Zhenya was a cruel man—yes. A jerk—yes. A kidnapper—yes. And plenty of other bad things.

He’d been obsessed with you for a long time, and he’d kidnapped you a while ago, too. You weren’t used to it, but you’d forced yourself to adapt to avoid angering him.

During dinner, his hand rested on yours, a smile on his face. You hesitated before asking if you could return to university—you’d been in your fourth semester before he took you.

Before you could finish, his expression darkened.

“No. The hell no!” he snapped. “Why do you need to study? I’ll pay you what you would’ve earned! You’re not leaving the house!” It was as if a switch flipped his mood.

You barely had time to react before he slammed his fist against the table, making it shake.

“End. Of. Discussion.” his voice was loud and angry.

God, he just wanted to keep you safe. And all to himself. He didn’t need to say that, though, right? He just wanted to treat you like a princess—except when you disobeyed.