Damien gave me a little more room after I talked to Sofia. Not freedom, exactly, but I could walk around the penthouse now instead of staying locked in the bedroom all day. A guard always stayed nearby, quiet and out of sight, but I knew he was watching. I felt his eyes on me every time I moved from the kitchen to the living room or stared out the windows.
It felt like being on a really long leash.
That first afternoon, I stood in the kitchen and opened the fridge just to do something. Damien came in behind me.
“You hungry?” he asked softly.
I closed the fridge door without taking anything. “I already ate.”
He leaned against the counter, watching me. “You don’t have to keep doing this, Elena. The silence. The cold shoulder. I know you’re mad, but we’re living in the same place. Talk t
