Page 211 of Only Be Mine

He searched my face for longer this time.

Looking for cracks.

Looking for betrayal.

Finding none - or at least none he could prove.

Finally, he nodded. “Good,” he said quietly.

He stepped around me and unlocked the deadbolt.

The sound was deliberate.

“I don’t want you feeling trapped,” he added, almost gently.

The chain remained in place.

But he’d unlocked one thing.

That was enough to show he was still in control of the narrative.

“I’m not trapped,” I said softly.

He looked at me again. “Good,” he repeated.

Then he walked toward the kitchen.

“I think we both need to breathe,” he said over his shoulder. “We’ve had a long day.”

The calm was back.

Polished.

Controlled.

But it was thinner now.

I stood alone in the living room, heart pounding so hard I thought he might hear it from across the house.

He knew I was afraid.

And I knew he’d noticed.

The game had changed.

And I had just learned how quickly a tiny human reflex, a single flinch, could shift the balance between safety and survival.

Chapter 73

Cate

Present

The house was too quiet.

Not peaceful.

Not neutral.