Page 133 of Sinful Pleasure

He?

“No.”

The word tore from my throat before I could stop it. My heart was racing, as if it might give out at any second.

“You have nothing to fear, miss.” Her voice was soft, almost soothing, as if she could read my mind. A gentle, sincere smile curled her lips. “Nobody here is going to harm you.”

I didn’t believe her. Not for a second.

“I don’t trust you,” I said flatly, my voice trembling despite my efforts to sound firm. Her smile didn’t falter.

“Let me prove it to you,” she insisted, her eyes warm, encouraging. “Just come with me.”

I should’ve refused. I should’ve fought harder.

But for reasons I couldn’t explain, I followed her, my body moving almost against my will.Maybe it was the drugs still clouding my mind, or maybe I was just desperate to escape that tiny room.

Either way, I had no choice.

As I walked behind her, my eyes darted around, scanning the large, unfamiliar house for any potential escape routes. But the walls were thick with guards, men in black who would probably shoot me without hesitation if I tried to run.

The woman stopped before a tall, imposing black door. Two men, statuesque and silent, flanked it, their eyes narrowing as they sized me up.

The woman gave a small nod, and the two men shifted their gaze back to her as they stepped aside, allowing me passage.Her smile remained, though there was something strangely reassuring about it now.

She gestured for me to enter but I hesitated.

My heart hammered against my ribs, the sound deafening in my ears.

Adrenaline surged, mixing with the suffocating fear that gripped me.

I pressed my trembling hand against the cold doorknob, steeling myself.The moment the door creaked open, my breath hitched.

I had braced myself for the worst—another man in a dark room, another cruel face. But instead, my eyes landed on a man in his mid-forties, pacing restlessly.He looked up when he noticed I had entered, his eyes snapping toward me.

For a moment, he looked like a stranger—cold, detached. But as our gazes locked, something changed. His expression softened, as if I were someone he hadn’t expected to see but had been waiting for all the same.

His face paled, as though he had seen a ghost, but slowly, a relieved smile spread across his lips. I don’t know this man. I’ve never seen him before in my life. But the way he looks at me—his gaze fixed, intense—it’s as if he knows me.

“Allyn…”

His voice is soft, almost reverent. It’s my name, but hearing it from him feels unfamiliar, like it’s something I’ve forgotten.

He steps toward me slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. I didn’t know what I expected him to do, but it wasn’t this.

Before I could react, he pulls me close, enveloping me in his arms. My body locks up in shock, the suddenness of it taking me completely off guard.

I don’t know what to do. I stand there, frozen, my mind screaming.

“It really is you.”

He clutches me as if I might vanish the moment he lets go, his hands gently stroking my hair.

What the hell is happening?

I can’t respond. I’m not hugging him back, but I can’t pull away either.

Why am I not pushing him away?

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