CHAPTER ONE: THE BIRTHDAY PARTY.

Bella's pov.

My eyes sparkled as I put on my favorite dress for my birthday dinner party. Jake had planned a special night with our friends, and I couldn't wait to celebrate with him. Maybe just maybe he would propose today,I smiled in Excitement expecting him to be extra loving and attentive.

As we drove to the party, I leaned in close to Jake, hoping he'd take my hand or whisper something sweet in my ear. But Jake just focused on the road, his eyes fixed on the traffic ahead.

"Hey, are you excited for tonight?" I asked, trying to sound playful.

"Yeah, yeah, it'll be fine," Jake replied, his tone dismissive.

My excitement started to fade, replaced by a growing sense of annoyance. Why was Jake being so distant?

At the party, things didn't improve. Jake barely came close to me or looked my way, I felt so invisible. When I tried talking to him he cut me off, his words dripping with condescension.

"Jake what's wrong,you have been acting like am invisible,Did I do anything wrong?"

"Oh, Bella, you wouldn't understand," he said, rolling his eyes

My anger simmered just below the surface.

When we finally got home, my frustration boiled over. "You barely noticed me all night," I let out, my voice shaking with hurt.

Jake sneered, his eyes cold. "You're being dramatic, Bella. It's just a party."

My anger turned to rage. "You only care about yourself!" I threw at him

Jake's face twisted into a cruel smile. "Maybe I do," he said, his voice dripping with malice. "And maybe you're just not worth my attention."

In a flash, Jake's hand shot out, his fingers wrapping around my arm like a vice. He yanked me close, his eyes blazing with anger. "You need to learn to shut up and be grateful," he hissed.

I tried to pull away, but Jake's grip only tightened. He shoved me against the wall, his fingers digging into my skin. My head spun as he raised his hand, his palm connecting with my cheek in a stinging slap.

The next morning, My eye was swollen and black, a painful reminder of Jake's cruelty. I gazed at my reflection, my heart heavy with fear and uncertainty.

I stood in front of the mirror, my eyes fixed on the dark bruise spreading across my cheekbone. I winced, remembering the sting of Jake's hand connecting with my skin.

I took a deep breath and reached for my makeup bag, determined to cover the evidence of Jake's cruelty. As a secretary, I couldn't afford to show up to work looking like this.

I carefully applied a thick layer of foundation, trying to blend the edges of the bruise into my skin tone. I added a dusting of powder, hoping to set the makeup in place. But no matter how hard I tried, the black eye still seemed to stare back at me a constant reminder of Jake's abuse.

I put on my most professional outfit, a crisp white blouse and a pencil skirt, hoping to distract from my face. But as I headed to the kitchen to grab her coffee, I caught a glimpse of myself in the window reflection. The bruise seemed to mock me.

I felt so broken thinking on how I was going to face my colleague's, not to talk of having to see that monsters face at work today.

Jake was the CEO of J's Automobile, the company I worked at and I wasn't just a worker I was his secretary so there was no way I was going to avoid him.

Taking a deep breath, I grabbed my bag and headed out the door, steeling for another day of pretending that everything was fine. Getting to the company compound I tried avoiding eye contact with anybody as I tried using my hands to cover my face as I walked into the company's building dropping my head .

But as I walked into the office, my coworkers couldn't help but stare, when I sensed the stares of people piercing through me I knew there was no need hiding it was already obvious. The dark bruise spreading across my cheekbone complementing the swollen eyes, whispers circulated around the room, and soon, people were gathering around my desk, concern etched on their faces.

"Bella, what happened?" My colleague Emily asked, her voice low and gentle.

I forced a laugh, trying to brush it off. "Oh, I just ran into a door. Clumsy me!"

But no one believed me, it was too fake to cover for the wound, They exchanged skeptical glances, and I knew I had to think fast.

"Okay !okay! ,you got me. I was trying to get a book off the top shelf and lost my balance," I added, trying to sound convincing as I turned looking at Jake through the blinds by the side of my desk, when his eyes met mine, I immediately looked away.

Almost immediately Jake appeared at my side, his smile charming and reassuring.

"Hey, Bella, how's it going? I see you're getting a lot of attention today."

He placed a possessive hand on my shoulder, and I felt a surge of unease. I knew he was just trying to save face in front of his employees deceiving them into believing we were a loving couple. Fake!

As the day went on, Jake continued to act sweet and attentive, but I wasn't ready to give him the attention he needed, I was so angry at him to the extent of ruining his reputation but I loved him, if I didn't, a report saying 'The CEO of J's Automobile is nothing but a monster who beats women' would have made the headlines.

Later that day my phone buzzed with a text from Jake.

"Hey, I'm so sorry about last night. I was stressed and took it out on you. Can you please forgive me?"

My eyes narrowed, her anger simmering ,I knew his apology was just a way to control me to keep me from speaking out against him. I didn't reply his message, ignoring him completely.

It was almost time to close so I hurriedly finished whatever I was doing and hastily gathered my things and left the office as soon as the clock struck five. I was tired of the pity stare I had been getting from my colleague's.

Getting home I had no expectations at all ,I opened the door and I was greeted by the aroma of cooking food and the soft glow of candles. Jake stood in the kitchen, a charming smile on his face.

"Hey, I'm glad you're home," he said, his voice dripping with sincerity. "I made your favorite dinner. I know I messed up, and I want to make it right."

My defenses faltered slightly at the effort he put into apologizing. Maybe, just maybe, he was genuinely sorry.

Over dinner, Jake poured on the charm, telling me how much he appreciated me and needed me in his life. I found myself softening, my anger melting away.

As we finished our meal, Jake took my hand, his eyes burning with desire. "Let's put the past behind us and start fresh," he whispered, his warm breath gracing my ears leading me to the bedroom.