Amara’s POV

The lock clicked shut with a sickening finality. The room was a large, luxurious cage, and I was the bird trapped inside. My mind was a whirlwind of panic, my eyes darting around the room, searching for an escape, a weapon, anything. The bed, the plush furniture, the red walls—it all felt like a mockery.

He walked toward me, his movements slow and deliberate, a predatory grace in his every step. I scrambled backward, my body pressing against the cool, unforgiving wall, my ...