Marriage might just be a sham.

DISCLAIMER.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and events are either the products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously.

This book contains multiple explicit scenes and hardcore raw sex scenes with mostly BDSM that most readers might find distressing although every encounter is fully consensual. 

Brace yourself for the ride.

Thank you so much for choosing to read my story! Your support means alot to me. I would love to hear your thoughts so please feel free to comment and vote! 

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CHAPTER 1 

SOPHIE

The shrill ring of the telephone in the kitchen snapped me out of making my husband, Leo's favorite drink.

I quickly wiped my hands and reached for the telephone. It was almost eleven PM, and I wondered who would be calling at this hour.

"Hello, Leo? When are you coming over, darling?" A feminine voice said as I picked up the telephone, and I froze.

I processed the fact that she was referring to my husband as "darling."

My nostrils flared, and I sniffed. "Who are you?"

"Oh my God, I’m sorry…" the woman on the other end stammered, but I cut her off sharply.

"Hey, hey, hey… don’t hang up! Don’t be a coward, okay? Just tell me your name. That’s the least you can do for sleeping with my husband, don’t you think?"

She inhaled sharply. "I’m Aurélie… I’m sorry, please. I shouldn’t have called now." She hung up.

I slowly collapsed to the floor, my hands dragging down the blender, which crashed to the tiles.

This was my worst nightmare. I winced as I stared at the smoothie splattered across the floor.

I must be the most foolish woman on earth. It’s eleven at night; I’ve already tucked my baby into bed, yet here I am, making my husband’s favorite drink while he’s out there with some other woman.

Some moments later, the door creaked open, and there he stood, walking in with a suitcase and a dirty smirk on his face.

I knew what was next... He was about to tell me some fairy tales about how work was super hectic and kept him late.

Leo approached me, his lips curling into a smile, but it vanished the moment he saw me crouched on the floor, tears streaming down my face.

He quickly lunged for me, asking worriedly, "What is the problem, Sophie?"

I gazed up at him, sniffing. "She called you—" I began.

His eyes widened in confusion. "Who are you talking about?"

"Aurélie," I replied in a shaky voice. "I guess you’re late again today, huh?"

I exhaled lightly. Her name sounded French. Leo always claimed he didn’t like French girls, yet here he was, coming home late every night because of one of the very women he claims to hate.

He bent down, cupping my face in his hands, forcing me to meet his gaze even if I didn't want to.

"Look at me," he urged, his voice calm. "She’s not important, Sophie… You are! Just you and Adele, our daughter, are what matters to me, okay?"

I sighed, then scoffed, looking away. Of course, I was more important to him.

I must be brain dead, right? I must be the biggest fool on the planet, believing we were happy, thinking we were so lucky.

I thought I was safe with him after everything I’d been through, all because of him.

I followed every rule he set. I distanced myself from my family, deleted my social media accounts, and avoided parties to keep other men from noticing me.

Yes, that’s what he demanded, and for the past five years, I complied. But now he’s sleeping with some other woman?

I can tolerate his yelling and hitting, but I gave him one rule out of the million he imposed on me: I told him to never cheat on me.

“Listen to me,” he said, sitting on the floor and inching closer as I sobbed.

But I sharply interrupted him. “I can smell her!” I sneered, standing up. “I can smell her damn perfume or whatever that slut’s name is!”

“What?” he exclaimed, disbelief lacing his voice. “Baby, all we did was have a drink. Just at the coffee shop, nothing more…”

“Stop it!” I slammed my fists against the kitchen cabinet in anger. “Leo, you’re caught. I caught you! Don’t try to lie! Don't fucking try to talk your way out of this!!”

I paused for a moment, raising my gaze to him as the realization of how many times he had lied to me dawned on me. “How many are there, Leo? How many have you been sleeping with?”

“What does it matter?” My heart sank, and I arched an eyebrow, refusing to believe what I just heard.

He sighed. “Come on, what does it matter how many I’ve slept with? I know our sex life has been great, but I’m a man. We all know men and women have different needs.”

“And the French lady is ready to take care of that side of me? Maybe it’s better for everyone.”

My jaw dropped, and I blinked rapidly, tears welling in my eyes.

I stepped forward, standing directly in front of him. “It’s better for you, Leo!” I shouted, letting my emotions spill over for once.

I mean, he has a pretty good deal, doesn’t he? He goes to work every day, then goes out and fools around with some other women while I stay here taking care of his house and his child!

The child is my stepdaughter—he never told me about her until after we got married. But guess what? I accepted it and babysit her all day, just for him to go off with other women?

Well, no more! This is the end. The party is over; I’m done with this!

He let out a deep breath. “Calm down, Sophie. I need you to calm down first.”

“No!” I sobbed and yelled. “No, Leo! I’m not going to sit here and take it anymore. I’m not a doormat. I’m your fucking—”

Before I could finish my sentence, I felt a sharp sting across my cheek.

I stumbled back in shock, hands on my face, mouth agape, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. He slapped me?

“What?” He stared at me coldly. “Why are you looking at me that way, Sophie? Do you want to fight back for hitting you?”

“I’m a man, sweetheart, so it’s no contest. I’ll win,” he laughed, a mirthless, mocking sound that made me groan in pain.

He bent down to my level, where I lay on the bare floor. “You have to understand something, sweetheart. I make the money here, so I set the rules, right? These are my rules! I can break any others…”

He sighed. “Fuck it. You just spoiled my night. I need to go out.” He turned to me with a small smile playing on his lips. “This is better, don’t you think? Now I don’t have to sneak around and lie about going to work. I might just say I'm going to fuck her, right?”

He walked closer and planted a kiss on my forehead. “Good night, baby… don’t do anything you might regret.”

As the door slammed shut, I realized he was gone. I wanted to scream, to shout and sob all night for someone to help, but even if I screamed until dawn, no one would hear me—we lived in a soundproof house. I clenched my teeth, trying to stifle my cries and covering my mouth. This wasn’t the time to cry. This was the time to run away, Sophie.

It was clear Leo wouldn’t change.

The following day, I was awake by six o'clock, my usual time to start making breakfast for both my husband and my stepdaughter, Adele. But this time, I wasn’t awake for that.

With my heart pounding, I stuffed my clothes into a leather mini travel bag. I didn't bother with my multitude of heels; I quickly packed a pair of Crocs instead, all while trying not to wake Adele. She was just a sweet, innocent four-year-old, and her crib was close to mine.

My hands trembled as I zipped up the bag. My eyes wandered to the window, ensuring Leo wasn't on his way back yet. He must not catch me trying to escape; I had to do it when he wasn’t around. If he caught me, he’d just tie me back down here. I had tried to file a case for domestic abuse before, but my lawyer advised me to drop it—after all, Leo was a demi-god in this city, and I would never win.

My only way out of this place was to run far away. I picked up my bag and walked into Adele's room, my eyes sweeping over the little creature. I winced; I wished I could take her with me, but I couldn't. She deserved better than a deadbeat father. Leaning down, I kissed her forehead.

“I will miss you, baby…” I muttered, wiping away the tears that threatened to fall onto her cheeks. I didn’t want to wake her.

---

About 30 minutes later, I frantically parked my car about ten miles away from the boutique. Grabbing my small bag, I glanced around to make sure Leo wasn't trailing me before rushing inside. It was early, but thankfully, they were already open for business.

I quickly greeted the receptionist and headed straight for the clothes. I needed to find something to wear before visiting my mother in the hospital. I couldn't let anyone know that Leo and I were no longer together—this wasn’t the right time. I didn’t want to add to my mother’s stress.

After browsing the outfits, I hurried to the counter to pay. I decided not to change back into my old clothes; this was the best place to try things on anyway. As I slid my card into the machine, the lights beeped red, indicating one thing—the transaction was declined.

I shook my head, pushing away the panic that crept in. I tried my card again, but it declined once more.

"Fuck!" I gritted my teeth. That jerk had already blocked my card. Now I was stuck in here wearing designer clothes I couldn’t afford. I could feel the furtive gazes of other shoppers increasing; they must think I was some kind of con artist, rushing to try on clothes and unable to pay.

"Ma'am, can you please pay up? My boss is in today," the blonde cashier said, and I gulped.

I didn’t have a penny on me. I couldn’t believe the first thing Leo did when he didn’t see me was freeze my bank account.

My body tensed, and anxiety coursed through me as I tried to dial any number on my phone for help. It felt ridiculous; I hadn’t reached out to anyone in the last five years of my marriage but I would be calling them now just because I need help? 

“What’s happening here?” a thick baritone voice asked from behind me, startling me. When I turned, I collided with him, my eyes widening in shock as I took in his features. As I stumbled back, he grabbed me by both arms, steadying me.

But as our eyes met, I froze. “Vi vi Vicenzo?”

“Alessia?” he breathed.