Chapter 6

CASSIE POV

I knew which club he was at and what floor. It was his favourite, owned by his long-time friend Marlow Addams.

According to Ethan Matters, this is also where he’d met his first mistress. I could only assume he’d found the rest here too.

He had an affinity for the working girl trope. He fetishized it – I think. I liked to think I at least started it. Rather than the unwelcomed idea that our entire relationship was just a reaction to it.

He enjoyed seeing how much he could buy people for. He liked making people beg for his attention and respect. He always had, I'd just ignored it.

The bouncers knew me. They shot each other looks that felt demoralizing. Once upon a time, I’d come here frequently. In a desperate attempt to bring Jacob home, but I finally surrendered. It had been a while since these bouncers had seen me, but they clearly didn’t forget.

They welcomed me without question and directed me to the executive elevator. I went up the elevator to the top floor. When I approached the room it was full of loud music and laughing.

The door had been propped open by the servers rushing in and out. It was rare the bouncers let anyone onto the elevator that came to this floor. Why should they be concerned about privacy?

I peeked inside and saw Jacob, his arm around Coral’s shoulders. Coral, the same girl I’d seen at the spa. Her smug look now replaced with greedy anticipation and excited happiness.

He tugged her closer as he loudly bragged to his friends and the other girls, “I could fuck any girl at Cassie’s feet. She’d probably cry but she wouldn’t leave me.”

They burst out into laughter.

I felt my stomach drop. My body froze and I was paralyzed.

Jacob continued to loudly brag, “even if she wanted to, how could she? All her or her family cares about is money. I just send her parents some money and they'll send her back to my bed. No one in this room has more money than me, right Ethan?”

The laughter grew.

I glanced over at Ethan and felt a little at ease. At least he seemrf upset by Jacob’s words. He seemed not to look at me like I was a joke.

Jacob had never liked Ethan. He said he couldn't respect such a poor man pretending to be rich. It had confused me, because from what I could tell, Ethan was also exceptionally wealthy. But it should've been a red flag. If Jacob wouldn't respect Ethan because of his poorer status, how could he respect me?

“I send a little money her way and she’ll forgive me every time. But even without the money, where would she go? She's followed me around shamelessly since high school.”

“Aren’t you scared she’ll find out you have another ‘wife’?” Ethan asked. His voice was angry.

“What would she do if she found out?” Jacob challenged. “She still married me despite telling her about the bet. She's mine until I'm bored. Do you think she’d leave me?”

“Then why don’t you tell her?” Ethan asked.

Coral put a hand on Jacob’s thigh as he pulled his arm away from her and focused on Ethan.

“She knows. She doesn’t want to talk about it but she knows. So long as I send her some money after, she stays quiet. Why? Because it doesn't matter what I do. Do you think she’d leave me? She won’t.”

I wanted to walk into the room. I wanted to end whatever this conversation was. Or I at least wanted to stand up for myself.

But I wouldn’t. I already knew that I wouldn’t.

Jacob was right. I’d known all along what he was doing, and I chose to stay. I was too scared to leave him. I was scared he wouldn’t want me. I was scared of the pain of being without him. I was scared of what it would say about me that this relationship had failed. I was scared to acknowledge that on some level, I wasn't enough and I didn't deserve him.

He’d swept me off my feet so effortlessly when we were younger. He’d felt like I’d found the missing piece of my soul. I wanted – desperately – to be right. I wanted him to be my one and only. I wanted to be his.

It was too hard – too scary – to face reality.

So what if I went in there? I would stand there. Be humiliated by him and his friends. I’d give his mistress a face to target and mock.

Jacob wanted breakfast tomorrow. I would do that. No matter how much I hurt today, I would wake up and I would do exactly what he wanted. Like he knew I would.

I choked out a small cry and looked down. My fists clench. What would be my breaking point? When would I finally have enough of this?

Wasn't hearing his words a sign? He knew I loved him deeply. He knew I wouldn't leave him. He used it.

And his constant reminder that I was a gold-digger. How he’d bought me with money and now I was one of his objects. I loved money more than my own pride. But that was a lie.

If this were about money, I could just marry someone like Ethan. Ethan didn’t have as much as Jacob or the rest of their friends but he had so much more than I could’ve dreamed to have on my own. If I were a gold digger, he would be enough.

I was with him because I loved him more than I valued myself. I was obsessed with being with him. I got almost nothing I wanted or needed from him, but I was willing to suffer for the scraps of it.

And he knew that. He had to know that. That’s why he knew he could do this.

Slowly, I backed away from the door. I could no longer see inside but I could hear.

The laughter from the room grew.

“Tell us again how you got your parents to agree to the marriage?” Lex asked.

I think Jacob was drinking, but he put the glass down and laughed, “have you looked at Cassie? Very few royal families can match mine in money or stature. And no member of any family is as beautiful as Cassie. We don’t need more partnerships; we do need those genetics. I just had to walk her into the room and my parents saw the most gorgeous future grandkids.”

“So you wouldn’t have wanted her if she were ugly?” Marlow laughed.

Jacob burst out in a loud laugh, his voice was wildly amused, “I wouldn’t even have noticed she existed.”

I nodded to myself and continued backing away.

I could hear their voices echo into the hall, “she’s nothing like Coral, of course. Cory is very enjoyable to spend time with.”

I left before I had to hear more. My stomach curled in.

In the elevator was a long mirror. I’d always known I was pretty. I didn’t think I was really prettier than anyone else.

A part of me hated my face after hearing his words. A voice in the back of my head said to scar my face. If I scarred my face, he wouldn’t want me anymore. I couldn’t leave him, but maybe he could leave me.

I didn’t want to hurt myself, though.

By the bottom of the elevator I was completely numb. I wondered out of the elevator and toward the exit. By the time I reached the street, Ethan had raced down and hurried in front of me.

“Cassie—are you okay? What did… what did you hear?” I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t.

“He’s right.” I breathed. With only a pathetic nod and shrug, I added, “I won’t leave him.”

I had been so numb that I hadn’t realized Ethan had put a hand on both my shoulders. His fingers squeezed, and he tried to hold me steady.

“Cassie… can you look at me?” He put his jacket around my shoulders and started leading me towards a car, “I’ll get you home, okay?”

“What the hell are you doing?” That voice woke me up again.

Ethan’s hands were suddenly gone and Ethan stumbled back as Jacob wedged himself between us. He pushed Ethan again, then turned to take the jacket off my shoulders and throw it at Ethan.

“Is this what you left for? To meet my wife for the night?” Jacob demanded.

“Is she really your wife? Then you wouldn’t have been upstairs hugging and kissing—”

My eyes were still lost somewhere else but I saw the snap in Jacob’s arm as he punched Ethan.

“Hey—” I grabbed his arm to stop him from doing it again. Jacob looked down at me, first in shock, then in angry accusation.

"You're defending him now?" Jacob snapped furiously.

I said, “don’t hit him.”

“I can’t hit him?!” Jacob scoffed. “why the hell are you meeting him at a club?!”

“I wasn’t meeting him. I came to pick you up.” I argued.

“Is that why he has his arms around you—taking you home? He was upstairs with us, how did he know you were down here? And what did he have you in his arms?!”

“Who did you have your arms around tonight?” I demanded and watched his mouth tense. “You can’t even spend one night with your wife? You need to go find some whore at a club?!”

Jacob opened his mouth but then closed it, glanced at Ethan, now watching us, and then back to me. “Fine. How much do you want this time? Standard $100,000?”

“No.” I spat at him. “No, if you want me to forgive this, I need a million.”

“A million?!” He laughed in disbelief.

“If you can’t afford it, I’ll find someone who can.” I spat at him. His jaw clenched and the look in his eyes was wild and furious. He clearly had to keep some face.

“Fine. A million. I’ll send it to you later.”

“You’ll send it to me right now.” I disagreed, “or you can take your mistress home because I won’t be there.”

I don’t know where the words come from but I think we both knew I was bluffing. Still, he sucked in a deep breath, glanced at Ethan, then pulled out his phone and said, “fine. Done.”

“Great.” I spat at him, “are you coming home now?”

“No, I think I’ll finish doing what I paid a million dollars to be allowed to do tonight.” He backed away from me as he spoke, “I’ll be back around 7am. I’ll have chicken and waffles, I think.”

I glared at him as he grabbed Ethan by the collar and the two disappeared back into the club.

My husband – Jacob Asher – would rather spend 1 million dollars than be loyal to me. And somehow, I still haven’t been pushed to my breaking point.

Pathetic.