The Devil Who Claimed Me

The knife trembled in Mila’s hand. "Don’t come any closer," she warned again.

Dominic didn’t stop. He took another step closer to her as if he knew she wouldn’t use it on him.

Behind her, the guards shifted restlessly. They were ready to jump on her and snatch the knife at any minute. But one sharp look from Dominic froze them in place.

Mila’s chest rose and fell rapidly as Dominic got closer. There was no hesitation in his eyes, not a trace of fear. It horrified her more than anything.

"I already hurt someone," she snapped. "If you come any closer, I’ll hurt you, too."

"You are not going to use it." The certainty in his voice ignited something fierce inside her.

Maybe Mila couldn’t hurt him. Even if she tried, he would defuse her attack. But she could hurt herself and force him to step back.

"You think I won’t?" she shot back. "You underestimated me."

She put the knife to her throat.

Dominic froze mid-step, his pupils shrinking in alarm. For the first time, he looked shaken.

She sneered. "I can’t hurt you. But I can hurt myself."

His expression hardened. "Put the knife down, Mila. It’s very sharp."

"I know how sharp it is. And I also know where to cut exactly."

Dominic’s jaw clenched.

"Dominic." Valentina rushed over, breathless. "I heard that..." She paused dramatically as her eyes went to Mila, pretending to be shocked. "Oh, my goodness. That’s my knife," she exclaimed. "You stole it?"

Then her attention moved to the guard, who was bleeding. "Did you injure him?" she asked, her voice rising.

The guard spoke. "I caught her trying to escape. When I grabbed her, she suddenly attacked me. I didn’t know she had a weapon."

"She must have taken it when I was on the phone. I didn’t realize it was missing." Valentina frowned, regret crossing her face. "It’s my fault. I should have been more careful."

Her gaze flicked to the injured man again. "I never thought she would go this far, hurting someone. And now this?"

She looked back at Mila. "She is trying to harm herself. This is madness. Stop it right now. You can’t force us in this way."

"Shut up," Mila spat. "Tell him to back off. All of you – stay away. If I can’t get out of this place, I’ll kill myself."

"Mila." Dominic gritted his teeth. "My patience has limits. Don’t push me."

"Then let me go. You get your peace, and I get my freedom."

Something snapped in his eyes. Enraged, he stepped closer. "You think you will survive out there. You won’t last a day."

Mila pressed the knife even harder against her throat, the sharp blade cutting her skin slightly. A thin trail of blood slid down her neck.

Dominic didn’t dare take another step. His fists tightened so hard that veins popped up on the back of his hands.

He had faced bullets without flinching. But this...this was different. He, who had never been afraid of anything, couldn’t cross the short distance between them.

The thought that she would hurt herself tightened his chest in worry. He had never felt this helpless before.

"You lied to me, forced yourself into my life. Then you kidnapped me and locked me here. Now you act like my protector. I don’t want your protection. I’d rather die than live like this."

Valentina glanced at Dominic and saw the crack in his expression. She could tell he was losing his composure. She smiled sneakily.

Mila would slowly make Dominic hate her. Then he would no longer protect her.

Valentina made a stern face. "This has gone too far. We are all trying to save her, and she repays us like this. Injuring someone? And now she is threatening suicide. Enough of this drama. I can’t take it anymore."

She lunged over at her without hesitation.

Her sudden action terrified Mila. She moved instinctively, aiming the knife at Valentina. She didn’t even know if she meant to hurt her. All she wanted to do was stop her.

Desperate, she swung the knife toward Valentina.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" Valentina paused, caught off guard.

But Dominic didn’t stay back this time. He stepped forward, his hand shooting up. In a flash, he caught her arm in the mid-air, his grip bruising.

The impact jarred through her arm.

"Let me go," she shouted, trying to twist free.

But his strength was overwhelming. He effortlessly twisted her wrist. The knife fell to the ground with a clatter.

Before she could push him away, he drew her in closer. Her body collided with his chest. A gasp tore open her lips.

She thrashed against him, hitting his chest. "Let me go. Let me go."

"Enough," he thundered, holding her tighter. One arm locked around her waist, while the other pinned her arms.

"You think this is how you get your freedom?" he snapped.

Her strength was giving out under his tight hold. The fight drained from her body. Her knees weakened. Her breathing turned uneven. But her determination was still high.

"I don’t want to be here. I don’t want this life. I don’t want you..."

The last trace of restraint disappeared. He lifted her off her feet and threw her over his shoulder.

"Uh..." Mila gasped, startled. No one had ever done this to her. But he tossed her on his shoulder as if she were a weightless rag doll.

She felt humiliated.

"Put me down," she shouted. "Dominic, you asshole." She pounded her fists on his back. "Leave me alone."

He ignored her protests and strode straight into the house.

Valentina smirked slyly. She believed Dominic would punish her hard. ’Keep it up, Mila. You will soon make Dominic your worst enemy.’

Mila panicked. "Are you going to lock me up again?"

"What do you think?" he hissed. "I warned you. But you didn’t listen to it. I gave you the freedom to walk around, to spend your time in the garden. But you broke my trust."

Trust?

She almost laughed. "It’s you who broke my trust first. You lied to me. You are keeping me here against my will, and you think I’ll behave. No..."

Her voice rose even higher.

"Every day, I’ll make things difficult for you."

He didn’t respond, but his grip tightened. He stormed into the room and tossed her on the bed. Her body bounced twice on the fluffy mattress, breath knocked out of her.

She scooted away and propped herself up with her elbows, eyes wide in dread.

"You stole a weapon, tried to escape, and attacked my man. You think there won’t be consequences?"

Mila swallowed hard. She moved back to the corner of the bed, terrified that he would hurt her.

He stepped toward the bed, his eyes blazing.

"Are you going to kill me too?" she asked, trembling. Tears already started to gather in her eyes.

"If I wanted you dead, you wouldn’t be breathing until now."

A chill ran down her spine.

"From now on, you don’t leave this room," he said, his tone commanding.

"No..." She shook her head. "You can’t..."

"You lost that privilege," he cut in sharply. "You are not allowed to leave this room until you learn to reflect on what you have done."

He looked at her one last time before storming out. The door slammed shut behind him.

The sound echoed like a gunshot. Mila flinched, her heart jumping to her mouth. Then she started sobbing.

"Why can’t you just let me go? Why are you treating me like this?"