Chapter 3: Raelyn

Raelyn's POV

I didn’t sleep at all even after Rafael stormed off into one of the rooms slamming the door behind like it could silence the storm brewing in my mind. I couldn’t close my eyes.

The night air inside his penthouse was cold, too clean, too quiet. Nothing like the scent of lilies and lavender from my little flower shop.

And all I could think about was that man in the alley,the one Rafael killed...the one I can never unsee.

Morning came swiftly, I couldn't even remember when I fell asleep. I sat stiffly on the edge of the couch, still wearing the same clothes from yesterday. My back ached, and my soul felt like it had been snatched from my body.

When Rafael stepped out, fully dressed in a black suit with his usual unreadable expression, I stood up.

"I need to go," I said quickly. "I need to open the shop. I have orders from Ms. Delilah , She needs her lilies. And Mr. Ashcroft’s anniversary bouquet..."

"No." His voice was firm and cold.

"But I have to. It’s my job, Rafael."

"You’re not going anywhere."

My hands curled into fists. "You can’t keep me here like some… some pet!"

He raised an eyebrow, walking past me to grab a black mug of coffee from the counter.

"You saw something you weren’t meant to. Until I figure out who else knows you were there, I can’t let you out of my sight."

"I’m not your responsibility!"

He turned slowly,his eyes met mine, flickering with fire.

"You're not. You're my liability."

The words stung more than I wanted to admit. I blinked hard. I would not cry in front of him.

But the pressure in my chest rose like a wave I couldn’t hold back.

"I didn’t ask for any of this," I said, voice cracking. "I was just walking home. I was just trying to live. And now I’m locked in a stranger’s apartment like I’m some… prisoner of war!"

His jaw tightened,he looked away, then looked back, but this time, there was something softer in his gaze. Like a brief flicker of guilt.

"Fine," he said at last, his voice was low but firm. "Get dressed you’ve got fifteen minutes."

Get dressed with what? I didn't even have a new pair of clothes I could change into.

The drive to my flower shop was silent. Rafael’s hand gripped the wheel like it was the only thing keeping him from snapping. I stared out the tinted window, lost in thoughts because I didn’t want to confront. Was I really trapped? Was this my new reality?

When we parked in front of the shop, I let out a small breath of relief.

But before I could open the door, his voice cut through the silence:

"Raelyn."

I turned to look at him.

His gaze pinned me to the seat, his eyes were more darker than I remembered.

"You walk out of this shop, you speak to anyone suspicious, you disappear for one second, I will come find you. And this time, I won’t ask if you want to come back. You don't want that to happen"

My stomach dropped.

"You understand?"

I nodded stiffly, my throat burning with unshed tears. I didn’t trust myself to speak.

He leaned closer, his voice was low, almost dangerous. "You're not safe. And I won’t be gentle if it means keeping you alive."

The air between us felt thick, heavy with unspoken threats.

Then, without a word, he opened the door for me like a gentleman but I knew better.

The devil doesn’t need horns...sometimes, he wears a suit and holds a rose.

I stepped out of the car and took a breath, trying to calm my nerves. The flower shop was a sanctuary to me,a place where I could lose myself in what I love. But now it felt different.

Empty.

Like the walls were closing in around me.

As I walked toward the door, Rafael followed closely, his presence was too close, too suffocating.

I paused at the door, turning to him. "Why are you doing this? Why not just… let me go? You don’t need to keep me here."

His eyes flashed with something unreadable. He didn’t answer right away,instead, he took a step forward, closing the distance between us.

"You still don’t understand, do you?" he murmured, his voice dangerously quiet. "I don’t want to keep you here but I don’t have a choice."

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my composure. "A choice? You have a choice, Rafael."

He shook his head, his jaw tense. "I don’t. If I let you go, if you’re seen by the wrong person, then it’s over. For both of us."

I couldn’t speak,the fear in his voice made me question everything.

"You don’t get to decide what happens next," he said coldly. "I do. And I will protect you. Whether you like it or not."

I wanted to argue, but I knew better. His eyes told me everything I needed to know. The kind of man Rafael was.

He wasn’t protecting me out of kindness. He was protecting me because he had to. For his own reasons.

"Now," he said, pushing the door open for me. "Get to work. Just remember what I said."

I stepped inside, the familiar smell of flowers was barely able to calm my nerves. Rafael stayed near the door, his eyes were constantly scanning the shop.

I tried to focus, to lose myself in my routine of arranging flowers and preparing the orders. But every time I glanced up, his gaze was on me watching, waiting for me to do something.

It wasn’t the safety I needed,it felt like a cage. and I was trapped inside it.

Time passed in uneasy silence between us, with Rafael’s presence hanging around me like a shadow over my every move. It felt suffocating, but I knew better than to protest.

"Ms. Delilah’s lilies?" I asked, breaking the silence as I handed him the wrapped bouquet.

He nodded, accepting it without a word. "Make sure it gets delivered," he ordered.

I watched as he turned to leave, but then he stopped at the door, glancing back over his shoulder. "If you even think about running…"

His words hung in the air, sharp as a blade.

"You know what happens next."