—- Chapter 15 Daniel kept Elizabeth locked away. In the massive villa, cold metal chains bound her wrists and ankles. Every slight movement made them rattle with a crisp, sharp sound. It wasn’t until then that she realized Daniel was even more terrifying than he looked. He hadn’t crossed continents and risked everything to find her in a warzone because of love. He’d done it to feed his twisted obsession with control.
“Daniel, what am I to you, really?” It was after her 38th failed escape attempt that Elizabeth finally asked. His touch was gentle as he caressed her cheek, but his gaze held a fervent, unsettling adoration. A possessive hunger blazed in his eyes, threatening to devour her. “You’re the person I love most in this world,” he said. The sound that came from Elizabeth was a laugh, but it was edged with hysteria.
Soon, the laughter was indistinguishable from weeping, her face becoming slick with tears. During her captivity , Daniel made sure the kitchen —- prepared elaborate meals every day. He had millions’ worth of luxury goods delivered, piling them around her like trophies. Even the housekeepers tried to persuade her to give in. “Just be Mrs. Woolridge and enjoy a life where everything is handed to you,” they said. But the more Daniel gave her, the emptier she felt.
The soft clink of the chains with every shift in her position was a perpetual, stark reminder that she was nothing more than a mere property. Little by little, her depression crept back in, and her body withered at a terrifying pace. She became a ghost of herself-frail, hollow, barely breathing. When Daniel returned from a business trip and saw her, he froze in shock. He rushed to her side, barking orders for the chains to be removed. But she no longer had the strength to run.
She just slumped against him, weak and silent , her breathing barely there. “What the hell have you all been doing?” Daniel’s voice roared through the hall as the veins on his forehead bulged in rage. He turned on the housekeeper, furious. ”Get the doctor now!” The doctor, Eric Howell, arrived quickly and —- conducted a full examination of Elizabeth. Afterward , he pulled Daniel aside, his voice low and serious. “Ms. Fisher’s condition is psychological .
If you keep her locked up like this, it’ll only get worse.” “Worse? How?” Daniel’s eyes narrowed, and the look he gave Eric could freeze blood. Eric had heard the stories about Daniel’s temper. After a moment of hesitation, he swallowed his words. But just before he left, he heard Elizabeth’s weak voice calling out to him. “Please… take me with you.” Eric paused, but in the end, he forced himself to walk away. As his footsteps faded, Elizabeth closed her eyes in utter despair.
In the days that followed, Daniel brought ina psychiatrist who specialized in hypnosis , trying to erase Elizabeth’s memories. Just when she thought escape was no longer possible, the unexpected happened. A fire broke out in the villa, raging fast and out of control. The housekeeper panicked, scrambling to unlock her restraints and get everyone out. In the middle of the chaos, a familiar figure burst through the smoke and rushed toward her. —- “Ellie! Come with me!” It was Pamela.
She threw Elizabeth onto her back, stumbling through the burning hallway until they reached the front door. Then they made a run for it, straight toa car waiting by the roadside. As Elizabeth was helped into the back seat, her eyes landed on the driver, and she froze. It was someone she never thought she’d see again. Someone who, in this entire world, was the last family she had left
