CHAPTER 24
Title: The Price of Silence
POV: Florida Smith
---
The door closed behind her with a quiet click.
She slipped off her heels, coat still draped over one arm, breath steady.
The lights in the hallway were dim. The staff had retired. No footsteps, no voices.
She thought she made it.
Safe.
But the moment her fingers brushed the doorknob to her room, a voice cut through the dark:
> "Where the hell are you coming from?"
Florida froze.
She turned slowly.
Bryant stood at the top of the stairs, shirt half-buttoned, his jaw clenched so tightly it looked carved from stone. His hair was damp. His eyes — furious.
He descended the last step like a loaded gun.
> "I asked you a question."
She said nothing.
He reached her in three long strides and grabbed her arm. His grip was like steel.
> "Did you forget the terms of this marriage?"
She didn't flinch.
> "You think you can disappear for a whole day? Without a driver, without a word?"
Still no answer.
Bryant's fingers dug deeper into her skin.
> "Who were you with?" he hissed. "Liza saw the photos. She told me. You — holding hands with some man in a suit. Laughing. Smiling."
She blinked, once.
A man? There was no man.
Just a camera angle. Just a city. Just freedom.
> "Answer me, Florida!"
Her silence struck a nerve.
He shoved her hard against the door, the coat dropping from her arm.
> "You fucking bitch," he spat. "You think you're clever? You think I wouldn't find out?"
Her shoulder slammed into the wood. Her head thudded after.
The air left her lungs.
Still… no sound.
No scream.
> "You think I'll be made a fool?" Bryant seethed. His hand rose — not to strike, but to grab. Around her neck. Tight.
"You think I'll be mocked by a woman who sleeps her way through my city?"
Her hands reached up — not to fight, but just to breathe.
His grip loosened just barely as he stared at her.
She met his eyes.
She didn't cry.
She didn't explain.
She didn't give him anything.
> "One thing I warned you," he whispered dangerously, "was to never lie to me. Never disappear without telling me where you're going."
She pulled her face slightly away from his breath.
Still mute.
Still watching him.
Bryant's gaze flickered — for a second, just a second — with something that wasn't rage.
> Was it regret?
> Was it confusion?
He stepped back, letting go.
Florida stumbled but caught herself on the doorframe.
A red mark bloomed slowly across her neck.
> "This isn't over," he muttered, stepping away like she disgusted him. "You want to play secrets? Fine. But remember who controls this house."
And then he left.
The echo of his steps trailed into the darkness.
---
Florida didn't cry.
She stood in the silence of the hall, alone, shoulders shaking — not with fear, but with fury.
She picked up her coat from the floor.
Closed her door.
And locked it.
---
End of Chapter 24
---