Chapter 1

LORETTA 

“Please!”

The scream wrenched out from my lungs

My hands flew to my heaving chest, as if I were trying to stop my heart from bursting through. My vision is distorted and blurry, it takes a few minutes of breath work to realize where I was

My room

I blinked back the haziness in my eyes, going through the routine my therapist had taught me 

‘Focus on the present Loretta. Feel your heartbeat’ I could hear her gentle voice in my head. ‘If you can't see it, it's most likely not real’

I did so, focusing on my mess of a room. The dress I had disregarded on the floor last night after returning from work tired, the empty coffee cup on my desk, the colourful stick-on notes with my favorite quotes I placed on the wall opposite my bed

My fingers found my damp hair “It's not real.”

I wasn't drowning in an endless pool of coal-black water, I was home, fine and somewhat safe 

That was good for now

It took me extra five minutes to go through my relaxation exercise before climbing down from my bed. These exercises are probably the only thing that held my sanity together for the past six years, ever since ...

“Don't think about it” I chided myself out loud while going through my morning routine. But no matter how much I try not to, the memory of that fateful day keeps replaying in my head like a broken loop

It's been six years since then, his sentence has long passed but I still can't forgive myself for what I did

I quietly stepped out of my messy room and crossed the hallway to Abel's. He was asleep when I slipped in, and instinctively, I checked to see if he was still breathing, my heart aching at the IV lines and multiple wires connected to his body.

As if he could sense my presence, Abel's eyelids slowly peeled open. His small chest rose and fell with laboured breath.

I sat by the side of his bed, pushing a lock of hair away from his face. “Hey”

He smiled, or at least tried to. Every movement, even the slightest, took so much energy from him. Abel was very small for a ten-year-old, he could barely sit up on his own and needed regular assistance.

“Hi” he whispered weakly 

I was about to ask how he was feeling when Abel blinked twice. And just like that, he had fallen back into sleep. 

An invisible noose twisted itself around my neck, making breathing difficult. I pressed my fingers to my eyes, willing the hurt to go away but it didn't. It was logged at the back of my chest, a constant weight I carry

After checking the monitors beside his bed to see his heart rate was okay, I left his room, shutting the door softly behind me.

≈

It was still early, but I had to be at the office now. Sterling's Enterprise has been facing a massive decline in our stocks and revenue, shareholders were pulling out, the market was crashing against us, and at this rate, we could easily go bankrupt 

I was in the kitchen fixing myself a cup of coffee when my father's assistant appeared in the doorway 

"Good morning Loretta" He addressed me in a grim voice that suggested nothing was good about this morning. "Your father would like to see you in his office."

The cup in my hands froze midair. 

My father's office was a place I've constantly tried to avoid. I looked into the cup in my hands, the delicious mix of milk, cream, chocolate syrup, and roasted beans. 

My stomach churned violently. “Tell him I'll be there”

He nodded and left as quickly as he had come. I suddenly had no interest in the coffee anymore so I poured it down the drain.

Every step I took to my father's office felt longer than it should have been. Cold sweat trickled down my skin when I knocked 

“Come in”

Father was seated behind his large desk, his face buried in a pile of paperwork. “Sit”

An excuse sat at the tip of my tongue. This was going to be one of those long talks then. I lowered myself to the chair available, waiting for Father to address me, after what felt like an hour, he finally turned my way

"There's something we need to discuss," he said, intertwining his fingers on his desk, leveling me with a hard stare. “Since I appointed you as the manager of my company, things have fallen drastically”

My brows creased in confusion, and I sat upright. “You know that's not my fault. Ever since the Elite Group became a thing, all other financial co-operations that aren't a part of them have been suffering greatly. Our company isn't the only one losing”

“My company” He corrected sharply. “These are just excuses Loretta”

I wanted to roll my eyes

He does this a lot, pushing blame to me

“I'll do better” I spoke quietly. There was no use arguing. It was better I reserved my energy for something that could be more productive, like talking to a wall

"It doesn't matter anymore” Father continued, as if I hadn't spoken 

A deep, frustrated sigh left his lips “Fitzpatrick has acquired all our shares, he's bought every member of the board over and Sterling's Enterprise is on the verge of collapse"

Hearing his name spoken out loud made me stiffen from head to toe. My pulse quickened, cold terror washed over me like a merciless wave, drowning me in its coal-black depths 

It took a few minutes to process that later part “What?!”

He sighed again. “You heard me”

“That'..That's” I was at a loss for words. Elion was finally coming after us. I've always known this would happen, but knowing something and preparing for it were two different things

“What do we do?" My question quivered. 

Father looked me dead in the eye and something about that look made me queasy "We have an option"

He opened his desk drawer, took out a document, and slid it towards me. My vision blurred when I read the title. 

Marriage contract 

“No” I shook my head, rising to my feet “There's only one reason Elion is proposing this, you and I know what it is”

Vengeance 

I couldn't even start to imagine the things he would do to make me suffer if I were to become his wife. He wanted me close so he'd see every moment of it

“No” I was ready to walk out of the office. Heaven's forbid I marry him

Father pushed off his chair too, his eyes hardened “Do you remember the last time Abel sat on his own?”

It was as if a bucket of ice-cold water had been doused over me.  

“Abel was a very active, vibrant kid” I could hear the pain and love in his voice as he talked.

His eyes slid towards me, sharp and accusing “Whose fault is it that he's paralyzed?”

I couldn't speak. My throat clogged and the invisible noose around my neck grew tighter.

“Who?!” Father thundered

My head sunk and a broken sob slipped out of me “Mine”

He nodded, satisfied. “You are getting married to Elion Fitzpatrick, whether you want to or not”