Chapter One

“Jace! I'm sorry.” I winced in pain at being slammed into a table.

“Will you do it or not?” he threatened, glaring daggers at me.

“I-I don't, I can't, Jace, we can't continue—” A loud smack rang across the room, and my face snapped to the side.

A loud, ugly sob ripped past my throat as I slid onto the floor weakly, my hand supporting my tiny bump through my dress.

Jace’s eyes followed my movement, and I watched as he stared daggers at my belly. Then his fierce glare returned to my eyes, shining with a newfound anger.

“Why does your belly look that way?” Jace growled out.

“W-what way?” I asked, looking everywhere but at him.

“Like—you are—, you cannot be, right?” Jace chuckled bitterly, shaking his head like he was beginning to lose his patience with me.

“I-I don't k-know what you mean,” I stuttered, holding my breath and praying he’d let this go.

His eyes moved to my belly again. I let out a loud yelp as he yanked me roughly towards himself. He snatched my dress up with no care in the world and placed a hand against my belly.

“You bitch! Didn't I tell you not to get pregnant again?” Jace barked, and more sobs began to ripple through my throat as I cried out, scared out of my mind.

“I tried, you didn't listen to me the other—” Another slap sent me back to the floor, and I felt my vision go completely black for a moment.

“So now it's my fault, huh?”

“N-no, no, that was not what I meant,” I tried to beg, my hand protectively against my belly.

I could not bear for any harm to come to this baby. I would not survive through losing another child.

“How do you expect us to raise a child when you refuse to help me provide for the family?” Jace suddenly switched. I could hear the sick smile in his voice, and I felt my stomach drop.

“Here's what will happen. If you want to keep this child alive, you will help me do what I ask.” My mouth went dry at his words.

“What? You don't want to?” Jace asked, leaning down to roughly grip onto my hair.

I shook my head in a rush. “No, no, I'-I’ll do it,” I told him shakily.

The creepy smile that appeared on his face made me want to throw up. He leaned in to press a rough kiss to my lips, leaving me whimpering.

“That's a good girl. Go on and rest; tomorrow is a big day.” Jace smiled before walking away, slamming the front door open and shut in his wake.

I slumped onto the floor weakly, my sobs filling the quiet house.

Stupid. I was so stupid.

My husband, Jace Thomas, was a small-town mischievous gambler, bully, and a thief. But whatever deal that made him so excited—more than I'd seen him in a very long while—could never be good.

I wanted to run away so badly, but I had nowhere to run to. My only family was Jace. I'd known him since I was a child, long before my father gambled me off to him when I was nineteen years old, and I'd been married to him ever since.

~~~~~~

It was so early in the morning when Jace jerked me awake.

“It's time, Wifey,” Jace informed me with an unusual smile—probably high, I concluded.

“You're high,” I point out, my exhausted eyes going over his form, even after knowing my remark could cost me a blow to my face.

Jace’s eyes narrowed at me in annoyance. “It's good for the job,” he barked.

“Get your ass up. We need to get to work.” It was then that I heard loud voices coming from downstairs.

I didn't question him. I just clumsily rushed into the bathroom and spent a fast fifteen minutes washing up and getting ready.

The sight of his gang of goons greeted us as we reached the end of the stairs.

Some of them whistled at me, while some stared inappropriately at me, and Jace did nothing to stop it—as usual.

“Sit your ass down,” he sneered at me, and I sighed tiredly. This was the usual ritual. His men would stare every inch of me down, but he was only ever mad at me.

“So here's what's going to happen,” he began.

“We head out at 8 a.m. All I need is for you to keep a few men distracted only for a little while, and we get the job done.”

I wanted to oppose so badly, but that would mean getting beat up beyond recognition.

I nodded my head sheepishly in acknowledgement.

A gasp of horror left my body when Jace’s men began to pick up weapons I hadn't noticed on the table and stuff them into their waistbands before filing out of the room.

“J-J-Jace, y-you're not going to k-kill anyone, are you?” I forced air into my lungs, my shaking hands gripping hard onto my dress.

Something was terribly wrong. Jace had guns before, but it was only to act scary. Today felt horribly different, and it left a horrid feeling in my belly.

“As long as you use your perfect charm on those men, no one will need to die today.” Jace moved closer to me until we were breaths apart, a sick smile on his face and his eyes filled with lust.

“Then maybe I will think about letting you keep that child.” He hummed, and I nodded quickly.

That's all I asked. I had given up on dreaming and hoping for a different life. All I'd ever wanted was a family of my own, to experience a different kind of love—to love and truly be loved in return. If I couldn't have that from my father and husband, all hope that was left was from my own child.

---

My legs wouldn't stop shaking. I had cracked my knuckles more times than I could count, and I was trying my hardest not to piss Jace off with my fidgeting.

I was dressed up in the sluttiest dress Jace could find. I was clumsy, a coward, easily scared, and always paranoid, yet Jace somehow believed I had a knack for seducing men, so he made me do it all the time. I was certain he found the fun in whatever made me suffer.

“Now look. All you have to do is pretend to be injured and stranded. Stop the car, beg for a ride, bat your eyelids at them, whatever—but I need you to stall the car in front of that bus for fifteen minutes, alright? Nothing beats a woman in distress.” Jace commented with a scoff.

“Answer me, dammit!” I jumped at the sudden raise of his voice.

“Y-yes.”

“Do not mess this up, Giselle, or else people will get hurt—and you don't want that, right?”

“I don't.” My voice was barely above a whisper.

“Now go!”

And with my heart in my throat, my palm slightly grazing my belly, I did as he instructed.