No strings attached |(UNDER REVISION)

Chapter 40- Trapped love

If I didn't know him-if I didn't know what kind of monster he truly was-I would've believed the act.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, standing up and forcing my face to remain unreadable.

"She was looking for you," I said, my voice even.

Adrian barely spared me a glance as he adjusted Aurora in his arms. "Of course she was. She always looks for her father."

The emphasis wasn't lost on me.

Aurora was his child. Not mine. Not ours.

And yet, she clung to me as if I were her world. As if I had been the one who carried her, the one who sang her to sleep, the one who had been there since the beginning.

But I wasn't.

I was just another prisoner in this life-a pawn Adrian refused to let go of.

Aurora turned back to me, her small hand reaching out. "Mommy, are you coming?"

I hesitated.

I wasn't her mother. I never was.

But she didn't know that.

And maybe... maybe it was better if she never did.

My breath hitched.

Mommy.

The word felt foreign, like a title I had never earned but was forced to wear. Aurora's innocent eyes looked up at me, waiting, expecting-like I belonged in this perfect little family that Adrian had crafted.

Like I was supposed to be her mother.

I forced a smile, nodding as I reached for her tiny hand. "Of course, sweetheart."

Her grin widened, and she leaned into me as Adrian carried her. I could feel his gaze on me, sharp and calculating, but I refused to meet it.

I had learned a long time ago that challenging Adrian meant consequences. And I had already lost too much.

As we walked back inside, my mind drifted-back to the past, back to her.

Mikha.

Would she hate me even more if she knew? Would she laugh at the pathetic excuse of a life I was living?

Or worse... would she pity me?

I clenched my fists, pushing the thoughts away.

I didn't deserve to think about her.

I made my choice.

I chose to protect her, even if it meant destroying myself in the process.

"Sit," Adrian's voice pulled me back. We were in the dining room now, Aurora happily swinging her legs on her chair. A maid hurried to serve us dinner, the scent of food filling the space.

I sat down, my hands resting on my lap, forcing myself to play the role.

The obedient wife. The devoted mother. The woman who willingly left the love of her life behind.

I picked up my fork, but I wasn't hungry.

Not for this food.

Not for this life.

Not for anything but her.

Aurora's small voice broke through the tense silence. "Mommy, what happened to your arm?"

I stiffened, my fingers freezing around the fork. For a second, I couldn't breathe.

Across the table, Adrian's knife scraped against his plate, a deliberate warning.

I forced a small laugh, quickly adjusting the sleeve of my dress to cover the bruises. "It's nothing, sweetheart," I said, reaching over to brush a strand of hair from her face. "Mommy just had a little accident."

Aurora frowned, her tiny brows knitting together. "Does it hurt?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat and shook my head. "No, baby. It's okay."

Her lips pursed as she stared at me, unconvinced.

I could feel Adrian's gaze burning into the side of my face. If I said the wrong thing, if I made her ask too many questions...

I picked up a piece of meat and placed it on her plate, smiling. "Eat up, Aurora. You need to grow big and strong."

She hesitated before nodding, poking at her food with her fork.

Adrian finally spoke, his voice smooth but laced with authority. "Listen to your mother, Aurora."

I gritted my teeth at his words. I wasn't her mother. Aurora wasn't mine.

But none of that mattered.

Because in this house, the truth didn't exist-only the lies Adrian forced me to live.

After dinner, I busied myself in the kitchen, scrubbing the plates harder than necessary, as if I could wash away the suffocating weight pressing on my chest. The running water filled the silence, but it wasn't enough to drown out the sound of footsteps approaching behind me.

I froze.

Adrian.

A second later, I felt his hand slide over my waist, fingers digging into my side, his grip like a steel trap. My body tensed, but I kept my expression neutral.

Then, his breath ghosted over my ear, his voice a low, menacing whisper.

"One wrong move, Aiah, and those bruises will be the least of your worries."

My hands trembled under the stream of water.

"I'll make sure to kill you and Mikha using this knife if I ever catch you looking at her again."

My breath hitched as I felt the cold press of metal against my side-light, teasing, a silent threat.

Adrian chuckled darkly, enjoying my reaction. "I'll destroy her, Aiah. Every single part of her. Hindi mo siya kayang protektahan."

He tightened his grip, his nails biting into my skin. "You think you can keep her safe from me? You can't. And if I ever see you near her again, I won't hesitate."

I clenched my jaw, my nails digging into my palms. I wanted to fight back. I wanted to scream, to shove him away, to finally end this nightmare.

But I couldn't.

Not yet.

Adrian leaned in closer, his lips barely brushing my ear. "You belong to me, Aiah. Huwag mo 'kong subukan."

Then, just as quickly as he had appeared, he stepped away, leaving me standing there-shaken, furious, and barely holding myself together.

I exhaled shakily, gripping the counter to keep my knees from buckling.

I had given up everything to protect Mikha before.

But now...

Now, I wasn't sure if I could stay away.

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