Chapter 3

I was too weak to do anything but rest at home for one more night.

Damian came home late, reeking of alcohol with his arm around Sophie.

When he saw me lying in bed, he sneered.

“Get out. Sophie’s sleeping here tonight.”

He spoke to me as if I were a servant.

Sophie had dropped the sweet, innocent act she put on in public. Dressed in skimpy lingerie, she kept pressing herself against him.

“Sorry, Vivian. Damian and I drank a little too much tonight, and we don’t feel like going anywhere else. I hope you don’t mind letting us use your bedroom.

“Oh, and Damian says you’re terrible in bed. Why don’t you stay and learn a few things?”

Rage consumed me, and my body began to shake.

Damian looked down at me, his expression smug and amused.

Sophie glanced up at him coyly.

“Damian, Vivian looks angry. Did I say something wrong?”

He pulled her into his arms.

“How could you be wrong? She just lies there like a corpse. You and I are much more compatible.”

I forced myself out of bed, shoved past them, and headed for the door.

“Oh, my. You’re stronger than you look,” Sophie cooed.

Then she glanced at my waist.

“No wonder you’re so strong. Look how thick your waist is.”

My waist had grown during the pregnancy, and the reminder sent a fresh wave of bitterness through me.

Damian wrapped an arm around Sophie and kissed her.

“Enough. Of course her waist got thicker while she was pregnant. You’ll have to take care of my needs from now on.”

Sophie pouted.

“I’m helping her, but instead of thanking me, she pushes me around.”

They didn’t even bother closing the bedroom door.

Soon, their moans echoed through the house.

I didn’t want to hear them, but I was too weak to leave. All I could do was lie down in the guest room.

Even the thick walls couldn’t block out the sounds.

Their moans followed me all the way to the guest room.

I had no idea how much time had passed when Damian climbed into bed behind me and wrapped his arms around me.

His voice was still thick with desire.

“Vivian, don’t be mad. You know you’re the one I love.

“You’ve been so cold to me lately. I only used Sophie to make you jealous. I don’t have any feelings for her.”

He sounded as aroused as ever, as though what he’d just done with Sophie hadn’t satisfied him at all.

I tried to push him away, but my weakened body had no strength.

His hands began roaming over me, touching me in all the ways that used to drive me wild.

Once, I would’ve melted beneath his touch.

Now I knew it had never been about love. He only wanted to satisfy himself.

My resistance seemed to enrage him.

He suddenly rolled on top of me and slapped me hard across the face.

“Vivian, stop pushing me.”

My cheek burned.

“You could’ve at least taken a shower, Mr. Carter. You reek of alcohol and that filthy woman.”

He slapped me again.

Then his fingers closed around my throat.

“So you want to do this the hard way?”

I was too weak to fight him off.

Like an animal in heat, he forced himself inside me.

Pain tore through my lower abdomen, nearly making me pass out.

Desperate to make him stop, I bit down on his ear.

He responded by slapping me again and again.

Then he tightened his grip around my throat to keep me from struggling.

Between the agony in my abdomen and the crushing pressure around my neck, darkness crept into my vision.

My cries grew weaker.

The last of my strength drained away.

Only then did Damian seem to come to his senses.

He stopped.

His lips parted several times, but in the end, he said nothing.

He simply got up and walked out.

I lay curled in pain for what felt like hours, my sweat soaking through the sheets.

The fabric beneath my lower body was stained bright red.

Whatever love I had left for him died that night.

By morning, the worst of the pain had finally subsided.

Still lying in bed, I booked a flight. Then I threw on some clothes and made my way downstairs to the living room.