Tella's cheeks flushed as she turned her back to Dominic. "Give me back my phone!"

He scoffed. "Tel called, and I told him you're fine. We'll talk about your phone later. For now, you'd better behave yourself, or I'll make you regret crossing me." As soon as he'd spoken, the door slammed shut.

Bella was so enraged she wanted to kick the door down, but she gritted her teeth. She didn't believe him, but she had no way to verify it. It made her heart ache.

She drifted off to sleep in the wee hours of the morning, so it was no surprise she slept in until the afternoon. As soon as she sat up, the door swung open, and a middle-aged woman entered.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Jones," she said. "It's time for your meal. I'm the new housekeeper, Sylvia. I'll be looking after you from now on."

Bella massaged her temples restlessly. "I don't need anyone to look after me. I'm used to taking care of others. Where's Dominic?"

"Mr. Miller is at work," Sylvia replied. "He asked you to wait until he returns if you need anything. Also you're not allowed to use the phone to call anyone. Of course, you can do anything else besides contacting the outside world."

A chilling realization dawned on Bella. Was she being held captive by Dominic?

She was so used to being busy all the time that she found it uncomfortable to suddenly have nothing to do and have someone attend to her every need. Even when she just wanted to go into the garden and read, Sylvia was always around, asking if she was thirsty or if she needed anything to eat. Back when Richard was around, she was allegedly self-sufficient; this was pure torture for her. Frustrated, she retreated to her room and drew to pass the time.

Later, in the wee hours of the morning, as soon as she had gone downstairs, Dominic opened the door and waited for her at the top of the stairs.

Dominic didn't come home until way past midnight. He was startled when he noticed her, but he quickly regained his composure. "What are you doing up so late?"

Bella took a deep breath. "What do you want from me? Give me my phone back! I need to go to work, so stop locking me up! You don't have the right to do this!"

"I don't have the right? Your current circumstances clearly prove otherwise, don't you think? You can't change things, can you?" he sneered.

She was struck by a sense of helplessness; she knew she could change nothing. "So what do you want?"

His expression hardened abruptly. "Are you stringing Tel along?"

Bella was caught off guard. "That doesn't concern you, does it? If you're keen on making my life hell, why don't you just kill me? Then, I'll owe you nothing!"

Dominic stalked up the stairs, closing in on her. "Death is an escape. It'd be too easy for you."

Instinctively, she backed away until her back was pressed against the wall, with nowhere to go. He placed his hand against the wall beside her head, and leaned in, saying coldly, "You're not going to escape me. People like you don't deserve a normal life, including marriage and children. You belong in the shadows, like your mother, never to be seen!" This was more like him—cruel and ruthless; every word that rolled off his tongue was a knife, gouging her heart.

Bella felt as if she was back where she had once been, deceived into thinking that things were different. From the very beginning, his sole purpose had been to get her. It dawned on her that nothing changed. He simply allowed her to wander around, to watch her fall and make a fool of herself. Now, his patience had worn thin.

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