Alex walked me downstairs, then insisted on coming up to sit for a while.
"Vivienne, I miss you so much."
The moment he stepped inside, his arms wrapped around me from behind.
His lips found my neck. My stomach turned.
His kisses trailed lower—he loved it when I was compliant.
I shoved him off hard. "You're disgusting."
He froze, then smiled like I was being cute. Throwing a tantrum.
He stroked my hair, gazing down at me. "Relax. Whatever I give you will be better than what Mia gets."
He pulled a red gift box from his bag.
A necklace. The limited-edition one I'd stumbled across online months ago.
I'd mentioned offhand that I loved it. He'd smiled and tapped my nose. "If my Vivienne wants it, I'll get it for her."
He set the box on the coffee table and reached for my clothes.
The kiss marks on my waist flashed through my mind. I twisted out of his grip.
Impatience flickered across his face. "What do you want from me?"
When I didn't answer, he tossed my shirt on the floor and headed for the bathroom.
"Never know what's good for you," he muttered.
I stared at the necklace and laughed bitterly.
In the photo Alex Gilbert had sent me—the one of Mia and Alex together—she'd been wearing this exact piece.
One of a kind. The only one in the world.
So Mia had worn it first. This was her castoff.
This was what he meant by "better."
He used to promise everything he gave me would be unique. That he'd never let me feel even a hint of neglect.
The bathroom door banged open. Alex stormed out clutching the razor, face twisted.
"Why is there a man's stuff in your bathroom?"
My pulse spiked, but I kept my voice steady. "I bought it for you."
He didn't buy it. He was paranoid like that.
"Bullshit. It's been used."
His voice dropped, dangerous. "I'm warning you. You belong to me. Only me."
He hurled the razor at the floor. It shattered, gouging a hole in the hardwood.
"You can't even afford rent without me, and you think you can find someone else? Who'd want you? Who'd take care of you like I do?"
He snatched my phone and scrolled through every app with practiced ease.
My chat histories were clean. He let it go—for now.
A vein throbbed at his temple. His fingers dug into my chin hard enough to bruise.
"Without me, you're nothing. So you'd better keep me happy."
"Otherwise, I have plenty of ways to teach you what happens when you disobey."
The door slammed behind him.
In the middle of the night, my phone buzzed.
A photo from Alex.
Clothes scattered across the floor. Two bodies tangled on a bed.
"You should learn from Mia how to keep a man. Stop being so ungrateful. Remember your place and stay where you belong."
I thought I'd gone numb. That he'd ground me down until nothing was left.
But my heart still ached in waves.
We'd met while I was studying abroad in Eldoria.
Dead of winter. He'd been scammed out of everything—no money, nowhere to go. I found him on the street in a thin coat, shaking from the cold.
I felt sorry for him. In a moment of weakness, I brought him back to my tiny rental.
He didn't remember anything then. Not his name. Not how to reach his family.
