Stewart let her go.


    "Bryn, don''t y games with me."


    He nced at the foodid out on the table. "Behave yourself, and I''ll consider whatever you ask for."


    Briony''s hands tightened into fists.


    So, Stewart wasn''t as easy to fool as she''d hoped.


    But right now, she couldn''t afford to provoke him any further.


    Slowly, step by step, she forced herself to the small table. The sound of the iron chain dragging across the floor echoed through the room, each scrape a fresh humiliation.


    She had absolutely no appetite.


    "Eat. These are all your favorites," Stewart said, sinking into the chair across from her. He watched her, a hint of a smile in those dark eyes. "Go on, eat while it''s


    warm. Cold food isn''t good for your stomach."


    Briony stared at the dishes in front of her.


    They really were foods she used to love.


    But now, just looking at them made her stomach churn.


    Stewart''s gaze stayed fixed on her. He was smiling, but there was something cold and menacing behind those eyes.


    Briony lowered her head, picked up a fork, and forced a bite into her mouth.


    It tasted like ashes.


    Stewart picked up the other fork and speared a piece of meat, holding it out to her. "Eat more. You''ve lost weight."


    Under that chilling stare, Briony opened her mouth and let him feed her.


    Her mouth was full, her stomach rebelling with every bite.


    She chewed mechanically, numb and detached.


    Stewart watched her in silence.


    Finally, Briony couldn''t take it anymore. She dropped her fork, pped a hand over her mouth, and bolted for the bathroom-


    The chain rattled wildly behind her, a perfect symbol of how utterly trapped and desperate she was.


    She fell to her knees in front of the toilet and vomited everything up.


    From the hallway, Stewart heard the harsh retching, his hand clenching so tightly


    on his knee that his knuckles cracked.


    Briony emptied her stomach until there was nothing left.


    She clung to the sink, turned on the faucet, and rinsed her mouth. But even after, her breathing was ragged, and she worried she might faint. She sshed cold water on her face, trying to force herself alert.


    The icy water soaked her pallid skin, clearing the fog in her head just enough.


    But when she turned to leave, the chain caught around her ankle, and she stumbled.


    Both knees hit the cold tile floor, pain jolting her senses awake.


    Briony braced herself on trembling arms, gasping for breath.


    elive


    After more than a day and night without food—and now having lost what little she''d managed to swallow-she waspletely out of strength.


    That''s when Stewart came in.


    He crouched beside her, long fingers gently tucking a strand of hair behind her


    ear. "Does being with me make you this sick?"


    Briony pped his hand away.


    "Get away from me..."


    She wanted to yell at him, but her voice was barely more than a whisper, soft and weak.


    But to Stewart, that weakness just made her look even more alluring.


    He gave a faint, crooked smile.


    Ignoring her protests, he scooped her effortlessly into his arms.


    Briony''s eyes widened in panic, and she immediately started to struggle. "Stewart, put me down-"


    He carried her out of the bathroom, heading straight for therge bed.


    ?


    Terrified, Briony struck him across the face several times, desperate to get free. Even without much


    els


    strength, the repeated blowsdeft red marks across his cheek.


    Stewart set her on the bed. Briony grabbed a pillow and hurled it at him, but he


    caught it easily.


    Panic red in her chest. She scrambled, trying to crawl away.


    She wanted to escape.


    Stewart''s eyes darkened. He reached out and yanked on the iron chain.


    Pain shot through Briony''s ankle as the chain tightened.


    She looked back and saw Stewart standing at the edge of the bed, his gaze as


    cold and stormy as ever.