ELENA

The room was drowning in silence as Dominic stood in the doorway like a shadow of death, his presence so consuming it sucked the air straight out of my lungs. His frame was rigid, his expression cold, but the fury beneath the surface was impossible to miss. It pulsed from him, thick and heavy, like an unspoken promise of violence.

His gaze swept over the room, over me, and over the ropes that still clung to my wrists like ugly reminders.

I felt a mix of relief and fear because Dominic ...