---- Chapter 2 No.2 The drive was silent. Chase navigated the sleek black car out of the city, the skyline shrinking in the rearview mirror. Clare sat in the passenger seat, her damaged hands clenched in her lap. The hope she'd felt an hour ago was shriveling, replaced by a cold, creeping dread. He hadn't said a word since his flat command. Not "congratulations." Not "are you okay?" Nothing. The city gave way to suburbs, then to dark, winding country roads. The trees closed in around them, their branches like skeletal fingers against the bruised twilight sky. "Where are we going?" Clare finally asked, her voice barely a whisper. "Somewhere quiet," Chase said. "So we can talk." He turned onto a narrow, unpaved road that climbed steeply up a mountain. The car bounced over rocks and ruts. There were no lights here. No houses. Just the oppressive darkness of the forest. He finally pulled over at a small, gravelly lookout. He killed the engine. The sudden silence was deafening, broken only by the ---- chirping of crickets. He turned to her. In the faint glow of the dashboard lights, his face looked like a stranger's. All the warmth she had ever seen in him was gone. "A baby doesn't fit the plan, Clare," he said. His voice was calm, reasonable. Like he was explaining a business decision. "The plan?" she repeated, numb. "My plan. The wedding is in six months. The project launches in eight. A baby complicates things." He made it sound so simple. So logical. "| thought... | thought you wanted this," she stammered. "You talked about children." "Eventually," he said. "When the time is right. When | decide the time is right. This is messy. Uncontrolled." He glanced at her lap. "Just like your hands." The cold dread in her stomach turned to ice. "What about my hands?" A small, cruel smile touched his lips. "A little setback. Karis told me what happened. An allergic reaction. Unfortunate." He knew. The way he said Karis's name, the look in his eyes. He knew. It wasn't an accident. "You did this," she breathed, the realization hitting her with the ---- force of a physical blow. "You and her." "Don't be dramatic," he scoffed. "| needed you to understand something. Your career... it was giving you ideas outside of us. | need your focus here. On me. On the life I'm building for you." The air left her lungs. The man she loved, the man she thought was her savior, was a monster. The entire world he had built for her was a cage. "Get out of the car," he said. She stared at him, uncomprehending. "What?" "Get out," he repeated, his voice hardening. "I'm leaving you here for a few hours. | want you to think. Think about what I've given you. Think about how easily | can take it all away. When you're ready to be my perfect Clare again, you'll call me and I'll come back for you." He reached across her, opened the passenger door, and gave her a gentle, insistent push. She stumbled out onto the gravel. He didn't look at her again. He closed the door, started the engine, and drove away. The red taillights disappeared around a bend, leaving her alone in the crushing darkness and the suffocating silence. The only sound was the frantic, terrified beating of her own heart.