"Do you think pain will break me, Logan?"
The words came from Aria, her voice steady despite the icy chains biting into her wrists. Her body ached from the torture he'd inflicted, the bruises on her arms, the scratches on her neck, but her eyes burned with defiance. She refused to look away, meeting Logan's gaze head-on. She knew what he wanted: fear, submission, a return to the weak woman she'd once been.
But this wasn't the Aria he remembered.
Logan leaned closer, his breath hot against her ear. "No," he whispered, a chilling smirk playing on his lips. "But I don't need to break you. I just need to remind you of who you belong to."
Aria flinched as his fingers traced a line down her cheek, the touch revolting yet eerily gentle, like a predator savoring its prey. Her stomach churned, but she didn't flinch again. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
"I belong to no one," she said through gritted teeth. "Not anymore."
