006

CHAPTER SIX 

SERAPHINA. 

The drive back to the house was a blur of flashing traffic lights and a suffocating sense of dread. 

The heat between my thighs had cooled into a sticky, uncomfortable reminder of my own weakness, leaving me feeling completely drained. The message from Victor was just his bot asking if I was home. The bastard couldn't even text me properly. 

I pulled the car into the driveway of the grand, modern house, a house that had once felt like a dream come true, but now felt like a beautifully decorated prison.

I unlocked the front door, half-hoping the space would be empty, that Victor would still be holed up with Gideon. But the moment I stepped into the foyer, the heavy scent of expensive cologne and rich leather told me I wasn't alone.

My heart sank into my stomach.

Victor was sitting on the plush velvet sofa in the living room, a glass of scotch resting loosely in his hand. He had this dead of air around him that felt like it was pulling me in and I could not escape from. 

He hadn't even bothered to change out of his crisp designer suit from yesterday. 

As I walked in, he raised his head, a smug, dark expression settling over his sharp features. He looked completely unbothered, as if I hadn't caught him in the middle of a betrayal that had shattered my entire world less than twenty-four hours ago.

“Look who decided to finally grace me with her presence,” Victor murmured, taking a slow sip of his drink. His voice was smooth, devoid of any guilt or shame.

I stood frozen near the entryway, clutching my bag tightly against my chest like a shield. 

“What are you doing here, Victor?”

Victor let out a dry, mocking chuckle, setting his glass down on the glass coffee table. He stood up, towering over the space, and walked slowly toward me. There was a cruel twist to his lips that made my skin crawl.

“I live here, Seraphina. In case you forgot, my name is on the deed,” he said, stopping just a few feet away from me. His eyes scanned my rumpled appearance, lingering on the emergency coat I was still wearing. 

“But the real question is, where were you last night? You didn't come home. Your car wasn't in the driveway.”

I glared at him, anger flaring through my veins, temporarily masking my fear.

 “I think I had a very good reason not to come home, considering what I witnessed in your office.”

Victor didn't flinch. Instead, his smirk widened, turning incredibly ugly. 

He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a harsh, mocking whisper. 

“Oh, please. Don't play the victim with me. I guess we are even now, aren't we? You stayed out all night at a hotel. I can practically smell it on you, Seraphina. You finally got that dick you have been begging for, didn't you?”

A sharp gasp left my mouth. The sheer audacity of his words felt like a slap to the face. The image of the Knox brothers flashed in my mind, their massive, heavy manhoods, the way they had teased me, the way my body had traitorously soaked through my clothes just thinking about them. 

For a second, a wave of guilt hit me, but I quickly shook it off. I hadn't touched them. I had run away. But Victor didn't need to know that.

“You are disgusting,” I spat, my voice trembling with pure hatred. 

“You lied to me for two years. You used me as a shield to protect your career because you were too cowardly to come out. I starved in this marriage, Victor! I want a divorce. I am demanding a divorce, and I will make sure everyone knows exactly why!”

I expected him to get angry. I expected him to yell. Instead, Victor just threw his head back and laughed. It was a loud, booming sound that echoed cruelly against the high ceilings of the living room.

“A divorce?” he asked, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye as his laughter died down into a cold, menacing stare. 

“You think you can just walk away from me, Seraphina? You think you can ruin my reputation?”

He stepped even closer, completely invading my personal space, his shadow engulfing me. Fear took over. 

The atmosphere in the room grew thick and suffocating, making it hard to draw air into my lungs.

“Let me remind you of reality, sweetheart,” Victor whispered, his voice cutting through the silence like a sharp blade. 

“You owe me everything. I told you before. If you live, I will stop funding you immediately!” 

My breath hitched, a cold sweat breaking out across my forehead.

“And let’s not forget your late father,” Victor continued, a look of pure malice in his eyes. 

“He died leaving behind millions in debt. Every single penny from your little marketing job goes straight toward paying off those ruthless collectors. If I stop protecting you, if I stop funding your life, those debts will crush you. Your mother will die, and your sister’s future will be completely destroyed.”

“You... you wouldn't,” I choked out, tears finally blurring my vision. My heart was pounding so fast I thought it would burst out of my chest.

“I’m a celebrated divorce lawyer, Seraphina,” Victor reminded me, his voice smooth and deadpan. 

“My partner Gideon and I control the legal system in this city. If you try to take me to court, I will tie up the case for years. I will frame you as the unfaithful, unstable wife. I will destroy your reputation so thoroughly that no company will ever hire you again. You will be left penniless, homeless, and completely broken.”

He reached out, his fingers brushing a stray tear from my pale cheek. I flinched away from his touch, but he only smiled, completely satisfied by my terror.

“So here is how it’s going to go,” Victor commanded, turning back toward the sofa. “On paper, we stay married. You will play the part of the doting, supportive wife whenever the public or my clients are watching. Outside of that? I don't care what you do. You can sleep with a hundred men. You can fuck whomever you want to satisfy that desperate craving of yours. Just keep it quiet, protect my image, and your family stays safe. Do we have an understanding?”

I couldn't speak. My throat felt completely tight, swallowed by a wave of pure helplessness. Something inside me fractured into a million pieces. He had taken away my choices, my freedom, and my dignity all in one breath.

Without giving him an answer, I turned around and stumbled up the stairs, my legs shaking violently. 

I locked myself inside the guest bedroom, sinking down against the hard wood of the door as the tears finally spilled over, heavy and unstoppable.

The house felt completely suffocating now. Every wall seemed to be closing in on me. I was entirely trapped in my own home, bound to a toxic monster by chains of debt and duty. As I curled into a ball on the floor, crying silently into the dark, I realized I had no way out. 

I was stuck. 

I was doomed!