Chapter 2

Daylight broke.

Carter never came back.

The pain intensified until I couldn't take it anymore, so I finally dialed 911 for an ambulance.

While waiting for the paramedics, I scrolled through Ins. A new post from Chloe popped up right on my feed.

Her post basically said that some thugs had tried to harass her at a bar, but Carter arrived just in time to rescue her. He got into a brawl with them and even took a punch for her, which touched her deeply.

Attached below was a photo of Chloe, eyes glistening with tears, gently dabbing antiseptic on Carter’s bruised face.

Her caption read:

"True love can conquer all odds, and brave all storms."

A comment underneath read: "How can you resist a guy that gorgeous right in front of you? Girl, is there something wrong with your taste?"

Another piped up: "Right?! If he were in front of me, I’d be tending to his wounds too... just in a very different way..."

Chloe replied with a smug smirk emoji: "What's the rush? He'll be mine sooner or later!"

Then, another user posted a video in the comments: "OMG, what a coincidence! I saw you guys there!"

In the clip, Chloe was sobbing into his chest, looking delicate and helpless, while Carter shoved the thugs aside and wrapped an arm around her, leading her out.

The look in his eyes when he stared down at her was so tender, so fiercely protective.

It suddenly hit me—two weeks ago, Carter had invited a group of friends out for drinks at an exclusive private lounge.

When I arrived, nobody was there yet. Carter had texted saying he had urgent business at the office and would be there shortly.

Not long after, a man walked in.

He was one of Carter’s business partners, Logan.

Carter talked about him all the time, saying he was young and ambitious. Within two years of taking over his company, he’d already closed a Series B funding round and was heading for an IPO.

Logan sized me up from head to toe, then slid closer to where I was sitting.

"Hey, beautiful. You're even hotter than Carter described."

Stunned, I opened my mouth to speak, but his hand clamped over my mouth before I could make a sound.

"Carter told me you have an incredible body—curves in all the right places, and completely submissive. No matter how rough anyone plays with you, you never fight back."

Logan violently grabbed a fistful of my hair, forcing my body flush against his. He whispered directly into my ear, "Is that true? You really don't fight back? No matter what I do to you..."

I shoved him with everything I had, thrashing to break free.

My resistance pissed him off. He leaned in and sank his teeth viciously into my neck. When I bit back a scream, he took his freshly lit cigar and pressed the glowing tip right against my chest.

The searing burn sent blinding agony through me. With a burst of adrenaline, I shoved him off and bolted out of the room.

As I ran into the lobby, I literally ran into Carter and Chloe.

Carter looked right through me as if I didn't exist. Wrapping an arm around Chloe’s waist, he casually guided her past me.

Chloe even turned back to give me a smug little wave.

Hanging around her flawless, pale neck was a breathtaking, heart-shaped yellow diamond necklace.

It looked painfully familiar.

Carter had won it at a Sotheby’s auction. He told me back then that he was saving it as my Christmas gift.

Later, he claimed I was too fat to pull it off.

It wasn't until the middle of the night that Carter stumbled home, reeking of alcohol.

"Faith, what the hell was your problem today? You stormed off before everyone even arrived! Who gave you the right to act like some spoiled brat?"

Instead of answering his shouting, I unbuttoned my sleep shirt. I showed him the raw bite mark on my neck and the blistered cigar burn on my chest.

His expression twisted in shock, and he stepped closer.

"Babe, are you okay? How did this happen?"

I told him every single detail of what Logan did to me at the lounge.

He scoffed, his face turning cold.

"Faith, do you get off on lying to me?"

"If you're going to lie, at least make up something believable! Why would Logan ever want you? Did you use some pathetic trick to throw yourself at him?"

He grabbed my hair and dragged me over to the full-length mirror in the closet. The reflection staring back at me was a total wreck—messy hair, face stained with tears, eyes swollen like golf balls.

"Take a good, hard look at yourself, Faith. Who the hell would ever want you?"

"Look at the fat on your stomach. Don't you make yourself sick?"

With that, he walked out and slammed the bedroom door. I collapsed on the floor of the closet, sobbing until sunrise.

The next day, Carter bought me a Cartier diamond necklace to smooth things over.

I thought I could bury that humiliation and pretend it never happened. But seeing that video in Chloe's Ins comments brought it all flooding back—the exact same disgust and mockery in his eyes.

The siren wailed as the ambulance pulled up. The paramedics lifted me onto the stretcher.

While lying in the ER with an IV running into my vein, I texted my best friend, Mia.

Mia, I'm getting a divorce.