Trapped

Deep down, I had known he would react this way, even if a part of me hoped he wouldn't. That was why I left the signed copy of the divorce papers on his desk.

"There are plenty more where that came from," I said.

Rage flashed across his face. He grabbed me by the neck, but I shoved his hands away. Before I could pull back, he seized me around the waist and dragged me close.

"I’ve known you a long time, Camilla," he purred, his voice tight with anger. "I know you like the back of my hand. You’re madly in love with me, and you don't actually want this divorce. You just want me to treat you the way I treat other women—to love you as much as you love me. You're letting jealousy blind you."

He dragged his tongue across my cheek before forcing a harsh kiss onto my lips.

I pushed against his chest, fixing him with a cold glare. "I don't want any of that, Daniel. I'm done. I just want a divorce."

He turned me toward the desk and held me tightly from behind. I could feel the hardness of his body against mine as his hands returned to my neck, his lips trailing kisses along every inch of it.

Slowly, he lifted my gown, his hands finding their way to my breasts, cupping and caressing them.

A loud moan escaped me—not from pleasure, but from pain.

Then I remembered the moans of all the women he had brought into our lives, and something inside me snapped.

I shoved him away, but his strength and muscular frame gave him the advantage.

“Isn’t this what you want?” he asked, breathing heavily, clearly lost in his own pleasure.

“Get off me,” I commanded.

“Or what?”

“Get off me!” I screamed, pushing him away again.

I quickly dragged my gown back down and straightened my hair before turning to face him.

“I don’t want your forced love, Daniel.”

“You know what will happen to me if we get divorced,” he said. “It will ruin my reputation.”

“You should have thought about that before cheating on me on our wedding night—and every other day after that,” I thundered.

“If you refuse to sign the papers, I’ll take this matter to court.”

“On what grounds?” Daniel asked, his expression turning smug.

“Physical abuse and cheating,” I replied.

He scoffed.

“There’s no evidence of physical abuse, Camilla. I thought you were smarter than this.”

Just then, his phone buzzed.

A message.

It was from an anonymous number.

I was almost certain it was the video of him having sex the previous day. The moment he played it, the unmistakable sounds from the recording filled the office.

“Is this all you’ve got?” Daniel asked mockingly.

I remained speechless.

Then he turned the phone toward me.

My blood ran cold.

It was a video of the moment with Lucas.

There must have been cameras in the house. Cameras I had never known about.

“There’s nothing going on between Lucas and me—”

“I can alter the date, you know,” Daniel interrupted calmly. “I can make it look like you cheated on me with my younger brother first. I can make you the villain, ruin your reputation, and destroy your life.”

He slowly walked toward me.

“So stay put, Camilla. Don’t do anything reckless. Just keep loving me foolishly, the way you always have.”

With that, he returned to his office chair and sat down as though he had just won the argument.

“Now you’ve made me horny, and I need someone to take care of that.”

His eyes settled on me. “And that person isn’t you.”

He leaned back comfortably.

“So get out of my office.”

I walked out of his office with my head hanging low, humiliated and embarrassed. But despite how broken I felt, I knew I couldn't stop demanding a divorce. I was desperate to see him crumble, desperate to see him finally give in.

When I got home, I went straight to our bedroom. I climbed onto my side of the bed, close to the window, and turned my back toward his side. Before settling down, I placed another file containing the divorce papers on his side of the bed, deliberately leaving it where he would find it when he returned.

I was going to keep taunting him with those papers until he finally surrendered.

When he came back, I was barely asleep, but I pretended to be completely unconscious. The moment he came near, I caught a strange scent on him that made my stomach twist.

Tears quietly slipped from the corners of my eyes. I cried silently, making sure he wouldn't hear me.

Then came the sound of paper ripping.

I heard him tear the divorce papers apart yet again before throwing the pieces onto me.

"Stupid, desperate thing," he spat.

I didn't flinch.

Not because his words didn't hurt, but because I was exhausted. I was done fighting. Done arguing. Done wasting my breath exchanging words with him.

Later that morning, while I was still asleep, I suddenly felt the bed shaking violently beneath me. I heard hurried movements and breathless moans coming from beside me.

I shot upright.

My heart stopped when I saw a strange woman, completely naked, straddling Daniel.

It was too dark for me to see her face clearly, but I noticed she was wearing a mask.

Neither of them seemed bothered by my presence. They didn't stop. They didn't even acknowledge me.

That was when I realized Daniel had taken things too far.

Fury overtook me. I grabbed the lamp from the bedside table and swung it toward the woman.

"How dare you?!" I thundered.

But before I could strike her, Daniel caught my arm and violently flung me away from the bed.

The woman climbed off him.

Daniel rose and stormed toward me, completely naked and furious. He grabbed me by the hair and dragged me out of the room.

"Get your filthy hands off my hair." I yelled at him.

"You keep on causing nuisance to me and I may just have you killed." Daniel said.

Before I could even process what was happening, he threw me down the staircase.

I screamed in terror as my body tumbled down the steps, helplessly watching my entire life flash before my eyes.