"No reason, I just lost my temper. I'm sorry." He apologized, but his apology wasn't going to help me now. I pulled myself to my feet and told him, "I'm sorry too. I need some time alone, don't follow me." I told him sternly and left the office. I took a cab to the only place that brought me peace. I went to the cemetery to visit Mum. The moment I reached her headstone, I busted into tears. It was like all the tears I had been trying to hold back for so long, came pouring out that moment. "I'm getting married Mum," I started, "you're probably wondering why I'm crying when I have such good news. I'm crying because I'm not happy, everything is a mess down here. Dad wants to marry me off to a stranger. My life wouldn't be like this if you were here mum. Why did you leave? Why?"I wailed profusely. Although I never get any response when I visit, this place always made me feel like a part of Mum would always be with me. I spent the remainder of the day there and left when it was dark.

Ethan had kept true to his words, he had locked me in that room all night and he had brought home a different woman to keep his company every night as well.After that Monday, I hadn't even thought about going to work again. Our cycle just continued, he'd bring me food and lock the door whenever I was done eating. He had taken my phone away from the first night I had gotten to this house, that was why Jake had not been able to reach me all those times and since that fateful Monday as well, Jake hadn't come back to ask about me. It hurt because he believed everything I had said and the look on his face as I was crushing him haunts me every time I try to sleep in the night. I couldn't believe this was what my life had now been reduced to, I was now more or less a prisoner in what was supposed to be my husband's house. Today was Saturday and Ethan's new guest kept him busy all through the night as well. I didn't know how he was getting those girls, well I did. He was Ethan Robinson,

Things have been quiet since that night Ethan slapped me. After locking me in my room again, I didn't hear anything from him the next morning. He didn't even bother to bring me breakfast, he had the maids doing that and he also told them that they could unlock the door to my room. I was now free to roam about the house. There wasn't much I could do but I was grateful for a little freedom and some breath of fresh air at least. The whole apartment was so dry and bare, there was nothing to look at. And because of the workers around, there was nothing I could do as well. I took solace in Ethan's study though, I didn't want him to know I even stepped foot in his office. So every morning after he left for work, I'd go there, pick a book to read for the day and I'd make sure to return it to its rightful position before he got back in the night. So far, that has been helping me and I was more than happy just to be able to do one of the things I loved so dearly, reading. After Ethan left

Ethan was seething at the scene playing out in front of him. Here I was in my childhood home, with my stepbrother who may or may not be in love with me, his hands were wrapped around my waist and we were pressed together tightly. I knew the scene was misleading, but if Ethan had come up even a few seconds earlier, he would have seen what happened. He would have seen that, while I was trying to get away from Dad and take refuge in my room, I had accidentally slammed into Jake and to keep me from falling, Jake had wrapped his arms around my waist and held me up. I knew there was no way he would believe us now, especially me as any type of excuse or reason I tried to give him would only make me look guilty but I still had to try. Just as I was about to open my mouth and talk, Ethan's voice beat me to it, "Do you plan on going into him or he's going to let you go at some point, next year perhaps?" He asked me in a cold voice. I was confused at first because I had no idea what he was r

Chapter Ten. FLASHBACK TO FIVE YEARS AGO. Ethan Robinson had just graduated from college and he couldn't be more ready to step into the real world and take on some real responsibilities. He was eager, he was passionate and he wanted to get his hands dirty, as he liked to say. His father had been promising him ownership of the company ever since his older brother made the decision not to take over, Ethan couldn't understand the reason behind his brother's decision, it was their family's legacy afterall, but all Liam told him was that he would understand later on. Liam was newly wedded and Ethan thought this was the reason why he had refused to accept the position, how could he chose to spend more time with his wife whom he was going to be with for the rest of their lives over carrying on a family's legacy? Ethan would never understand, at least not yet, but he was so certain he wasn't going to make the same mistakes his brother had made that rendered him at the mercy of another wo