Chapter 3

Attending the Wedding – The Slave of Desire

"I'm leaving your life. So I won't bother you and that woman," Cassie screamed, and with that, she simply left.

Cassie was devastated; she was ill and remained confined to her home for a month. But then, she was shocked when her personal assistant handed her Julian's wedding invitation.

"So you chose to marry her; that's why you haven't contacted me at all. Julian, you are so cruel."

Though Cassie was heartbroken, she realised now that she couldn't afford to remain in despair. She couldn't let herself be destroyed by Julian's betrayal and the scandal.

"Very well! I will try to rise again."

A week later, Julian Sterling's wedding venue stood grandly at a Malibu beachfront hotel. Crystal glass glittered, and white roses lined the staircase. Reporters crowded the front, cameras flashing every second.

And among the crowd, Cassandra Vance stood silently.

A simple black dress covered the body that cameras once adored. There were no expensive jewels, no movie star smile. Only eyes that had lost their light. She gazed towards the wedding altar, where Julian stood tall in a white suit, smiling at the woman beside him — Elena Rose. The woman who had stolen Julian from her.

Cassie knew she shouldn't have come. But the pain was too deep to ignore. She wanted to see for herself the face of the man she once loved... who was now officially someone else's. She wanted to slowly learn to forget that man.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" someone whispered behind her. "The bride."

Cassie merely offered a bitter smile. "Yes... very beautiful."

Soft music played, the priest's voice barely audible to Cassie's ears.

When Julian uttered, "I do," her heart felt as if it were being squeezed.

Her beautiful face could only look down, holding back the tears that were close to falling. Time seemed to stop for her at that very second.

'Julian has discarded me. He doesn't want me anymore. So why am I crying and still loving him so much? Get a grip, Cassie!' she could only say to herself.

After the ceremony, Cassie tried to leave quietly through the back corridor. But her steps halted when a familiar, deep voice called out.

"Cassie."

Her spiritless, beautiful face turned.

Julian was calling her. He had been the perfect groom moments ago. And he had just sworn fidelity to another woman.

"What are you doing here?" Julian's voice was cold, yet beneath it was an angry, restrained tone.

Cassie smiled wryly. "I just wanted to see... how a traitor looks so incredibly happy. Marrying the woman he deeply loves and discarding me so cruelly."

"You shouldn't have come," Julian said.

"I know. But I wanted to offer my congratulations."

"Cassie—"

"Don't worry," Cassie cut in softly. "I won't create a scene. I'm not that desperate. I'll leave because you've thrown me away."

But just as she was about to leave, Julian pulled her arm so hard that her body slammed against the cold marble wall.

"You're not going anywhere."

"You're married, Julian. Let go of me! I don't want to be accused of being a husband-snatcher."

Julian drew closer, the distance between them shrinking, his breathing heavy.

"This marriage... changes nothing between us. You will continue to be my woman. Although I love Elena, I cannot let you go. Remember! You owe me, and you must repay that debt with your body."

"So you mean I'm to remain your secret lover? After everything you've done to me?"

Julian stared deeply into her eyes. "You know I can't let you go."

"Let me go! But I can't. I don't want to be the third person."

Cassie slapped him hard. But Julian merely offered a faint smile — the smile that once made Cassie fall in love, now felt like poison.

"You are my woman! Never leave me." Julian clearly intended to make Cassie his love-slave.

That night, Cassie didn't want to go with Julian, but she couldn't resist. As usual, Julian dragged her by force, taking the beautiful woman towards his private mansion outside the city — a secret place no one knew about.

"Where are you taking me, Julian? Let me go! Don't be insane! Don't you love Elena so much? Why do you want me with you?" Cassie demanded.

"You are my doll for satisfying my lust," Julian replied.

From that moment, Cassie's days turned dark. She was locked up, guarded, and every night Julian would come — embracing her, touching her, making love to her in a rough manner, driven by obsession.

"Let me go! I'm not an animal. Don't lock me up here. I hate you for doing this to me."

"You belong to me, Cassie. I want you to always be the woman who satisfies my desire, I want you to love me forever. Elena is not like you, she is only a princess, she is not good in bed," Julian replied.

Cassie looked at him with empty eyes.

"You don't love me, Julian. You only want to use me as your doll to satisfy your lust. Please, let me go! I want to be free."

"I love you, but you don't deserve to be my wife. You only deserve to be my kept woman, Cassie. Know your place! Never hope for my love."

"Love? You think love is forced? This isn't love, it's just your obsession."

The man fell silent, then kissed her on the lips as if to muzzle the truth she had spoken. And in that silence, Cassie knew the man was indeed obsessed with her, but Julian's obsession was driving her almost mad. Day and night, she was forced to make love, sometimes with rough styles and chained up like a dog.

Julian then held a whip; he whipped Cassie. Then her hands were chained; this man certainly had a very wild sexual imagination.

"What are you doing?" Cassie was shocked to see Julian carrying a whip.

"Feel this! Darling... isn't making love like this so much fun?" Beneath Julian's cold demeanour lay a profoundly high sexual desire.

"Don't... stop! Don't whip me!" Cassie screamed.

"Satisfy me! You're my woman," Julian commanded. He immediately lifted Cassie onto the bed, forced her thighs open, caressed his sexy woman's body passionately, and initiated sexual intercourse.

"Stop it! Don't! You can't force me to have sex like this continuously," Cassie screamed from beneath Julian's body.