Chapter 1
Emily
“Oh you are awake. Congratulations on your wedding, I heard it was a small one.” A lady in white disrupted my thought which was already disoriented. The beeping sounds of the fucking heart monitor was making e everything worse.
“What did you just say?” I asked her.
“Your wedding? Your husband will be here to pick you up soon.” She smiled. All I could think of was how distorted her smile was, which was creepy as hell. All I can remember was travelling to France to check out my new appointment as the fashion manager in the agency. I remember the plane crashed. That was all, I didn't know how and when I had the time to plan a wedding. I had time to choose a man that I didn't know of. With the nature of my work, I had to have time for a man then why does the nurse know my history more than me?
“You must be joking. I was in a plane crash… I don't know what's going on.” I tried to tell her but she was so excited. Her admiration was appalling. I couldn't understand it. I tried to get up but the pain stopped me from moving an inch.
“What about the plane crash?” I asked her but she ignored me. “I am talking to you!”
“I'm sorry ma'am, but your husband will be with you shortly. You are stressed, you just need to relax.”
“I need to relax?! If I need to relax than why the fuck are telling me about some stupid marriage I do not know of who the fuck do you think you are?” I panicked, which raised an alarm. I spotted those passing through the hallways stopping and checking what was happening. I wanted to calm down, the pain was sickening but I couldn't deal with the rage which was caused by the rubbish they were spilling.
“Ma'am, please stay calm!”
“I am not going anywhere with anyone. I have no husband, I want to see my father. Dad?! Dad?!” They tried to hold me down but I couldn't do anything else than to force myself out of the grip. I succeeded, dashing out to the door, as soon as I opened the door. A tall handsome man blocked the entrance forcing me to look up at him. The iv drop was ripped off, dangling on my wrist. I feel the pain, the terror and my heart beating on each rhythm.
Who the fuck is this man? It was the only question that sang in my head in the meantime.
“Hey baby, I see that you are awake?” He smiled at me. It was one of the most profound smiles that I have seen in all my life. He was dressed in black, leaving a few buttons undone, holding a luggage and a bag on the other hand. “You look exhausted?” He turned to the nurses as they drooled over him. “I hope she didn't give you any trouble?” They shook their heads, flipping their hair, easing his worry. He dropped the bag, trying to touch me,I moved backwards.
His face was familiar but it was unclear where I knew him from.
“Don't fucking touch me.” Everyone here was with an accent , while me? I was just a prey in the midst of French wolves. “Who the fuck are you? Why are you using such names on me?”
“C'mon, babe. If that's a joke please stop it. I'm here to take you home. I thought I lost you with that plane crash. I'm happy you are here but you have to come let me take you home.” He tried to reach out to me but I moved back.
“Don't fucking touch me.” He stared at the nurses and they hopped on their ferry trying to give us privacy. As soon as they left, my rage tripled.
“Please, sir, whoever you are, I think you got the wrong person because I am not your wife and you need to go to hell. You do not know who you are messing with.!”
Whoever he is, chuckled, he stopped but thinking about my statement made him chuckle some more. I only got more angry because I felt stupid. “And who am I messing with?”
I gulped trying to come up with something that would match up with what I had initiated. “My father is a powerful man and you would be sorry after this stunt that you pulled.”
He laughed. “Your ‘powerful dad?’ was a long time account manager for Monette industries. I am the CEO. You seem to have a lot…”
“Oh!” The doctor interrupted his speech. I was eager to know what he was going to say. “I can see that you gave met your wife. Please after the surgery, you would need a lot of rest.” The female doctor stared at him like she could kiss him if not that I was standing there. She wasn't looking my way when she was talking about the drugs to take and the rest I needed to take. This man was receiving all the attention, while making invisible.
She flashed at his biceps before leaving.
“See, I do not know what you are talking about but I would like to know how you know my dad?” I remembered the statement he had made. “Never mind, I would just wait for my dad. I don't know who you are and I am not going anywhere with you.”
“Call me Cedric!” He carried both bags with one hands using the other to drag me out of the ward and out of the hospital. A strange range rover drove in front of us. The driver came down opening the door for us and he dragged me right in. I tried to scream.
“If you try to scream, I will make sure it will be the last time you make good use of your mouth.”
“I need to get down!” I calmly said.
“No, you don't. What you need to do is come home with me. Now, let's get something straightened out. The way you embarrassed me in there, I do not like it. I would never tolerate such nonsense from you. You will behave yourself because you belong to me! Your so-called father was the one who sold you to me. “
I was shocked trying to take it all in.
“No, he would not do that!” My eyes betrayed me as tears rolled down my cheeks.
“Well, he did. We are under a fucking contract and if you do not comply and do everything I tell you, you would go to jail. You are married to me and right now, you will do as I have said.”
I couldn't breathe.
EmilyHaving no time to process any of it, a thud jolted me up. Squinting my eyes open, I saw Cedric standing at the entrance of my door, all dressed up.“I am giving you a few minutes to get dressed.” He pointed at the blue box wrapped in ribbons. There was also a huge stack of cash by the side. “I got you something to wear. You are going with me to a work event. The cash is just for your upkeep. You can do whatever you want with it I do not care. Meet me downstairs in five minutes. I do not want to drag you out of here.” He was about to leave.“I am. still very weak from my surgery, I do not think I have to play charade with you this morning by attending a work event that I don't even know of..” I managed to say. I had no words to tell him. I was still pissed about the previous day and my life was spiraling into pieces and I was just catching the flames, getting burned as I go. It was frustrating.“Do I need to remind you that it is futile to object to this?”“I don't care how many
Emily“You will stay away from Elliott.” Cedric raised his voice as soon as we got home. I was blindsided. I didn't know that he had seen the two of us together… “Why? I don't see how that is any of your business. Who installed it isn't your concern.”He scoffed. “If you want to keep your life, you will think long and hard before you say another word.” I was about to speak but he raised his index finger, stopping me..”You can do anything you want, you can adhere to anything I tell you but take this one most seriously. Don't ever talk to that man Elliott. That is the first rule you shouldn't break “I wanted to counter his facts but he walked away before I could mention another word. One good thing about this contract was the fact that I got to communicate with the outside world. I grabbed my iPhone and dialed my father's number. It went straight to his voicemail. It was just like when I was in New York, where I couldn't reach him for weeks. He can't pull this trick on me and go off
Emily'One of the guards will take you to dinner.’ That was the only text I got from Cedric after getting dressed and waiting for him for over an hour. My mind wandered to where he must have been but I knew that sinking in the details was only going to make things worse. Before I called him with full rage, the guard walked in.“Sir, wanted me to take you to the location.” I shook my head in annoyance, following his trail. I thought we were going out elsewhere but this guard just took me to the other section of the house which only made sense why he was being dismissive in his text. I waited for Cedric outside the resort. I saw him come down from the car. He was walking towards me with a glow. Is that a smug I see? I asked myself. Not to enrage myself further, I could only keep my thoughts to myself. I didn't want to cause a scene. I just wanted to do away with this dinner and go back to my bed. I took several shots from my inhaler today because I didn't want to draw attention to myse
Emily. The silence in the morning after was deafening. “This isn't supposed to happen.” I scolded myself as I watched Cedric fall asleep on the other side of the bed. I was still feeling sore after last night. I thought of how demeaning I would be to him after I had met him inside of me. I had never been with any man, as much as I had friends in my place of work, I couldn't deal. with going to bed with a man. I was too busy making a life to live with a man. I had registered that life wasn't for me. It was clear even if I had a life ahead of me, I still didn't think that was possible. Dad was the only plausible event bringing me into this mess. If I could just reach out to me, I would like to know why he had sold me to a man as inconsiderate as this. Now I had met that same man inside me, breaking my virginity. Tears fell from my eyes.I remember the contract that he had given to me. There wasn't going to be anything like an emotional attachment, no children, and no link to his wea
Chapter 6Emily “An abortion?!” I yelled back at him. My body was still stiff from the fall. I had no account of Amber leaving. I knew I needed her and there was so much more I wanted to tell her. I knew I was sworn to secrecy but I needed her. Cedric kept a straight face, staring at me as I concluded that I was doomed. “You heard me right. I didn't stutter.” His French accent was getting in the way of his speech. Immediately, thoughts of me dying when it was done flooded my memories. “You must be very sick to think I would do as you have said! You brought me here, tampered with my will and you think I would listen to you?” Cedric poured himself a glass from the bottle of scotch hanging at the corner. Nothing ever made sense to me. Even when I was a stranger to him, the least he could do was just be kind and considerate.“No one has ever defiled me; who do you think you are to make such a decision for yourself?” Cedric glared at me. With the way he flared, I knew he was going to ra
EmilyI have stayed in my room for the longest time. Cedric had sent the maid to bring food but there was nothing that was digestible to me after hearing the news. The nightmare only grew worse because I was held here against my will. I thought of how I was ambushed at the hospital only to be a wife to the coldest man on earth. I could switch places with a homeless person who lives on the streets of Paris. I might as well faked my death or lived as a barista. Whoever might hear my story would only have one word for me. Whore. Even if I was far from that. It wasn't something that I wanted to place myself in this condition and not having Cedric support my decision only makes things worse for me. I tried to be okay with the decision I had made but I kept seeing the truth in what he wanted. Or what the contract had said. I shook my head immediately, as I stated in my misery. Sleeping and waking up drenched in tears. The maid had come in again.“Sir had instructed we give you your break
EmilyI was mortified as we walked passed through the emergency room I saw the number of people who were being treated, after being injured critically. Others had an impending illness that had immobilized them, causing them to be bedridden. There was only one truth that they might not know of; not all of them were going to make it back k home alive. Flashing images of Mom at the hospital blocked my vision as the hair on my skin rose due to fear…Sitting through the doctor's report of how she might not be coming home, disrupted every composure I had. There was this permanent grief that I had carried over the years, that was why I refrained from the clinics or hospital. I tried to stay away from all that grief that my PTSD had brought to me. I was back here because I was stupid enough to play with a man who had done everything in his power to steal a piece of me, leaving me empty and battered. We made a turn to the doctor's office. Claude went ahead but I stopped in my tracks. In a fe
Emily“I…” I tried to think of what to say. It was scary the way he stood there, all big and strong. I gulped in fear not knowing how to ensure that I was safe. There was no way I could know that; standing in a place I did not know only made my fear grow worse…“C'mon, don't be scared. I do not bite. Where are you heading to?”“I do…not know,” I told the truth. It was only a matter of time before I might be in danger as he stared at me like a huge snack.“I am trying to go to the American embassy here. I just want to get you out of here. First, I need a route to a friend.” I thought of my phone, showing him the address. I had to look for Dad because he was the only one who could explain to me why I was in this mess. There didn't seem to be a way out.“You are very far from this route you have given me.” He relaxed, seeing how helpless I was. He breathed. “If you are okay with it, I can show you to the place leading to where you are going, but you have to follow me.” I hesitated, but