Mag-log inHe exhaled once, low and controlled, then looked away for half a second before returning his gaze to me. “It doesn’t really matter,” he said. “But you need to know that it’s necessary for me to have an heir.” Necessary. The word felt too cold. My mind began to race in ugly circles. A man like him did not offer things without reason. Men like him did not give freely. They took. They bartered. They built cages and called them protection. “What if it is one of your nonsense traditions?” I demanded, my voice rising before I could stop it. “What if you want to use me for ritual? How can you assure me that you will pay up the termination f*e? How?” His expression did not change. That almost made me more nervous. He reached for his phone. My breath caught. I watched every movement, my heart thudding so hard I could feel it in my throat. He typed something, then held the screen where I could see it. A transfer. Seventy-five million. My mouth went dry. “If you accept, I will send t
The call ended.Just like that.I lowered the phone and stood there for a second, stunned by the silence that followed. My chest felt hollow. All evening I had been floating from one humiliation to the next, and now the last person I thought I could reach had closed the door in my face.Then my phone buzzed.A message.I opened it.Your husband’s assistant checked out of your room just so you know.I stared at the screen until the words blurred.My head lifted slowly.Across the hall, Tony was still at the bar, acting as though he hadn’t seen me. He lifted his glass, drank, and stared into the middle distance with the sort of empty focus that only came from someone trying very hard not to feel anything.Then my husband, Maxine, walked up to him.Tony poured him a drink.My lips parted slightly.My brain refused to understand what my eyes were seeing.I took one step forward, then stopped.What room?What assistant?Why was Tony pouring him a drink like this was normal?My pulse starte
“Let go of me,” I said as we reached the turning point.My wrist was still trapped in his hand, warm and firm and irritatingly calm, as if he had every right to touch me. I twisted once, then again, until his fingers loosened.The air around the venue felt different here. Softer. Quieter. Away from the loud music, the clatter of glasses, and the fake laughter that had been filling the wedding hall all evening. The corridor ahead was dim, lit by yellow wall lamps that made everything look more secret than it should have.I drew in a breath and forced myself to look him in the eye.“Thank you for helping me out of that uncomfortable situation,” I said, keeping my voice low, because even now I was still careful. Still thinking of who might be listening. “But no one should see us like this. You should understand that Maxine is still my husband.”The moment the words left my mouth, I felt the humiliation of them like a bruise.He stared at me for a long second, his expression unreadable, a
"Matilda."The voice was like a bucket of ice water over my head. I didn't even have time to turn before Maxine’s fingers clamped around my upper arm like a vice. His grip was bruising, Without a word of explanation, he yanked me upward, nearly tripping me over my own feet."Let go! Maxine, you’re hurting me!" I thrashed against him, digging my heels into the carpet, but he was a wall of moving muscle. He dragged me through the side exit,, cutting off the music of the party.He flung my arm away as if I were something contaminated. He was pacing, his chest heaving under his designer wear. "What the kind of game are you playing tonight, Matilda?""Game?" I rubbed the red marks on my arm, my eyes stinging with heat. "This isn't a game, Maxine. You gave me the green light. You told me I was free to do whatever I wanted, and I’m just getting started."He stepped into my personal space, his shadow looming over me. "Are you really this desperate for my attention? You're going to throw you
When I got to my room, I kicked off my shoes, dropped my bag, and pulled the tie out of my hair. I sat on the edge of the bed and for the next few minutes, I felt nothing. I sat there with my hands clasped, staring at my phone, debating whether or not to call my mother. The anger boiling inside of me was so intense that I knew if I called her now, I might say things I could never take back—but at that moment, I didn’t really care.All my life, I lived for my family. Every bit of my savings and every paycheck had been spent on them. I looked after my younger siblings, even though the youngest was already fifteen. Yet, she still did this to me. If I didn't speak up now, I’d never get another chance to say my piece.I dialed her number. It only rang twice before she picked up."Tilda! I was just about to call you," she said. "The electricity bill for this month is due, and I wanted to remind you to send money for the bills and upkeep for the kids."I smiled. I can't believe this was the
I couldn't believe what I just heard, I couldn't believe the life I was living in was so foolish and blinded by money that I didn't even know what was happening in my cupboard, I finally found the strength to move my legs. I turned away from the sight of my husband being fucked by his assistant and walked blindly back toward the hotel entrance.My mother that monster I called my mother literally sold me off. She had signed me into a lavender marriage without my consent no wonder everything changed for my family no wonder. The betrayal was a double-edged sword, cutting me from both sides. I reached the hallway leading to the lobby, my face streaked with tears, trying to scrub the image of the pool from my brain.A man dressed in black appeared in my present "I told you" he said as he started laughing. Alpha Rue was standing there, his expression mocking. I stepped back, my chest heaving. "Since when have you been here, Alpha Rue?""Since the beginning. Don't get me wrong I only follow







