Trapped in His Hell

Through heavy sobs, Audrey stared up at the towering man in front of her. She choked on her tears as she forced the words past her raw throat.

"Dominic, why can you not simply believe that I have never done anything to intentionally harm Chloe? Does my life mean nothing to you while hers is treated as sacred?"

Her tears flowed like a relentless waterfall. This was the first time she had allowed herself to shed a single tear since the heavy metal gates of the penitentiary closed behind her two years ago. She unleashed a scream of raw agony, questioning the brutal unfairness of her cursed existence. The sound bounced off the cold steel walls of the small space.

Dominic stood frozen as he witnessed her intense emotional turbulence. The sheer volume of her tears caused a stinging irritation to twist deep within his chest. It was an unsettling emotion. Two years ago, when he ruthlessly sent her away, he had felt nothing but cold satisfaction. Now, he frowned deeply at her red-rimmed, weeping eyes.

"Audrey, do not constantly think about ending it all. Someone as vile as you will end up straight in hell even if you do die. You will never see heaven."

Audrey fired back with a desperate venom that surprised even herself.

"If hell is a place where neither you nor Chloe exists, then it sounds like heaven to me. Earth is already a living hell because of you!"

The elevator doors chimed cheerfully. The sliding metal panels opened wide, creating a jarring contrast to the suffocating tension building between them.

A dark smile stretched across Dominic's handsome face.

"Good. Very good."

He ruthlessly grabbed Audrey by the arm. Ignoring her pained gasps and frantic struggles, he dragged her out of the elevator and down the carpeted hallway. Bronson happened to be standing right outside. The subordinate's face paled upon seeing the menacing look in his boss's eyes.

"Back off and clear the area!" Dominic barked at the startled man.

Bronson flinched, daring not to take another step, and retreated down the corridor.

Dominic shoved Audrey through an open door, hurling her forcefully onto the floor of an empty private room. Her injured leg throbbed with fresh agony, and her stomach churned with nausea. Before she could even attempt to crawl away, he was already stalking over to her. He dropped to his knees and grabbed her roughly by the throat. It was a terrifying echo of his brutal violence from two years prior. He closed the physical distance between them, pressing in until their heated breaths intertwined.

"I am your hell, huh?" he murmured icily.

Audrey's face flushed a dangerous crimson from the severe lack of oxygen. The crushing pressure of his heavy palm made her vision swim. Yet, she did not raise a single finger to fight him off. She lay there limply, secretly hoping that he would simply exert a bit more force, snap her fragile neck, and end her miserable life right then and there.

Instead, Dominic felt the rapid fluttering of her pulse beating against his palm. His dark eyes shifted. He lowered his head and bit down hard on her soft lip. The thick, metallic taste of fresh blood bloomed between their mouths. He was unexpectedly intoxicated by this dark intimacy. It was a twisted physical connection he would have rejected in sheer disgust two years ago. He deepened the punishing kiss, tasting her pain.

He pulled back just enough to murmur a husky threat against her bleeding mouth.

"Since I am your hell, you must mark my words. You will never, ever be allowed to escape."

Audrey felt stripped of all her strength. Lying disheveled, bruised, and bleeding in her filthy cleaner's uniform, she shuddered uncontrollably.

"Dominic, please do not do this to me," she pleaded weakly through gnashed teeth.

Hearing the raw defeat in her broken voice, Dominic snapped back to his senses. Realizing the twisted line he had just crossed, he abruptly released his suffocating grip on her neck. As he stood up and stepped back, his dark gaze caught sight of her pale, bare shoulder exposed by the torn fabric of her uniform. Jarring old scars marked her porcelain skin. They were undeniable souvenirs of her time in the penitentiary.

A distinct hint of frost entered his eyes as he stared at the physical proof of her prison trauma. Without uttering a single word, he shrugged off his expensive suit jacket and chucked it down at her shivering frame.

"Scram out of my sight."

Audrey slowly sat up on the cold floor. She bit her injured lip and clutched the heavy fabric, pulling it tight against her chest to hide her exposed skin.

A sharp knock echoed through the tense silence of the private room.

"Dominic? Are you inside?"

It was Chloe's soft voice. It was a sound so deeply ingrained in Audrey's psychological trauma that she would recognize it even if she were burned to dust.

Blind panic instantly seized her entire body, overriding her physical pain. She looked up wildly at Dominic. He remained unfazed by the sudden interruption and was already moving toward the exit to answer it. Audrey scrambled forward on her hands and knees. She grabbed onto the dark fabric of his tailored suit pants.

"I do not want to see Chloe," she begged in a terrified whisper.

Dominic frowned down at her. Noting her deathly pale face and trembling hands, he assumed she was simply terrified of facing further punishment. He opened his mouth to tell her to let go.

However, before he could speak, the brass door handle clicked loud and clear, and the door began to open inward.