lips stretched into a smile. That sick, twisted smile.

The dining hall was silent, the air thick with unspoken words. My mother's defiance hung between us like a blade, sharp and dangerous. My heart pounded against my ribs, each beat screaming at her to stop—to take it back.

Adrik said nothing.

He didn't glare, didn't scowl. He only stood there, watching her, that slow, knowing smile never leaving his face.

Then, without a word, he turned and walked away.

The quiet that followed was deafening. My mother exhaled shakily, her fingers trembling as she clutched the edge of the table.

She thought she had won something.

But I knew better.

Adrik never let things go.

With him gone, I didn't hesitate. I lunged forward, wrapping my arms around my mother, my body shaking as the tears came freely.

She held me just as tightly, her hands cradling the back of my head like she used to when I was a child. "My baby," she whispered, her voice breaking. "What has he done to you?"

I couldn't speak. I could only sob, burying my face into her shoulder, inhaling the familiar scent of home—of safety, of everything Adrik had stolen from me.

She pulled back, cupping my face, her own eyes glassy with unshed tears. "We'll get out of this," she promised. "I won't leave you here."

A cold shiver ran down my spine. I wanted to believe her. I wanted to cling to the hope in her voice.

"Mom, where did he take you?" My voice was frantic, my words rushing out. "How have you been? Does he torture you? Do you eat?"

She cupped my face, her thumbs brushing away my tears. "Calm down, my dear. Yes, I eat."

I pulled back slightly, searching her face for any signs of suffering. She looked tired, but there were no visible bruises, no marks of violence. That didn't mean she wasn't hurting.

"I'm kept in a mansion," she continued softly. "If this were any other situation, I would have been glad to live in a place like that." She forced a small smile.

I let out a short, humorless laugh. "That does sound like you."

"But," her voice dropped, turning serious, "I don't know where it is. I'm locked in. I can't leave."

"But I'm allowed to do anything," she continued, her voice laced with bitterness. "They give me whatever I want—clothes, books, food—but it's a gilded cage, Joy. Nothing more."

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding as she went on.

"When I first got there, I was ready to turn that place upside down. I almost burned it down. I fought, screamed, shattered anything I could get my hands on. They had to drug me every day just to keep me in check."

A shiver ran through me. "Mom..."

She exhaled shakily, looking away as if reliving it. "And then that monster came to visit."

Adrik.

Her voice dropped, shaking with fury. "He told me that the more I act up, the more you suffer."

A sharp breath left me, my stomach twisting into knots.

I knew he would use me against her. It was exactly the kind of sick game Adrik thrived on—breaking people without even having to lay a hand on them.

Her eyes met mine, shining with unshed tears. "So I stopped." She swallowed. "Not because I gave up, but because I couldn't let him hurt you, Joy."

My mother reached into her purse, her hands trembling slightly as she pulled out a small packet and placed it in my hands.

"Here. I got you something," she whispered, glancing toward the door as if she expected him to walk back in at any second.

I looked down, my breath catching in my throat as I recognized it. Birth control.

"I need you to take it," she said urgently, her voice barely above a whisper. "You can't bring his child into this world, Joy."

My fingers curled around the packet, my pulse hammering in my ears.

A child.

The thought sent a wave of nausea through me. The idea of carrying his child, of being tied to him forever in a way even marriage couldn't bind me—it was suffocating.

But the risk... The risk of being caught was even worse.

I swallowed hard, my hands tightening around the pills. "He'll find out," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

My mother's face hardened. "Then you have to be careful."

I clenched the packet in my hands, my mind racing. Even the walls in this house had ears. If Adrik found out—no, when he found out—what would he do?

I shuddered at the thought. He wanted children. He had made that clear in the way he spoke about it, the way he touched me, the way he owned me.

My mother reached forward, squeezing my hands. "Joy, listen to me." Her voice was urgent, desperate. "You can't let him trap you like this. If you get pregnant..." She didn't finish. She didn't have to.

I knew.

If I carried Adrik's child, I would never escape.

Tears burned my eyes as I stared at the small packet. The answer should have been simple. Just take the pill. Just do it.

But fear held me frozen.

Would he notice? Would he sense it?

Would I wake up one day with his fingers around my throat, his voice a deadly whisper in my ear, asking me why I betrayed him?

I swallowed hard, tucking the packet into the sleeve of my dress. "I'll take it," I whispered.

My mother exhaled in relief, but the fear never left her eyes.

A door creaked somewhere in the house.

Both of us stiffened.

Footsteps. Slow. Heavy. Measured.

My heart slammed against my ribs. No. Not now.

My mother's grip on my hands tightened. "Be careful," she whispered.

The footsteps stopped just outside the dining room.

Silence.

Then—

Not Adrik.

A maid

The maid stepped in, her head slightly bowed. She didn't look at us directly, only folded her hands neatly in front of her.

"Madam, do you need anything?" she asked softly.

My mother exhaled, her fingers still clenched around mine. The tension in the room didn't ease, though. Not for me.

"No," I said quickly, my voice tight. "We're fine."

The maid hesitated, her gaze flickering toward my mother for the briefest second. There was something in her eyes—pity, maybe, or understanding—but she didn't say anything more.

With a small nod, she turned and left, closing the door quietly behind her.

My mother leaned in closer, her voice barely above a whisper. "Look here," she said, reaching into her purse with steady hands. She pulled out a small slip of paper and pressed it into my palm. "I was able to get in touch with an old friend of mine. She's willing to help us."

I looked down at the note, the weight of it pressing against my skin. It felt dangerous just holding it. "Who is she?" I asked, my voice low but firm.

My mother's eyes met mine, filled with something I hadn't seen in a long time—determination. "She works for the CIA."

The words sent a shiver down my spine, but not from fear. For the first time, I felt something close to hope.

A rescue. A way out.

For so long, I thought escape was impossible, that no one could touch Adrik. He was a man who ruled with power, fear, and blood. His reach was long, his influence even longer. But the CIA? That was something else. That was power beyond his control.

"She's coming," my mother continued, gripping my hand. "She just needs time."

Time. The one thing I wasn't sure I had.

"How much time?" I asked, my mind already calculating, already weighing the risks.

"Days. Maybe a week."

I nodded, inhaling deeply. A week. I could survive that. I had to.

Adrik wasn't stupid. If he sensed something, if he saw even the slightest crack in my obedience, he would know. But I had survived him this long. I could keep pretending. I could wait.

I squeezed my mother's hand. "I'll be ready."

To lighten the mood, I took my mom to the garden. It was one of the few places in this house that didn't feel suffocating, a place untouched by Adrik's darkness. The air was crisp, carrying the scent of fresh roses and jasmine, and for the first time in a long while, I saw a flicker of peace in my mother's eyes.

She ran her fingers over the petals of a blooming lavender bush, inhaling deeply. "It's beautiful," she murmured, almost to herself.

I smiled softly, watching her. "I know you love gardening. I thought you'd like it here."

Her fingers stilled against the leaves, and when she looked at me, there was something sad in her gaze. "You always remembered the little things," she whispered.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. I didn't want this moment to be heavy—I wanted her to breathe, to have at least a sliver of happiness in this place.

So I forced a grin and gestured toward a small patch of soil near the corner. "Do you think anything would survive if I tried planting something here?"

She let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. "With your patience? Probably not."

I chuckled, the sound foreign to my own ears. It had been too long since I laughed, since I felt even an ounce of lightness.

For a moment, it felt like we were somewhere else, like things were normal.

But reality was always waiting. The peace didn't last long.

Two massive men, dressed in black and built like soldiers, marched into the garden, their presence immediately suffocating the air. Their expressions were blank, cold, but their sheer size alone was enough to send a wave of dread down my spine.

"Ma'am," one of them spoke, his voice firm but void of emotion. "We were ordered to drive you home."

My mother's face twisted in fury. "No," she snapped, standing her ground. "Tell that son of a bitch that I'm not leaving my daughter here."

The guards exchanged a look before the second one spoke, his voice lower, deadlier. "Ma'am, we were ordered to drag you if we must."

I felt my blood turn cold.

My mother's grip on my hand tightened, her fingers digging into my skin. I could see the fire in her eyes, the unwillingness to back down, but I also saw something else—fear.

Not for herself.

For me.

I stepped forward, my heart hammering. "Mom, please." My voice was soft, but the urgency behind it was sharp. "You don't want to fight them. He—" I hesitated, glancing at the guards, knowing they'd report every word back to Adrik. "He won't like it."

Her jaw clenched. "I don't care."

But she did. We both did. Because we knew what Adrik was capable of.

One of the guards took a step closer. "Don't make this harder than it has to be."

I turned to her, pleading with my eyes. "Go. Please. If you don't, he'll take it out on me."

That made her freeze. Her breath hitched, and I saw the fight in her flicker.

I hated this. I hated how easily Adrik controlled everything, how even when he wasn't here, his presence loomed over us, forcing us into submission.

After a long moment, she exhaled shakily and nodded. But before stepping away, she grabbed my face, her touch gentle despite the panic in her eyes. "I'll come back for you," she whispered fiercely. "I swear it."

The guards didn't give her a chance to say anything else. They each grabbed an arm, forcing her to walk, her feet dragging slightly.

I stood there, watching as they led her away, my heart cracking with every step she took.

And just before she disappeared, she looked over her shoulder, her eyes burning into mine.

As promised @waliya93 Don't forget to like and comment The next chapter has already been uploaded on Patreon You can support your Arthur by subscribing to my Patreon.

Thanks 😘