Episode 5

Laura's Point of View

Zoe's vacation was over. She returned to school, leaving me once again in the emptiness of a house that, despite its luxuries, felt like a prison. Three months. Three months of isolation, with only five or six calls to my mother. My mornings without the girl were a blank canvas. Sitting in the kitchen, I leafed through a magazine, looking for some distraction, until a photo made me tremble. Felipe. He was with a woman, and the article announced their upcoming wedding. Fury rose in my chest. Replaced by someone in her twenties? I felt a desire to break everything.

"Fire will come out of your eyes if you keep looking at that magazine like that," said a voice that made me jump out of my seat. It was Damian.

"You scared me, sir!" I exclaimed, bringing a hand to my chest. The air I had held in from the shock escaped in a sigh.

He took the magazine from me with a malicious smile. "What are you looking at so much? So the coward found a new love," he muttered, his gaze fixed on the page. "Did this affect you?" The sarcasm in his voice was a sting.

"No, sir. It's just that I didn't think he was going to get married so quickly." My answer was sincere.

"Felipe is nothing more than an imbecile. Who in their right mind would exchange a bottle of fine wine for a second-rate one?"

I remained silent, confused. I didn't know if he was talking about me or the wine. He approached, took the fork from my hand, and, with a movement so slow that it seemed sensual to me, brought a piece of fruit to his mouth. I was hypnotized by the intensity of his gaze, a dark desire awakened in me.

"I'm not talking about the wine," he whispered, so close that I felt his breath on my ear. Then he turned away and left the kitchen.

I shook my head to clear those thoughts. What was happening to me? How could I be attracted to a man who had stolen my freedom?

I took refuge in the garden, hoping the fresh air would help me sort out my thoughts. I sat by the pool and remembered my college life. I was an idiot to give up my career for a spineless man like Felipe. He only wanted me as a trophy, an accessory. Now I understood.

Noon arrived, and with it, my little girl. Zoe had become my everything, my comfort in this gilded cage. Although she was not my biological daughter, I clung to the idea of feeling her as such.

"Laura!" Her little voice called me, pulling me from my thoughts. I saw her run towards me, with a smile from ear to ear, while Damian followed her, with a rare, soft smile on his face.

"Little one, I missed you," I said sincerely.

"Me too, but I have so many things to tell you."

Zoe, despite her six years, was a mature girl. She told me about some children who had messed with her and how she had put them in their place. I couldn't help but smile: she was her father's worthy daughter.

"Enough chatter. Go change for lunch," Damian ordered. His tone was softer when he spoke to her. Zoe's laughter filled the air of the house, making my heart feel full.

"Excuse me, I'm going to help the girl."

"Tonight you will have dinner with me. You have several dresses in your room, choose the one you like best."

I was stunned. I felt a pang of nervousness. "My job is just to take care of the girl," I said, trying to sound firm.

"Your job is to do what I say. Remember that your beloved Felipe still hasn't paid what he owes me, so your life belongs to me."

Damian walked away, leaving me alone with the harsh reality. It was clear that this man was setting his sights on me.

The afternoon passed, and at six o'clock, Alice, the housekeeper, informed me that Damian was waiting for me. In my room, I found a series of dresses, shoes, jewelry, and perfumes. It was like my own private boutique.

I opted for a black dress. I wanted to appear invisible, not attract attention. I put my hair in a ponytail, put on little makeup, and wore discreet jewelry. Seeing myself in the mirror, I reminded myself of the woman I was before Felipe. My mother had taught me that true elegance doesn't need to be ostentatious. Felipe, on the other hand, preferred me to wear tight clothes to show me off like a trophy.

The sound of the door pulled me from my thoughts. It was one of the maids, announcing that the car had arrived and that the boss didn't like to wait. I went downstairs, and I saw him. He was wearing a tailor-made suit. He looked so handsome that for a moment I forgot that he was my kidnapper. Damian turned around, and the coldness that had been in his eyes vanished when he saw me.

"Sorry for the delay," I said, feeling the tension in the air.

"It was worth every damn second you took," he replied, without taking his eyes off me. His voice was hoarse and low.

We got into the car. Before I could ask, he blindfolded me. "I can't risk you knowing how to get to my house," he whispered, and this time, his voice was not of threat, but of apology.

"I understand," I replied calmly. It was the first time I had left that gilded cage since they had brought me here.

During the ride out, silence reigned in the car, only the roar of the engine and the breathing of the man next to me could be heard. I began to play with my hands, feeling nervous, my heart wanted to jump out of my chest. Suddenly, I felt Damian moving close to me, his breath hitting my face, making me even more nervous. Gently, he began to remove the blindfold from my eyes, seeing him so close made me swallow hard.

"We've left the property and are very far from it," he commented, giving me space.

I smiled, then turned my gaze to the city, I had been so long without seeing it that I missed the hustle and bustle and the lights of it.

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