Lucien’s hand shot out and grabbed Valeria by the throat, slamming her back into the cold, stone wall of her chamber. The wind whooshed out of her lungs as the impact rattled her bones.
"Tristan again, huh?!" he snarled, his face just inches from hers, breath heavy with fury.
Valeria's lips parted, but no sound came out. His grip was too tight, fingers pressing into her skin like iron clamps. Her eyes widened in fear as her nails clawed weakly at his wrist.
"Let her go!" Esther’s voice rang through the room as she burst in, eyes wide at the sight before her.
Lucien didn’t even turn. He shoved her back with one arm like she weighed nothing. Esther crashed to the floor with a painful thud, a sharp cry escaping her lips as she landed hard on her tailbone.
Only then did Lucien release Valeria. She dropped to her knees, coughing violently, hand gripping her neck as she tried to suck in air.
"Why the hell were you calling him?" Lucien barked, towering over her. "What were you going to say? That you miss him? That you want him to come rescue you from your marriage with me?"
Valeria didn't respond. She slowly lifted her head, strands of hair clinging to her damp, sweat-slick face. Her eyes burned, not just from the lack of oxygen, but from the sting of humiliation.
Lucien's arm twitched. His hand curled into a fist.
"Answer me!"
When she still didn’t speak, his hand shot into the air, ready to strike.
"Go ahead," Valeria said hoarsely. Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it cut through the silence like a blade. "Hit me. In my father’s house. Then watch him turn his back on you."
Lucien froze.
Her voice grew stronger. "Even if my father and I aren’t exactly on speaking terms right now, even he wouldn’t tolerate someone raising a hand to his daughter."
Lucien’s hand remained frozen midair, the muscles in his jaw ticking.
Valeria slowly rose to her feet, leaning against the wall for balance.
"You want to act like a man? Then behave like one. Stop proving to everyone what kind of monster you are."
He stepped back, a humorless laugh escaping his lips.
"Monster? You rejected me, Valeria. Do you know how that felt? You humiliated me. You thought that mongrel Tristan was a better choice? You don’t get to make decisions and escape the consequences."
Valeria’s eyes flared. "So this is revenge, then? You're trying to punish me for making a choice?"
Lucien’s voice dropped, low and threatening. "I always get what I want. And I wanted you. But not like a gift... no. I want you to suffer. I want you to regret every second you ever thought you could do better than me."
He moved closer again, looming over her. "You’re going to marry me. And when you do, you’ll obey. You’ll smile when I say so. Speak when I allow it. If you ever think of rebelling, I’ll make sure you regret it. Every. Single. Day."
Valeria refused to flinch.
"I’d rather burn in hell than smile at you."
Lucien's eyes gleamed with malicious pleasure. He reached into his pocket, pulled out her phone, and before she could stop him, he slammed it against the floor again and began to stomped it under his boot once, twice, three times.
"Stop it!" Esther shouted from where she had gotten up.
But Lucien wasn’t listening. He ground the phone into the tiles until it was nothing but shattered glass and twisted metal. When he was satisfied that the device was truly beyond repair, he looked at Valeria.
"Now let’s see you try to call your little wolf prince."
He turned, his coat flaring behind him, and stormed out of the room.
Silence fell.
Valeria stared at the ruined phone. Her breath came in shallow gasps. She sank to the floor next to it, picking up a cracked piece of the screen, blood dotting her fingers where the shards bit into her skin.