Chapter: Near death(2)Cassie's POV.The freezing mountain rain slammed against my face in relentless sheets, but the only thing I could feel was the terrifying, hot stickiness of the blood soaking through Mark’s torn sleeve."Get up," I choked out, my voice fighting the howling wind as I wrapped my arms under his uninjured shoulder. "Mark, please. We have to get out of the storm."He didn't argue this time. A low grunt escaped his gritted teeth as he forced his weight onto his good leg, leaning heavily against my side. The sheer mass of his frame nearly pushed me into the mud, but I planted my boots into the gravel and held on. I led him toward the small, dark silhouette of the old overlook cabin just fifty yards up the trail. I managed to push the wooden door open with my shoulder, dragging us both inside before the mountain pass could completely swallow us whole.The interior was pitch-black, smelling of old pine, dry dust, and cold air. I helped him slide onto a low wooden bench near the cold stone fi
آخر تحديث: 2026-07-06
Chapter: Near death. MARK'S POVI didn’t wait for her to answer. I grabbed her wrist—delicately, entirely mindful of the deep purple fingerprint bruises my idiot brother had left under her sleeves—and dragged her out of that suffocating dining room. Behind us, David was still screaming, his voice cracking with a pathetic, paranoid rage that echoed off the high ceilings of the foyer."Mark! Get your hands off her! Cassie, if you walk out that door—"I slammed the heavy oak entrance shut, cutting his voice off entirely. The silence of the afternoon air rushed over us, thick and heavy with the smell of coming rain.Cassie stumbled behind me on the gravel driveway, her breath coming in short, jagged gasps. "Mark, stop. Please, just let go of me. You can't just throw her out like that. You can't just ruin his setup. The fallout... you don't know what he'll do to me when you're not looking.""He won't do a damn thing," I gritted out, my jaw aching from how hard I was clenching my teeth. The sheer image of Ser
آخر تحديث: 2026-07-06
Chapter: My devil in fine armour Cassie's Pov.The morning light that cut through the tall windows of the master bedroom felt less like a new day and more like a cruel spotlight. I hadn't slept. Not for a single second. I sat on the edge of the mattress, my hands curled tightly into the lap of a high-necked, charcoal-gray knit dress. The thick fabric covered my throat and extended all the way down to my wrists, completely hiding the fresh red marks where David had pinned me down, alongside the deep purple fingerprint bruises on my upper arm.I looked at the bedroom door. At precisely six in the morning, the heavy brass lock had clicked open from the outside. David’s silent way of letting me know my nightly imprisonment was over. But the freedom felt completely hollow.A heavy, suffocating silence hung in the air as I finally forced my legs to move, stepping out of the room and walking down the grand staircase toward the dining room. I needed something normal. A cup of coffee. A moment to breathe before the realit
آخر تحديث: 2026-07-06
Chapter: Prison or marriage CASSIE'S POV“Well, this dinner or gathering has been dismissed,” Eleanor announced, dabbing her mouth and disposing the silk napkin like it was going to stain her manicured nails. The maids and kitchen staffs stepped forward to clear the table. I fled upstairs. I did not wait for David. I certainly did not look back at Mark, whose dark, piercing gaze had followed me all the way out of the grand hall.Now, inside the master bedroom, the silence was a heavy weight pressing down on my chest.I stood in front of the vanity mirror, my fingers trembling as I unzipped the emerald green velvet dress. I let the heavy fabric pool around my feet, leaving me in nothing but my thin white satin slip. Slowly, I turned my arm toward the mirror. The light from the crystal sconces caught the four distinct, dark purple fingerprint marks on my skin. They looked worse tonight. More defined. A grotesque branding of my husband’s ownership.A sudden, sharp click of the bedroom door handle made my stomach
آخر تحديث: 2026-07-06
Chapter: The matriachCassies pov. The silent figure at the top of the stairs didn't descend. After an eternity wrapped in suffocating darkness, David turned and walked back into the master bedroom, his heavy footsteps fading down the corridor. Mark’s hand slowly slid away from my mouth, but he didn’t move his body. For a long minute, we just breathed the same air, my forehead pressed against his leather jacket, listening to the frantic, erratic rhythm of our hearts."Go upstairs, Cassie," he had whispered, his voice dangerously low. "Before I forget that you are my brother's wife."***Two days later, the terror of that kitchen floor was replaced by a different kind of dread. The dining room of the main estate was vast, lit by a massive crystal chandelier that cast a cold, blinding light over the long mahogany table.The air was thick with the scent of roasted duck, expensive wine, and old money."You're not eating, Cassandra." A sharp voice sliced through the silence. I snapped my head up, my fingers
آخر تحديث: 2026-07-06
Chapter: Traces of the ShadowCASSIE's POVThe kitchen was pitch-black, illuminated only by the weak, silvery moonlight cutting through the glass. The rest of the massive estate was dead silent. Every time Mark pressed the cold, antiseptic wipe against my raw palm, a ragged catch escaped my throat. I winced, the sharp sting of the alcohol biting into my torn flesh, making my chest heave as I tried to stay perfectly still.He sat on a low barstool, caging my trembling knees securely between his hard thighs as I sat perched on the edge of the marble island. The heat radiating off his body was overwhelming, trapping me in a sensory cage that I couldn't break out of."Stop moving," he muttered, his voice a rough, low blade slicing through the quiet room. His head was bent over my hands, his dark hair falling over his forehead, hiding his eyes in the shadows."It stings," I whispered, trying to pull my hand out of his grip. My voice sounded small, fragile, and completely broken in the vast emptiness of the kitchen.H
آخر تحديث: 2026-07-04
تسجيل الدخول
