All Chapters of I Lost Everything and Became My Husband's Thrall: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Chapter 31I could swear I'd just caught sight of Joseph!I swept my eyes back to where his face had been, scanning the crowd in front of the stage.He wasn't there.My mind, and anxiety, must have been playing tricks on me.After all, Joseph was out of town. How could he possibly show up here?As I was lost in thought, the music started.I'd studied dance for 20 years.As soon as I heard the music, I instantly knew what to do.I'd told Jacob to play me a simple modern dance track, but seeing as how the audience liked the gyrating girls before me, I made sure to throw in a few provocative twists.There were loud cheers from the crowd.I suddenly thought of my father's debts and pictured my mother's tear-stained face.I put every last ounce of effort into dancing, hoping to gain as many votes as possible.After a few minutes, the music stopped and my performance was over.The cheering and applause carried on unbroken.I bowed to the crowd and then returned backstage.When I got there,

Chapter 33Flirt with him?I had no idea how.Compliment him?Looking at his frosty expression, nothing pleasant came to mind.I stared at his ice-cold face for what seemed an age before finally opening my mouth. "Can you please vote for me? This is truly very important.""Is that so?"Joseph laughed briefly, his eyes showing no signs of mirth.The sound sent shivers through my soul.With how much he hated me, there was no chance he would let me get what I wanted.But I needed that 300,000 dollars. I had to have it.I discarded what little self-respect I had left, after all, I'd come this far, I could hardly walk away now.Jacob was growing impatient, he blurted out, "Come on, don't draw it out, who are you voting for?"My eyes were fixed tightly on Joseph.As long as he didn't vote for contestant number 27, I would walk away with 300,000 dollars.But it was clear that his appearance at this hour, in this place, could only be to throw a spanner in the works.What was I to do?How coul

Chapter 35As soon as I opened my mouth, I heard someone shouting on the other end of the line.My brother hurriedly said to me, "Anna, I have to go. We'll talk later..."And with that, the phone cut off. The words I was about to say, "Can you come and pick me up," were left hanging in the air.I hugged my arms tightly around myself and looked out into the dark night. It was the first time I'd ever felt like I had no home to go to.I sat down on the steps, feeling lost. I had no idea where to turn.I thought about asking Dani for help, but then I remembered she was out of town.She'd sent me a message that afternoon telling me she was going to the country to visit her mother. She probably wouldn't be back for another few days.The night wind was cold, my heart colder.If my brother was still busy at this time, it could only be because he was trying to pay off my father's debts.As for me, I'd spent the entire day busy with nothing to show for it.Thinking about how close I'd been to c

Chapter 37His face was flushed with anger, his voice scornful. "What did I say to you before I left?"I remained silent.This time, his rage was real. His fingers dug into my flesh, causing a wave of intense pain that resonated from my jaw.His voice was icy cold. "I warned you not to do anything that would make me angry. You promised you would behave, but then what did you do?"Anna Tate, you just can't help lying, can you?"He started pulling at my clothes. The flimsy maid's dress I was wearing was no match for his powerful hands.I pathetically tried to cover my chest with my hands, my eyes rimmed in red. "Don't do this!""Don't do what?"His voice dripped venom and spite."You go out dressed like this, dancing up there on that stage. Isn't this what you want?"If it wasn't me, it would be someone else. Maybe one of the men in that hotel."If it were one of them and not me, would you be more willing?""Joseph, that's enough!"I stared at him, the hurt plain on my face. "Do you eve

I was still wondering how my brother had managed to get his hands on so much money when a faint voice came through the phone. It sounded like a nurse.I frowned. "Ian, what’s going on? Where are you?""Haha, where else would I be? At work, of course!""No. Something's not right. Are you at the hospital?" I had clearly heard the words 'changing bandages' just now."Of course not. I’m fine. Why would I be at the hospital? Anyway, I’ve got to go. Talk later!"My brother hastily hung up the phone. It was obvious that he was lying.When he didn’t want to tell me something, it didn’t matter how much I pressed him—he wouldn’t say a word.Frustrated and worried, I started digging around for answers. Eventually, I found out the truth: my brother had been working as a stunt double to scrape together money. The night before, he was shooting a particularly dangerous scene. His safety harness wasn’t secured properly and he fell and injured his leg.When I got to the hospital, I found my brother lyi