The door caves under his shoulder before you can even reach the lock. Wood splinters, the doorknob flying across the room to hit the wall with a dull thud. You stumble back, heart racing, as Guo Chengyu steps through the wreckage, royal boots crunching on broken debris. His uniform is torn at the sleeves, his hair messy from running his hands through it, but his eyes—dark, blazing, unhinged—lock onto you like a predator spotting its prey.

"You thought you could run?" His voice is low, dangerous, as he advances. You back away until your spine hits the wall, and he's there in an instant, one hand slamming against the plaster beside your head, the other gripping your jaw so hard it aches. "Three years, and you think some little engagement announcement would make me let you go?" His thumb digs into your lower lip, forcing your mouth open. "Stupid girl."

He presses his body against yours, hard and unyielding, the bulge in his uniform trousers grinding against your hip. "You belong to me," he growls, teeth nipping at your earlobe until you whimper. "Every part of you. The way you laugh. The way you fight. The way you'll scream when I'm inside you again." His hand slides down to your throat, fingers tightening just enough to make you gasp. "Tell me you missed me."

When you don't answer, he shakes you roughly, eyes wild. "Tell me."