Chapter 19 Sloane only wanted to live her life in peace, but someone clearly had other plans. When she opened her eyes again, she realized she was in a place she didn't recognize. "Elias?" she called out instinctively. No answer came, no matter how long she waited. A sense of dread crawled up her spine. She rubbed her aching temples and looked around. The room was lavishly decorated, stuffed with every luxury imaginable, as if someone had tried to cram all the best things in the world into one space. Her brow furrowed. One name immediately came to mind. The door opened, confirming her suspicion. "Julian? Where is this? How did I get here?" Her barrage of questions made him falter, guilt flickering across his face. He stayed quiet for a moment before finally stepping closer with a deep breath. "Sloane, I mean you no harm. I know... I know I treated you terribly. I hurt you. But I see how wrong I was now. Just give me one more chance. I will make it up to you. I'll compensate you for everything." He reached out to take her hand, but she pulled back, avoiding his touch. "I want to go home." Once she understood it was Julian who had brought her here, she had no interest in arguing. She turned toward the door. "I need to find Elias." The moment his name left her lips, Julian's fury rose like wildfire. "Elias Wynn, Elias Wynn! Sloane, why is it always him? Why can you only see him and not me?" The words were laced with a bitterness he couldn't hide, the frustration of a man who felt his efforts were being ignored. To Sloane, it was laughable. She shoved him off and glared, her voice sharp. "Why would I look at you? Elias is my boyfriend, the man I'm going to spend my life with. Should I be looking for you instead?" There was no politeness left in her tone. She had no patience left to spare. She had once thought that if she reasoned with him, maybe Julian would let go. They could part ways, each living their own life. She had never expected him to go this far. She couldn't understand what drove him to cling so desperately to her now, when during their marriage he hadn't spared her a single glance. "I won't let you go, Sloane." His eyes hardened with stubborn resolve as he blocked her path. "We made it through twenty years like this. Why won't you give me another chance? I've changed, Sloane. I've worked on myself. I will be good to you-" Chapter 19 12.50% "Julian, this is illegal confinement! It's a crime!" Sloane felt a wave of crushing helplessness wash over her. "I just want to live my own life. Why can't you just let me go?" Women lined up for the chance to marry into the Shaw family; she was never irreplaceable. His obsession wasn't love it was possession. True love couldn't be hidden. If he had ever loved her, she would have known. Just as everyone had always known he couldn't stand her before. "Julian, you say you love me, but do you even know what love is?" Her words were sharp, precise, like a surgeon's scalpel, cutting directly to the heart of the issue. "If you really loved me, you wouldn't be holding me here against my will. What you're doing isn't love. It's ownership. You ask me why I won't look at you? Julian, you have never truly seen me. You never treated me as an equal, as a person. You treated me like a thing, a toy. You haven't even learned the basics of respecting others. So why on earth should they like you?" Her words cut sharp, like knives piercing straight into his chest. "No... that's not true, Sloane. Listen to me, I really do love you. I want you standing at my side, rightfully, where you belong." Chapter 19 12.50% Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!