Maya stood in the garden, the warm afternoon sunlight dancing across the manicured lawns of Zayed’s private estate. The air was thick with the scent of jasmine and roses, but no matter how tranquil the surroundings, the storm inside her was always present. It had been months since the news of her pregnancy, and her body had begun to change in ways that both thrilled and terrified her. But the physical transformation was the least of her concerns. What truly occupied her mind was the mental and emotional shift she was undergoing. The pull between her desire for independence and the suffocating possessiveness of her husband was growing stronger by the day.

Zayed had become more controlling in recent weeks, his obsession with her increasing with every passing day. He hadn’t let her out of his sight for long, always ensuring she was accompanied by someone he trusted, someone who would monitor her every move. She was no longer just his wife; she was his possession. A trophy. A prize to be kept hidden away and protected from the world.

She exhaled, her breath shaky as her hand instinctively rested on her growing belly. The child. Their child. A constant reminder of what was at stake. What she had become.

Zayed had been right, she thought bitterly. There was no turning back now.

He was a man who believed in control in all things, and now, the pregnancy had only amplified his need to dominate every aspect of her life. Her meals were carefully planned, her activities restricted, and the people she interacted with were chosen by him alone. Zayed’s love was not the soft, tender kind of love she had once dreamed of. No, it was possessive, obsessive—dark in its intensity. And yet, she couldn’t bring herself to hate it.

The door behind her creaked open, and she felt his presence before she even heard his footsteps. Zayed. Always watching. Always near.

“Maya,” he said, his voice smooth, yet carrying an edge that sent a thrill through her. “You should be inside, resting.”

She didn’t turn to face him, her gaze remaining fixed on the horizon. The tension in the air was palpable, thick with the unspoken rules of their marriage. He had claimed her, and in doing so, he had claimed every part of her, body and soul.

“I’m fine,” Maya replied softly, her voice distant. “I just wanted some fresh air.”

Zayed approached her, his dark gaze studying her with the intensity of a predator assessing its prey. His presence alone made her pulse quicken. She felt his hand on her shoulder before she could react, his touch sending a jolt through her body.

“I don’t like it when you isolate yourself,” he murmured, his fingers digging into her skin slightly as he turned her to face him. His eyes locked onto hers, and she couldn’t look away, as if he were pulling her in with the sheer force of his will.

“I wasn’t isolating myself,” Maya responded, trying to maintain some semblance of control. “I just needed a moment to breathe.”

Zayed’s lips curled into a smirk, but there was no humor in it. “You think you can escape from me? From what we have?” He let his words linger, heavy with the weight of his expectations.

Maya swallowed hard. “I’m not trying to escape.”

Zayed’s fingers cupped her chin, his touch gentle but firm. “Good. Because you belong to me, Maya. Don’t forget that.” His voice dropped, becoming almost a whisper. “I won’t let you forget. You’re mine. Completely. And now, with our child, you are even more mine. I’ll make sure of it.”

The words hit her like a wave, and despite herself, she couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran down her spine. There was something so undeniably powerful about Zayed, something so consuming, that Maya found herself unable to resist. She hated it. She wanted to hate it. But the truth was, she was addicted to him. His dominance. His control. The way he made her feel—safe, yes, but also owned in a way she could neither deny nor escape.

“Zayed,” she said, her voice trembling as she tried to regain some sense of independence. “I can’t live like this forever. I need to have some control over my life.”

Zayed’s eyes darkened, and the smirk on his lips faded. His hand moved from her chin to the side of her neck, his fingers tightening just enough to send a warning through her veins.

“You think you have control?” he said, his voice a low growl. “You think I’m going to let you control anything?” He leaned in close, his lips brushing against her ear as he whispered, “You’re mine, Maya. And you will always be mine. I’ll never let anyone touch you, look at you, or even think about you the way I do.”

Her heart raced as she felt the raw intensity in his words. The possessiveness. The control. He was everything now. And for better or worse, she couldn’t deny that she was just as addicted to him as he was to her.

“I’m not some object to be locked away,” she said, her voice shaking, but she couldn’t bring herself to fight him. The truth was, she didn’t know how to resist him anymore.

Zayed smiled, but it was a dark, predatory smile. “You may not be an object, but you are mine. And you will learn that. You will learn to obey me, to trust me completely. Everything you do, everything you are, will be because I say so. You will never have to worry about anything again, Maya, because I will handle everything. You and our child are my responsibility. And I’ll take care of you both.”

She looked up at him, feeling a flicker of fear mixed with something else—a deep, visceral craving that she couldn’t suppress. She didn’t know if she wanted to fight him or submit to him. All she knew was that she felt powerless in the face of his strength, his control.

“I… I don’t know if I can do this,” Maya whispered, her voice breaking.

Zayed’s expression softened, and for a moment, she saw a glimmer of tenderness in his eyes. But it was fleeting, replaced again by the cold, unyielding determination she had come to know all too well. He cupped her face with both hands, his touch tender, but the weight of his words was as heavy as ever.

“You will, Maya. I will make sure of it,” he said, his voice firm but laced with a hint of affection. “You are not alone in this. Not anymore. We’ll face everything together. And you will learn to trust me.”

The possessiveness in his gaze, the firmness of his grip, told her everything she needed to know. Maya was already tangled in Zayed’s web, and there was no escaping it now. No escaping him.