Cruel Love

Prologue

“No, please... don’t do this, I beg you,” Aria cried, her voice trembling with desperation as heavy footsteps echoed ominously toward her. She frantically tried to shrink away, her small, fragile frame pressing against the wall in a futile attempt to escape his predatory gaze. But it was useless. Zane had his sights locked on her, his devilish intentions clear.

In two swift strides, he was upon her, his towering figure crashing against hers with a force that knocked the breath from her lungs. Every inch of his solid, unyielding body pressed into hers, caging her within the iron grip of his arms. She felt trapped, unable to move, as his deep green eyes bore into her, a storm of rage swirling behind them. Her baby blue eyes, wide with fear, searched his for a shred of mercy, but there was none.

“I told you, you’re mine,” he growled, his voice a dangerous rumble that made her heart stutter in terror. “Then why the f**k were you talking to him? Why was he standing so close to you?” His breath was hot against her skin, his fury palpable. “Now, let me show you, sweetie, who you belong to.”

Zane’s voice was laced with possessiveness, and Aria’s body trembled under the weight of his anger. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stammered, “Zane, p-please trust me. He just came to return my bag, I swear! I didn’t... I didn’t get close to him!” Her voice was barely a whisper, laced with the desperate hope that her words might reach him.

But Zane wasn’t listening. His jealousy, fueled by possessiveness, had already consumed him. He didn’t care about her explanations, didn’t care about her pleas. All he wanted was to show her, to remind her that no other man could ever have her. She was his and his alone.

Without warning, his lips crashed down onto hers, brutal and unrelenting. He kissed her with a fierce hunger, claiming her in the only way he knew how. His mouth moved over hers, rough and demanding, his hands gripping her waist as though he feared she might slip away. Aria’s heart raced, her mind reeling from the sudden onslaught, but there was no escape from the force of his kiss.

His anger fueled every second of it, a storm of passion and possessiveness, as he sought to make her understand, this was where she belonged. Right here, in his arms, under his control. His way of showing love was twisted, harsh, but at this moment, he was consumed by the need to prove that she was his.

Aria’s tears fell silently as Zane continued to kiss her with a fierce intensity, his grip tightening as though to reinforce the claim he had over her. She was his captive, both physically and emotionally, and at this moment, there was no escape from the devil she had found herself entangled with.