Chapter 1Emily“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 tr
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
CedricI stared at her. It was the least I could do to keep my emotions at bay. I didn't know how to approach the situation, especially when Elliott had related to me about their relationship. I knew something was going on, but they were willing to deny everything while I was watching them. I became more furious, seeing how she had sold herself to a man like Elliott. I couldn't think of anything else that could be more demeaning than coming to terms with the fact that she had been with him all along. It made me rethink the story of her kidnap. Was she truly missing? What was she up to? I saw how she stretched herself, in her seat. I wanted to help her, but then that she still had that thing in her womb even after I had Instructed that she had gotten rid of it. It was the same issue that caused her disappearance for weeks. Something that hadn't settled well with me since then.The air around us was tense. She was under my predatory glance every time as she stared out the window. I cou
CedricEmily was glaring at me, her eyes wild with fury, but I didn’t care. Not anymore. I had no time for her tantrums or misplaced anger. After everything I’d done for her, the least she could do was listen."Emily’s just going through a lot right now," Elliot said, his voice calm but strained. He was standing too close to her, like he always did. It made my blood boil. "You should take her home, Cedric."I laughed, a sharp, bitter sound that echoed off the walls. "You must think I’m stupid, Elliot." I took a step closer, eyes narrowing on him. “Are you sleeping with my wife?”He flinched, just a small movement, but enough for me to see. I could smell the guilt on him like cheap cologne. His eyes darted to Emily for the briefest second before he quickly shook his head. “No. Of course not.”Emily stood up straighter, chin held high, defiance written all over her face. “How does it affect you, Cedric?" she shot back. "When you’re cheating on me yourself?”I turned to her, rage flashin
EmilyI stood there, my body tense, my eyes fixed on Cedric as he stepped closer. His presence was always unnerving, but this time, it was more than that. He had been absent when I needed him most, and now he thought he could simply demand my return, as if nothing had happened. I was not going back without answers."Emily, you need to go home," Elliot's voice came from beside me, low and urgent. He reached out to touch my arm, but I pulled away, glaring at him."Home?" I scoffed, shaking my head. "Where was he when I was missing? Where the hell were you?" My voice rose, filled with the frustration and betrayal that had been building up ever since my disappearance.Cedric’s jaw tightened as he looked at me, his eyes cold. "I don’t have to explain myself to you," he said, voice calm but edged with threat. He was always like this—untouchable, self-assured. “Return with me now, or you’ll face the consequences.”Consequences. The word sent a shiver down my spine, but I refused to back down
Emily Elliot had been behaving strangely. The softness he had when I first arrived seemed to have vanished into thin air. I tried to think of what I might have done that would create such indifference in him before he left. I couldn't come up with anything. I knew how I was with Cedric, and he hadn't made me feel even the slightest way Elliot had made me feel. I felt safe for the first time in a long while, and that was why I felt sick to my stomach. Knowing that something was off with him when I knew that was not how he reacted.I sighed, wandering around the house, not knowing how to release the anxiety that settled in my bones. "Ma'am?!" I snapped out of my thoughts as I heard the subtle voice of the maid. Subtle but sharp. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were standing there.""I guess you are worried. If there is anything I can do to help." I smiled, shaking my head. She dropped the tray holding the glass of juice in place. "It's fine. It's just been a few hours since Elliot w
CedricI drove with purpose, gripping the steering wheel tighter than necessary as I navigated through the city streets toward Elliott ’s club. The day was overcast, a fitting backdrop for the irritation gnawing at me. Elliott. His name had come up far too often lately, and I wasn’t about to let him continue slipping under the radar. Emily’s disappearance had changed everything. I had to know if he was involved, no matter how friendly he acted.When I arrived, Elliott was already waiting for me outside the club, leaning casually against the side of his car. He straightened up as I pulled into the lot and stepped out. As usual, his face held that annoyingly neutral expression, the one that made it hard to gauge what he was really thinking.I approached him, taking a deep breath to calm the simmering anger inside me. I wasn’t here to start a fight. Not yet."Elliott," I greeted, keeping my voice steady."Hey, Cedric," he replied, flashing me that too-friendly grin of his. "What's going
EmilyI wandered through Elliott’s house, letting my mind drift as I moved from room to room. There was something calming about the quiet space, the soft hum of the wind outside, the creak of the floorboards under my feet. After everything that had happened, I needed this—a moment of peace, of silence, where I could pretend, just for a little while, that things weren’t so complicated.As I ran my hand along the wall, I started to daydream. I imagined a life here, with Elliott. Me, him, and our child. I could see it so clearly, like a picture-perfect fantasy that felt almost within reach. I pictured Elliott in the kitchen, cooking like he did this morning, laughing as our child ran around the house. The thought brought a small smile to my face, even though deep down, I knew it wasn’t that simple. Nothing ever was. But in that moment, I allowed myself to dream.Eventually, I found myself standing in front of Elliott’s bedroom door. Curiosity tugged at me, and I pushed it open gently, st
ElliottI headed into the kitchen, wanting to clear my head. The quiet sounds of chopping vegetables, the simmer of a pan—cooking had always been my escape, even when I was a kid. Emily was resting in the other room, and I figured she could use a good meal. After everything that happened, she deserved something normal. Something that didn’t remind her of the nightmare she had just escaped.I heard the soft shuffle of feet behind me and turned around to see her, dressed in my clothes. They were a little too big on her, but she looked comfortable, almost at peace for the first time since I’d found her. My heart clenched at the sight, a mix of emotions I wasn’t used to feeling.“Smells good,” she said with a small smile, walking closer to the counter. “Where did you learn to cook like this?”I turned back to the stove, focusing on the food instead of her. “When I was a kid,” I answered, my voice coming out rougher than I intended. “Had to learn since… I didn’t have a mother to do it for
CedricI clenched my fists as I prepared to leave, the frustration boiling beneath my skin. This entire situation was spiraling out of control. Emily had been missing for days, and with each passing moment, the stress gnawed at me. I could barely think straight. My mind was clouded with a mix of anger, fear, and something I didn’t want to admit—regret.Claude, of course, wasn’t helping.“You really think you’ll find her here?” he asked, trailing behind me like an annoying shadow. His tone was casual, almost amused, as if this whole thing was some kind of game to him.I stopped in my tracks, spinning around to face him. “Why the hell are you following me?” I snapped, my patience running thin. “This isn’t a joke, Claude. Emily’s missing, and I don’t have time for your games.”He raised his hands in mock surrender, a smirk playing on his lips. “Relax, Cedric. I’m just here for the show. You know how much I enjoy watching you squirm.”I narrowed my eyes at him, resisting the urge to punch
Elliott The door creaked open as I pushed it with my shoulder, my arms full of clean clothes for Emily. I wasn't sure if she'd be awake, or if she even wanted to see me. But I needed to check on her, to make sure she was comfortable. As I stepped into the room, the first thing I saw made me stop dead in my tracks. The clothes slipped from my hands and fell to the floor.Emily stood there, barely dressed, her skin still glistening with the moisture from her shower. The sight of her half-naked body froze every coherent thought in my mind. My pulse quickened as my eyes roamed over her, unwillingly taking in every inch of her exposed skin. I wasn't prepared for this.She didn't seem to notice my reaction. "Your bathroom is amazing." she said casually, as if she wasn't walking toward me like that. My mouth went dry, and I swallowed hard, trying to pull my thoughts back together.I averted my eyes, forcing myself to look anywhere but at her. "Here," I muttered, picking up the clothes and t