He clicked his tongue. “You know that’s not possible. I can’t leave at this moment, not when I know you need me most in your life.” His voice was firm, but there was something unsettling in his tone, a hint of control disguised as concern. “Come back to the Carlos mansion, and I promise it will ease the stress.”

I stared at him, my heart pounding. His words sounded like a lifeline, but I knew better. The Carlos mansion wasn’t a sanctuary; it was a cage. What’s the point of going back to the only place in the world where I’m not clearly wanted? “I don’t need to go back...