Maya walked down the dimly lit hallway, her heels clicking against the floor. The school was quiet, most students having already left, but she felt the presence before she saw him.
A hand shot out, grabbing her wrist, yanking her back. She barely had time to react before Vic shoved her against the cold metal lockers, his face inches from hers. His dark eyes burned with something feral—rage, jealousy, something even more dangerous.
"You think I'm fucking stupid?" His voice was low, a slow simmer of fury.
Maya didn't flinch. She refused to. Instead, she gave him a bored look, tilting her head. "I think you're a lot of things, Vic, but stupid? That depends."
His grip on her wrist tightened. "I told you to stay away from him."
She let out a dry laugh. "Oh, you mean Eddie?" She made sure to say his name sweetly, watching Vic's jaw clench. "He's such a sweetheart, don't you think? So smart. So kind. Unlike some guys."
Vic's breath hitched, but instead of lashing out immediately, he just smiled. A slow, calculated curl of his lips that sent a shiver down her spine.
"You think you're funny?"
"I think you're pathetic," she shot back.
The second the words left her mouth, she felt it. Vic's patience snapped. In a blink, his hand shot up, wrapping around her throat, pinning her against the lockers.
Maya gasped, fingers flying to his wrist. His grip wasn't suffocating—yet—but it was firm, a warning, a leash he was yanking tighter.
"I don't like sharing," he murmured, his voice almost affectionate. His thumb brushed against her jaw, a sharp contrast to the way he held her in place. "And I don't like when you try to make me jealous."
Maya's pulse pounded. Fear slithered in, but she wouldn't let it show. She met his gaze head-on, lips curving into a defiant smirk.
"You sound desperate," she whispered.
Vic's eyes darkened, fingers tightening just enough to make her breath hitch. "You like testing me, don't you?"
"I like watching you lose."
His grip tightened, not enough to cut off her air completely, but enough to make her feel his power. He leaned in, his breath hot against her ear.
"You can run to him all you want. Play your little games. But don't ever forget, Maya," his voice was a lethal whisper, dripping with control, "I own you."
Her nails dug into his wrist, not enough to hurt him, but enough to tell him she wasn't backing down.
"You don't own shit."
Vic let out a low chuckle, but there was no amusement in it. His hand slid from her throat down to her waist, gripping her firmly.
"Then why are you shaking?"
Maya didn't realize it until he said it. Her body betrayed her, heart pounding too fast, breath coming quicker than she wanted.
Vic leaned in closer, his lips ghosting over her ear. "You can lie all you want, but I see through you, Maya. You're afraid of me."
Her stomach twisted, anger and something else swirling in a storm she couldn't control.
And then—
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Sally's voice sliced through the tension.
Vic barely had time to react before she shoved him back, forcing distance between him and Maya.
Maya coughed, bringing a hand to her throat, inhaling sharply.
Sally stood in front of her like a shield, her eyes blazing with fury. "Are you out of your damn mind?!"
Vic's gaze flickered between them before he scoffed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Stay out of this, Sally."
"Stay out of this?" Sally's voice shook with rage. "You were choking her, you psycho!"
Maya straightened, finding her voice. "I had it under control."
Sally spun on her. "Are you serious right now?!"
Vic let out a low chuckle. "See? She doesn't mind."
Sally's hands clenched into fists. "Oh, you are seriously unhinged." She turned back to Maya, gripping her wrist. "We're leaving."
Vic's expression hardened. "She's not going anywhere."
Sally yanked Maya forward. "Oh, she absolutely is."
Maya let Sally drag her down the hallway, not looking back.
But she felt Vic's eyes burning into her back the entire way.
The house was quiet except for the faint clinking of teacups against saucers.
Jackie leaned back in her chair, stirring her tea lazily. "Did you see her today?"
Magali, her mother, didn't look up from her cup, but a knowing smirk played on her lips. "Miserable?"
Jackie grinned. "Completely."
Magali finally met her daughter's gaze. "Good. I told you, darling, patience always wins the game."
Jackie took a slow sip. "It was easier than I thought. He practically pushed her out himself."
Magali sighed dramatically. "Men are so easy to manipulate when you know what buttons to press. Your father was the same."
Jackie smirked. "And now the house is all ours. No more Maya."
Magali set down her cup. "She should've known her place. She had the audacity to think she belonged."
Jackie ran a manicured hand through her hair. "And now she's nothing."
Magali reached over, gently brushing her fingers through Jackie's curls. "And you, my love, are everything."
Jackie beamed.
Magali clinked her cup against Jackie's in a silent toast.
To victory.
Maya barely remembered how she got back to her grandmother's house. One moment, Sally was dragging her away from Vic, her voice filled with rage and concern, and the next, Maya was slamming the door to her room, locking herself inside.
Her chest was rising and falling too fast. Her hands were shaking. She pressed her fingers against her throat, wincing at the soreness.
Slowly, like she was afraid of what she'd see, she stepped toward the mirror.
The dim light of her room cast eerie shadows over her reflection, but it wasn't the darkness that made her stomach turn. It was the ugly, deep bruise forming along her neck—Vic's mark on her, proof of his control, his strength, his rage.
Her breath hitched.
She touched the bruised skin, and a sharp sting shot through her. She bit her lip, forcing back the tears burning in her eyes.
He really did that.
She knew Vic was possessive, cruel when he wanted to be. But this? This was different. He had snapped. He had wrapped his hands around her throat and squeezed.
A violent shiver ran down her spine.
The worst part? She had seen it in his eyes. That dark glint, that quiet, terrifying hunger for control.
He had liked it.
A strangled sound escaped her throat, something between a sob and a bitter laugh.
What was wrong with her? Why wasn't she running to tell someone? Why was she standing here, staring at herself like a broken doll, like a girl who had finally been shattered by the very person she swore she'd never let win?
Tears blurred her vision.
She wanted to scream. She wanted to rip the memory of his touch off her skin.
Instead, she stood frozen, silent and trembling, staring at the girl in the mirror who looked nothing like her anymore.