As the sun went down, I went back to the villa. The moment I stepped inside, I felt it. Tension. Fear. Chaos. Felix stood in the middle of the living room, surrounded by his men. The servants were tied up on the floor, shaking, their faces pale. His voice was cold, sharp, dangerous. “Where the fuck is she?” he demanded. “You think I won’t break every single one of you until someone talks?!”
The moment they saw me, it was like they’d been saved. “Miss Danica…!” someone gasped.
Felix turned. And everything about him changed. The cold in his eyes melted instantly, relief hitting his face so hard it almost looked painful.
“Danica!” He crossed the room in seconds and pulled me into his arms, holding me tight like I might disappear. “Where the hell did you go?” his voice dropped, “I’ve been calling you. I thought something happened. You scared the shit out of me.”
I went stiff for a second, then forced myself to relax. “I was shopping,” I said quietly. “Lost track of time.”
He pulled back, looking at me, then sighed like he couldn’t even be mad. “Next time, take me with you,” he said, brushing my hair back gently. “Your husband can carry your bags, pay for everything, and show up the second you call. That’s what I’m here for, yeah?”
Husband. The word stabbed right through me. No… you’re not. You stopped being that four years ago.
“Today’s our seventh anniversary,” he continued, smiling slightly. “Come on. I’ve got something for you.”
He took my hand and led me outside, straight to the helipad, and before I could say anything he picked me up like I weighed nothing and carried me into the helicopter. The blades roared to life, wind whipping around us as we lifted into the sky. I didn’t speak. I just watched him. This man. This stranger.
After we climbed high enough, he tilted my chin toward the window. “Look.”
I looked down. The city lights shifted, moving, aligning until they formed words stretching across the dark.
LOVE, DANICA.
My breath caught. It was beautiful. It was insane. It was him.
Felix leaned close, his lips brushing my ear, his voice low and soft. “I love you, Danica,” he murmured. “Always have. Always will.”
My chest tightened. If someone else saw this, they’d think I was the luckiest woman alive. So why did I feel like I was drowning?
The helicopter slowly descended, landing outside a massive estate far from the city. And I knew… this night wasn’t over yet.
…
The helicopter landed in front of a massive mansion, the kind that looked like it belonged to royalty or monsters, maybe both. Felix had bought it for five billion, people whispered about it like it was some legend. The gates were carved in insane detail, and right in the center were the words that made my chest tighten.
Danica’s Palace.
I couldn’t breathe for a second.
Everything about it… it was me.
The whole place was built in that aesthetic style I once mentioned I liked, just casually, like it didn’t matter. The garden was filled with orchids, rows and rows of them, rare ones, the kind that cost more than most people made in years. And further in… I saw it.
An amusement park.
My amusement park.
Carousels, Ferris wheels, roller coasters, all glowing softly in the night like something out of a dream. Even a small petting zoo, full of dogs running around, playing, sleeping, safe.
Because I once stopped to feed a stray.
Because I once said they looked lonely.
That was all it took for him.
My eyes burned.
He remembered everything.
Every little thing.
For seven years… he really did love me like that. He gave me everything I ever wanted, even the things I didn’t dare to ask for.
So why… why did it feel like I was dying?
Because now I knew.
That love wasn’t just mine.
He had split it.
Given half to me… and half to the woman who destroyed me.
Felix stepped closer and wiped the tears from my face with his thumb, so gentle it almost hurt more.
“Hey,” he murmured, voice low. “A husband’s supposed to take care of his wife. If you keep crying like this, it’s gonna mess me up. Don’t do that to me.”
I almost laughed.
Husband?
Which one?
Under the stars, he suddenly dropped to one knee. My breath caught as he opened a velvet box, a ring inside catching the light.
“Danica,” he said, looking up at me like I was everything. “Marrying you was the best thing that ever happened to me. I love you so damn much I can’t even stand being away from you for a second.”
My fingers trembled.
“So I fixed it. This ring… it’s got a chip inside. And mine has the receiver. Means I’ll always know where you are, what you’re doing. I won’t ever lose you again.”
Something inside me went cold.
Love?
Or control?
His eyes were intense, almost frightening, like if I tried to run he’d burn the world just to drag me back.
He reached for my hand.
And right before the ring slid onto my finger…
His phone rang.
A specific tone.
I saw it in his eyes. Just for a second.
Shannon.
He checked it quickly, face unreadable, then slipped the ring onto my finger anyway like nothing happened. Like I didn’t matter enough to pause for.
“Danica’s an important client,” he said casually, already turning away. “I’ll be right back. Don’t wait too long.”
Client?
I almost choked on that. Before I could even respond, he was gone. Already moving, already boarding the helicopter, like whatever was on that phone mattered more than this moment.
More than me.
The sound of the blades faded into the distance.
And then it was quiet.
I lowered my head slowly and picked up one of the puppies near my feet, holding it close as I crouched down. It bark softly against my palm, warm, alive.
But my chest felt empty. The stray dogs found a home. So why didn’t I?
Something slipped from my finger. It was the ring. My heart sank as I picked it up. He didn’t even notice.
He gave me the wrong one.
The one meant for him. The one that receives. Which meant… The one he took was the one with the chip.
Tracking.
Monitoring.
For a long second, I just stared at it. Then… I pressed the switch.
A voice came through almost immediately.
“I’m sorry, honey… I didn’t want to get like this,” Shannon’s voice trembled, “But I’ve been locked here for four years, I feel like I’m losing my mind.”
My fingers tightened.
“You don’t have to worry about me,” she continued, trying to sound strong. “It’s your seventh anniversary with Miss McKellar today. Go be with her. I’ll be fine. I mean… we made it through four years already, right?”
Silence for a second.
Then his voice.
“Don’t talk bullshit,” Felix said, sharp but controlled. “You think I’d leave you like this? You’re sick. I’m your man. I take care of you, no matter what day it is.”
My heart cracked.
