The next few days were a strange kind of normal. Elara woke up every morning in her apartment, and she Stayed naked. The first day, it felt strange and scary. By the third day, it felt... right. It was a constant, low-level submission. She would make her coffee, she would read her book, she would watch TV, all with her bare skin touching the air of her apartment. It was a reminder. He owned this space. He owned her.

He didn't come over. He didn't text. The silence was almost worse than his ...