The tension in the villa had become unbearable.I moved through the days like a shadow of myself — playing with the children on the beach, reading them bedtime stories, forcing smiles while my mind screamed. The rose-gold collar around my neck, once a source of dark comfort, now felt like a noose tightening with every breath.Alexander watched me like a hawk. He canceled more meetings, stayed closer to the house, and made sure I was never truly alone. His love had always been possessive, but now it felt like a cage with golden bars.One evening, after the children were asleep, I found him in his study. He was reviewing documents, the same desk where everything had started to unravel. I stood in the doorway, heart pounding, one hand protectively over my pregnant belly.“I can’t keep pretending,” I said quietly. “Every time you touch me, I see her face. Every time you call me babygirl, I remember what you did to my mother.”Alexander looked up slowly. He set his pen down and leaned back
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