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A/N:

This chapter is extremely long (12K+), so sorry in advance.

Also, I strongly recommend not reading it in public!!

TRIGGER WARNING: EXTREME EDGING & LESBIANS IN HEAT.

Esmeralda is driving with one hand and holding mine with the other.

She always does that. Like my hand belongs to her. Like I'm hers.

But I'm not really.

At least, not officially.

The thought hits me again, heavier this time, like a wave I didn't see coming. I'm in love with her. I'm in love with her. Not just attracted, not just infatuated.

It's something thicker than that. Denser. My chest actually hurts a little.

I stare out the tinted window at the winding road leading back to the compound, and my reflection in the glass looks like someone I barely recognize.

Someone softer. Dumber. Because who falls in love with their captor?

Except she doesn't feel like that anymore. Not really. Esmeralda didn't just unlock the doors, she tore them down. Let me have space. Freedom. Professors. Books. Her.

Her thumb grazes over my knuckles, slow and possessive, and I glance at her. She's focused on the road, her profile sharp against the fading sky. The setting sun catches in her lashes.

She's so calm. So perfect. She always looks like she's planning something, even when she's doing nothing at all.

"You're quiet," she says, still watching the road.

I try to swallow my panic. "Just tired."

Her fingers squeeze mine slightly. "Is it because I insisted on the makeup and the skincare? Was that too much?"

Oh, after our coffee, Esmeralda insisted we stop by Sephora. Not because she needed anything, but because she wanted to pick out some makeup and skincare for me.

I didn't even get a chance to protest, with Esmeralda, there's really no such thing as saying no.

She was already walking ahead like it was decided, and honestly, it was.

I blink. "No! No, it's not that. I mean... I liked it. I like everything. Today was...amazing."

She glances at me, her eyes unreadable for a second. "You sure?"

I nod too quickly. "Yeah. Really."

A small smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. "Good. Because I'm not returning anything."