​I was struggling, fighting for air, while Johann’s hand clamped down around my throat with terrifying force. I felt the cold edge of death creeping in. Suddenly, the pressure vanished. Johann let go, gasping for breath as if the violence inside him had finally short-circuited.

​"Max!"

​He hauled me off the floor, pulling me into a fierce embrace. He buried his face in my neck, pressing desperate, unquenchable kisses against my skin. "I’m sorry I choked you... You know how jealous I get at the mere thought of you being with someone else."

​I felt his tears wetting my skin. He was weeping, his fingers tracing the contours of my face in frantic worry. "What’s wrong, Max? Genuine, I didn't mean it. Please forgive me... I completely forgot about your breathing problems. Please don't hate me, my love."

​I stared at him for a moment as he brushed the stray hairs from my face. His beautiful hazel eyes never stopped locked onto mine, his lips murmuring a relentless string of apologies. My heart ached. I couldn't bring myself to blame him. I hadn't respected his feelings; I had flirted with another guy right in front of him.

​Looking down, I held his hands. "There's no need to apologize, Johann. It was my fault. I didn't respect how jealous you get. Please, forgive me."

​"I forgive you," he whispered softly, his tone shifting into something more possessive. "But don't ever do it again. You belong to me, and me alone. Understand?"

​"Of course... I am yours alone," I replied.

​He pulled me into an intimate embrace, his hand sliding to the back of my neck to deepen the kiss, his fingers playing through my hair. I felt like I was in heaven. The softness of his lips contrasted with the brute strength of his hands made me melt completely.

​When we finally broke apart to catch our breath, I glanced at the clock. "Oh no... it's 11:34 PM!"

​"Your father won't be happy."

​"He hasn't been happy since the day I was born. I have to go." As I stood up, Johann caught my hand. "Do you want me to drive you?"

​I wanted to say yes, but the last time he did, he ended up in a massive shouting match with my father. I couldn't let Johann get into more trouble because of me. "Max? I'm talking to you."

​I snapped out of my thoughts. "It's fine, Johann. I’ll just call a cab. Don't worry about me."

​"Will you be okay?"

​"Yeah, I’ll be fine." How do I tell you that I'm never okay without you, Johann?

​I left his apartment and hurried down to the street, hailing the first available taxi. "The Adler estate on Inselstraße."

​"Right, hop in."

​As I sat in the back, I prayed to God that my father was fast asleep so I could slip in unnoticed. But as the city lights faded and the sprawling luxury estates came into view, a familiar ache knotted in my stomach. People envied the life I lived, but they had no idea of the price I paid inside my father's gilded palace.

​The taxi pulled up. I wished it would keep driving, to take me anywhere else, but I was powerless. I paid the driver, stepped into the dark courtyard, and unlocked the heavy main door.

​The mansion was dark and dead silent. He's asleep, I thought.

​"Max!!"

​A voice cut through the dark. I turned. It was him. Matthias Adler, the renowned tycoon, sat on the sofa. His tie was loosened, his shirt disheveled, and his left hand swirled a glass of whiskey. He glared at me with his sharp blue eyes, his face carved from stone.

​"Max, where have you been?" he asked, his voice deep and rumbling.

​"I was out with friends," I answered, my voice trembling.

​"Liar." He slammed the glass onto the table, lunged forward, and grabbed me by my hair, yanking my head back. "Do you think I don't know what you're doing, you little pimp?"

​"Father, please... let go of my hair..."

​"Do you dare interrupt me?" He released my hair only to deliver a brutal slap across my face. "A real man doesn't do what you do! You need to become a man, not beg another man to fuck you, you useless, brainless idiot!"

​Seeing the tears streaming down my face, he spat at my feet. "Scum! Go to your room. You are grounded for a week. Do you understand?!"

​I nodded frantically and ran up to my room, sobbing.

​After crying for what felt like hours, I wanted to call Johann, but it was already 1:25 AM; he would be asleep. The suffocating weight of anger and anxiety pressed down on my chest. Unable to quiet my thoughts, I opened my phone’s browser and pulled up adult videos—the same routine I resorted to every single night my father decided to break me.

​To be continued...