ABSOLUTE INSANITY: A forbidden bond-Chapter 206: Containment level

Chapter 206

KATYA POV

"You killed me!"

I woke with a sharp gasp, my body jerking upright like I’d been dragged from deep water.

My heart raced, pounding so hard it hurt, my chest tight as if something heavy was still pressing down on it.

The room was dark but familiar—the soft glow of early morning slipping through the curtains, the faint scent of antiseptic lingering in the air.

"You killed me."

The words echoed in my head as I sucked in another breath. My fingers trembled as the memory clung to me.

My nightshirt was damp with sweat, sticking to my bandaged skin. "It was just a dream," I whispered, though my voice sounded weak even to my own ears.

But my body didn’t believe me.

Every ache reminded me that it hadn’t all been imagined. My ribs protested when I shifted. My hands felt sore too, like I’d been clenching them all night.

I slowly turned my head, scanning the room.

No shadows lurking. No silent figures. Just quiet luxury and too much space.

Safe.

That was the word I forced myself to think.

Still, my eyes drifted to the door.

Closed. Locked. Just like he’d told me to.

A doctor had come in yesterday, checked my injuries, warned me not to stress or move too much. I was relieved no one else had been there to see me like that—especially Nonna.

She would have cut my head off. My mind tried to drift back to yesterday.

The blood. The noise. The way everything had changed in seconds. I shook my head sharply, as if I could physically knock the thoughts loose.

I didn’t want them. Didn’t want the images lining up behind my eyes. Especially not her.

Adelasia’s face flashed in my mind, a hold between her eyes. The way her eyes had looked at the end, empty of everything they’d once held.

I sucked in a breath and squeezed my eyes shut.

No. I refused to let her follow me into the daylight. Refused to let a dead woman haunt my thoughts the way she’d haunted my nightmares before.

My gaze shifted instead, landing on the clock mounted on the wall across the room.

5:02 a.m.

Not even full morning.

The world outside hadn’t woken yet. No footsteps in the hall. No voices. Just silence, thick and heavy, like the house itself was holding its breath.

I let my head fall back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling. it wasn’t up to two hours when I slept and a dead woman tried to spook me.

It’s too early to sleep again but too early to be awake. Yesterday felt too close. Tomorrow went too far away.

I didn’t want to be in this house anymore, I needed my freedom but where would I go. The last time I tried escaping I was the course of someone’s death.

And a certain someone might still be down stairs in the basement while my life move from the high and the lows.

Shit, I sat up back, glancing at the clock again.

5:30 a.m.

Half an hour had passed without me realizing it. Time slipped strangely in this house—stretching, folding in on itself, refusing to move when I needed it to.

Everyone should still be asleep. The guards would be rotating shifts, slower at this hour. If there was ever a moment to move without being seen, this was it.

Right? I could sneak out. Just check. Just make sure.

Aria.

My pulse quickened at the sound of her name in my head. I hadn’t seen her since that time.

I’d heard things—voices, fragments, fear filling in the gaps my eyes hadn’t witnessed.

What if she isn’t even there? another part of me whispered.

What if Romeo had already killed her?

The thought hit hard, stealing the air from my lungs. I curled my fingers into the sheets, gripping the fabric like it could anchor me.

What if I’d misunderstood everything? What if I’d panicked for nothing? I mean, I hadn’t actually seen anyone drag her to the basement.

Maybe she’d been moved somewhere else. Maybe she’d been let go. Maybe—

I shook my head, sharp and sudden.

No.

This was how fear worked. It stalled you. Drowned you in maybes until you did nothing at all.

I hadn’t imagined Aria’s voice. I hadn’t imagined the danger. I hadn’t even thought of her for so long.

I was such a bad person. I shouldn’t be her wallowing in a slick bed while Aria is somewhere and I didn’t even try finding her. I owed her more than hesitation.

I owed her the closure of her brother. I swung my legs over the side of the bed, ignoring the protest from my ribs, my bandages pulling slightly as I moved.

Pain flared, but I welcomed it asit kept me present. Stop overthinking, I told myself firmly.

Whatever waited for me downstairs, I couldn’t stay here pretending ignorance was safety.

If Aria was down there, scared and alone, then I was already too late. And if she wasn’t...?

At least I’d know. I straightened, heart pounding, resolve settling heavy but solid in my chest.

I owed Aria at least this much.Even if it scared the hell out of me. I moved quietly, every sound suddenly too loud in my own head.

The lock clicked softly as I twisted the handle. I froze, listening—heart in my throat, breath shallow. Nothing. No footsteps. No voices.

I cracked the door open and peered into the hallway.

Empty.

The corridor stretched out in both directions, lights dimmed to their night setting. Romeo out of sight.

I slipped out, pulling the door shut behind me with care. My bare feet barely made a sound against the polished floor as I hurried down the hall.

Don’t think. Just move. The elevator stood at the end, waiting.

I pressed the button and flinched at the soft ding when the doors slid open. I stepped inside quickly, turning back once—half-expecting someone to be there.

No one.

The doors closed.

The descent felt longer than it should have. My stomach twisted as the numbers dropped, my pulse thudding in my ears.

Basement levels always felt different—like going underground wasn’t just physical, but something deeper.

The elevator slowed. Then stopped. The doors opened.

I stepped out and stopped dead. This wasn’t how I remembered it. The basement had changed.

The air felt colder, sharper. The lights were brighter, harsher, buzzing faintly overhead.

Walls that had once been bare concrete were now reinforced with steel panels. Cameras sat in every corners.

My breath caught. Last time I’d been here—when I’d tried to escape—it hadn’t been like this.

I remembered dim lighting, yes, the wide access doors that opened with nothing more than a shove.

No keycards. No scanners.

No red lights blinking steadily beside reinforced doors.

I took a hesitant step forward, my eyes darting everywhere at once. There were new checkpoints now.

Security panels embedded into the walls. Doors marked with numbers. This wasn’t just a basement anymore.

It was a whole new other level.....containment level.

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Hey everyone, I want to say thanks for the power stone to my new book, I saw we hit 10, so y’all expect one bonus Chapter for this book before today ends.

thanks