Chapter 14

• Roxanne's POV
• The heavy door had clicked shut with agonizing slowness. The moment his footsteps faded entirely down the long, carpeted corridor of the east wing, I opened my eyes. I hadn't been asleep. Not even close. When Joaquin had cracked my bedroom door open earlier, my entire body had gone rigid beneath the silk sheets. I had meticulously forced my breathing to remain deep, even, and rhythmic, playing the part of the oblivious captive while every nerve ending in my body screamed in terror.
• I sat up in the pitch-black room, throwing the heavy duvet aside. My heart was pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs. I slipped out of bed, my bare feet making no sound against the cold marble floor, and hurried to the massive floor-to-ceiling windows. Hiding behind the thick, velvet drapes, I peered down into the moonlit driveway.