Chapter 4 Golden Cage

Six months.

It has been six agonizing months of living in Kane's beautiful prison and I barely recognize the person staring back at me in the mirror anymore.

The woman looking at me has perfect hair, flawless makeup and designer clothes that cost more than I used to make in three months of working two jobs.

She also has hollow eyes and a smile that never quite reaches them no matter how hard she tries to pretend.

I have become exactly what Kane wanted, a beautiful accessory to his perfect life.

The rules have multiplied over time, each one justified as being for my own good.

"You look beautiful this morning," Kane says, looking up from his tablet as I enter the kitchen already dressed for another day of performing my role.

He's already dressed for work in another tailored suit like he's posing for a magazine cover.

"Thank you," I reply automatically, pouring myself coffee from the expensive machine he taught me to use months ago.

The coffee is perfect, just like everything else in this house.

"Any word about Mom?" I ask though I already know exactly what the answer will be.

Kane's expression softens into that patronizing look he's perfected over the months. "She's doing very well, darling, making steady progress."

"But the treatment is extremely delicate and Dr. Reeves thinks it's best to minimize disruptions until she's fully recovered and stable."

It's the exact same answer he's been giving me for months now, like a recording playing on repeat.

"I miss her terribly," I say quietly, staring into my coffee cup.

He rises from his seat and moves behind me, his hands settling on my shoulders like weights.

His touch is meant to be comforting, but somehow makes me tense instead.

"I know you do, sweetheart," he murmurs, his breath stirring my hair. "But think about how proud she'll be when she sees you now."

Kane's hands tighten slightly on my shoulders in a way that feels like a warning. "You know I only want what's best for you, don't you, Evelyn?"

"Of course I do," I whisper because it's what he wants to hear.

His lips brush against my neck, making me shiver. "Good girl."

After he leaves for work, I find myself staring out of the window, imagining what it would feel like to just walk outside to go wherever I wanted without asking permission or explaining myself.

That's when I see him, the neighbor from across the street that jogs past our house every morning.

Today he slows as he passes our gate, looking up at the house. Our eyes meet through the window and he smiles, waving a simple friendly gesture.

Without thinking, I wave back.

It's such normal human interaction, but it feels like the most rebellious thing I've done in months.

The feeling lasts exactly three hours before my world comes crashing down around me.

"Interesting morning?" Kane's voice comes from behind me, smooth and deceptively calm.

I spin around, my heart jumping into my throat. He's supposed to be at work; he's never home before seven.

"Kane! I thought you had meetings scheduled all day."

"I did have meetings," he says, stepping closer with predatory grace. "But I received a very interesting call from our security about unusual activity."

"It seems their cameras caught you having what appeared to be a friendly interaction with a strange man this morning."

The blood drains from my face, leaving me dizzy. I forgot about the cameras even though he had them installed everywhere.

"He was just a jogger," I say, trying to keep my voice steady. "He waved, so I waved back automatically. It was nothing."

"Nothing?" His voice remains calm, but something deadly flickers in his eyes. "You engaged with a strange man while I wasn't here to protect you."

"It was just a friendly wave between neighbors—"

"It was contact, unauthorized contact." He steps closer and I instinctively back up until I hit the window.

"What if he's been watching our house, studying our routines? What if he knows who you are, who I am? What if this innocent interaction was his way of testing our security measures?"

I stare at him, recognizing this twisted pattern that has become so familiar over the months.

This is how it always starts, with Kane taking a reasonable concern and twisting it into something sinister.

By the time he's finished, I'll be apologizing for endangering us both with my reckless behavior.

"You're being completely paranoid, Kane," I say, the words slipping out before I can stop them.

He goes very still in a way that makes every survival instinct scream warnings.

In six months of this nightmare marriage, I have never directly contradicted or challenged his authority so openly.

I learned to phrase my disagreements as questions, and ultimately, apologies.

"Paranoid?" His voice is soft now. "You think I'm paranoid for wanting to protect my wife from potential threats?"

"I think you're controlling," I say, the dam finally bursting.

"I can't work, can't have friends, can't even wave at a jogger without it becoming some kind of federal case that threatens our security."

"This isn't protection, Kane; this is imprisonment, pure and simple."

For a moment the mask slips completely and I see something raw and ugly flash across his features.

Something that makes my survival instincts scream run while you still can.

Then his hand moves faster than I can react.

The slap echoes through the room like a gunshot.

Pain explodes across my cheek and I stumble sideways, my hand flying to my face.

"Don't ever call me controlling again," Kane says monotonously.

I stare at him, my cheek throbbing, tasting blood where my teeth cut the inside of my lip.

Kane smooths down his tie like nothing happened. "I work very hard to provide you with a beautiful, secure life, Evelyn."

"The least you can do is show some gratitude for everything I've given you."

He turns to leave but pauses at the doorway, looking back at me with cold, calculating eyes.

"And, Evelyn? If I ever see you waving at strange men again, the consequences will be far more severe than a bruised cheek."

"Do we understand each other perfectly now?"

I nod, not trusting my voice not to betray me.

"Excellent. I'll be in my study; don't disturb me unless the house is on fire."

The door closes behind him with a soft click, leaving me alone with my burning cheek and the crushing weight of my reality.

I slump against the window, legs suddenly unable to support my weight.

My reflection stares back from the glass, expensive clothes, perfect hair and now a red handprint blooming across my face like a brand marking me as his property.

This is my life now. This is what I chose when I agreed to marry Kane Hellbound to save my mother's life.

But as I stand there, something stirs deep in my chest and cuts through the fog of manipulation and fear.

I pull out my phone, the one he installed tracking software on to watch my every move.

For months I've been too defeated to even try looking for a way out of this nightmare.

But sitting there with my cheek on fire, defeat feels like a luxury I can't afford anymore.

I scroll through job listings, my heart pounding with desperate hope.

Most require experience I don't have. But then I see it like a beacon of light in complete darkness:

"Executive Assistant Needed – StoneTech Industries."

StoneTech, I've heard of them before, a successful tech company with an impressive reputation for treating employees well.

The kind of place that might not care about employment gaps if I could prove I was capable and determined.

My hands shake as I fill out the online application, every few minutes glancing toward his study, expecting him to burst through the door.

But he doesn't come, and twenty minutes later I hit submit.

It's a small thing, applying for a job I probably won't get, but it feels like the first choice I've made in months.

Whatever power he believes he has over my life, I'm going to find a way out of this prison.

Even if it kills me, I'm going to be free again.