Chapter 3

By the time the car wheels finally hit the last stretch of familiar asphalt, dawn was breaking.

No GPS, my phone confiscated. I relied on blurry memories, taking countless wrong turns.

Just as the gas tank neared empty, I finally spotted the familiar streetlamp outside my house.

Pushing open the car door, the scabs on my knees tore open, a sharp pain shooting through me. Every step felt like walking on knives.

I crept into my mother's room. Seeing her lying peacefully in bed, the worry that had gnawed at me all day finally eased.

After tucking her blankets in, I dragged my exhausted body towards our bedroom.

The moment I reached the doorway, the sounds from inside froze me.

It was Chloe's soft humming, laced with laughter, and Damian's low gasps.

My heart pounded, and my fingers trembled as I pushed the door open just a crack. The sight before me made my stomach churn.

Chloe sat on Damian, her fingers twisting a black leather chain.

The other end was fastened around Damian's neck. She leaned in, whispering something into his ear.

Damian's head rested against the headboard, his eyes half-closed, a look of submission I'd never seen on his face.

Chloe seemed to sense my gaze. She turned, and seeing me, she didn't even try to hide.

Instead, she smiled and raised the chain in her hand.

"Skylar, you've come at just the right time."

Damian opened his eyes, his gaze on me as cold as ice. "Why are you standing in the doorway? Come in."

My feet felt like lead, utterly unable to move.

That was our bedroom, our bed, now a place for their sordid affair.

Nausea rose in my throat. I covered my mouth, wanting to turn and run, but Damian's sharp voice stopped me.

"Stop! Who told you to leave?"

Chloe slid off Damian, straightened her wrinkled skirt, and walked over to me. She reached out and patted my face.

"Skylar, Damian wants you to stay and serve us. You can't be disobedient, can you?"

As she spoke, she handed me a silver tray holding a glass of iced water. The chill of the ice seeped through the silver to my fingertips, making me shiver.

"If Damian gets thirsty later, you'll feed him water."

I clutched the silver tray, my fingertips turning numb.

Damian leaned against the headboard, looking at me with a sneer.

"What? Not willing? I saved your life, and you won't even do this much for me?"

His words pierced my heart like needles.

I remembered the car accident three years ago.

He'd thrown himself over me, pulling me from the mangled car, only to have a falling steel plate crush his lower body.

I remembered crying as I called off my engagement with Liam, saying,

"I owe him my life; I have to repay it."

I remembered my father, before he died, grasping my hand and saying, "Damian is a reliable man. I trust him with the family business."

For three years, he had indeed done well, managing the family company my father left behind, tripling its size.

I thought that by giving him my marriage, my submission, and our family's resources, I had repaid him enough.

But when did he become like this?

Was it when he took over the family business and Chloe appeared by his side?

Or was it when he started mocking me more and more often, always bringing up the 'debt of gratitude' to torment me with my own guilt?

I looked at him now, his eyes filled with nothing but harsh judgment for me, and my heart ached as if being torn apart.

I could only stand by the bed, holding the silver tray.

Chloe returned to Damian's side, picked up a feather, and gently ran it across his chest.

"Damian, want to go again?"

Damian's breathing grew heavier. Chloe occasionally glanced at me, her eyes full of provocation.

I don't know how long passed, my eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Leaning against the wall, my head kept drooping.

In a daze, a splash of icy liquid suddenly hit my face.

"How could you fall asleep?" Chloe laughed. "Damian's waiting for his water."

Damian sat up, looking at my soaked appearance, and sneered.

"I saved your life, and you can't even stay awake for a bit? Or are you thinking about someone else?"

He paused. "Liam's back, aren't you happy?"

I snapped my head up, looking at him in disbelief.

"What, nothing to say?" Damian watched me, the sharpness in his eyes deepening. "Did I hit a nerve? The moment Liam came back, you just couldn't wait to see him?"

"No, that's not it." I finally found my voice. "I haven't even seen him."

Damian scoffed, then abruptly swept the water glass off the nightstand, sending it crashing to the floor.

"Still lying! Look at this!"

Damian didn't listen to my explanations at all. He stood up, walking towards me step by step, his tall frame casting a shadow over me.

"Believe me, after marrying you, I haven't had any contact with him."