I push sharply at him. “What was that for?!” I hiss at him, breathless. “Your eyes are wandering,” he says, looking a bit angry. I glare back at him. Conscious of the surrounding people, I move closer to him and hiss, “Liam, I don’t like that. Don’t kiss me like that in front of other people!” “Why?” he asks, sounding hurt. “It’s normal between husband and wife.” “No, it’s too much,” I snap at him. He snorts. He leans back in his chair and says, “That’s it. We are going home.” “But—” “The celebration is about to be finished, anyway.” “Liam—” He cuts off my sentence with another dizzying kiss from him. “I want you now. Do you want me to take you here? Or back in the car?” “That’s not—” “Not what?” He leans closer to me and whispers, “Remember, the contract stipulates that you will meet my desires.” I purse my lips and push against his chest. He is using our contract again. I thought we are past that. Still, I make a forced smile. “Okay,” I say, and somehow, I see his feature
I feel Liam’s grip on me tighten as we step out of the car. His grip on my arm shows no signs of loosening as we make our way to our house. The drive has been a silent, oppressive one, and I know Liam heard the entire conversation between Tom and me. I feel embarrassed, exposed, and ashamed all at once. He pushes the key into the lock, turns it, and pushes the door open. His grip on me does not lessen as we make our way inside, and I know I must face the consequences of what I have done. My heart is pounding in my chest, and my mind races with thoughts of what could possibly happen next. The house is eerily quiet as we step inside, and it feels like a ghostly reminder of the love he used to tell me. Liam’s hand is on my shoulder, pulling me gently but firmly with him, and I know I have to face what is coming. He pulls me to our bedroom, and my anxiety rises as I watch the dark, brooding expression on his face. He stops in the center of the room, his hands still gripping my arms. He
I have stayed in the house since we returned from Yvette’s wedding. I can still remember the way Tom rejected me. Sometimes, the words slut and dirty still ring in my ears like a buzz of flies. I want to do something about it, but I know I can’t. It’s my fault, anyway, for trusting too much, for believing in his love. Screaming and hitting something for a sense of release is something that I do not deserve. “Oh god, Cassie, my wife...” Liam moans against my back as he pumps into me, and I am brought back to reality. Right, I remember. The instant he arrives, he’s done nothing but kiss and caress me. And as the slut I am, my body responds to him just as eagerly. But these last few days, I find myself getting lost in my own world, as if I am losing hold of my reality. I feel Liam’s release at the same time that tears stream down my cheeks. “Cassie?” Liam asks. He moves away from me and looks at my face. “Why are you crying? Did it hurt?” I shake my head. “No. I just remembered some
“Why didn’t you fight back?” Liam asks the instant we enter our bedroom. I mumble something unintelligible and sit on the couch. I don’t want to answer because I am already on the edge as it is. He sits beside me and checks the bruises that Heidi caused. “I always thought you were a fighter, but now, it stumps me why you didn’t fight back,” he repeats, as if wanting to be cleared of his confusion. “Because I deserve it,” I finally answer while he checks the wound on the side of my neck. His eyes return to mine. “You deserve to be assaulted and humiliated in public?” I nod as I grab my arms. “She is right. I am well aware that Tom has a live-in partner and a child. I should have said no when he asked me to live with him.” “He asked you to live with him?!” “Actually, even before that… when he said he loved me, I shouldn’t have responded that I love him, too.” “You love him?!” “Come to think of it, when we were in San Francisco, I already knew what I was doing, but I was enjoying
Liam is pumping on top of me, my legs are on either side of him. His groans of pleasure echo across the bedroom. And all I am thinking is, until when he will make love to me. I am exhausted already. Suddenly, he takes hold of my face and makes me look at him. I shift my attention to him at the same time that liquid falls on my face. I blink as I look up and see him crying. “Cassie...” he whimpers. He buries his face in my shoulders as his body trembles. He embraces me, but each of his quivers is no longer because of pleasure. “You hate this now, don’t you?” he asks. “Making love to me... It doesn’t feel the same way for you anymore...” I didn’t answer. Rather, I shift my attention again to the same spot in the ceiling. “But I can’t let you go that easy. I need time to adjust without you. I need to make love to you as much as I can, so I won’t regret anything. These feelings… I need to rush these so they will all die down. But no matter how much we do it... I can’t seem to lower t
I feel a light touch on my cheeks. I open my eyes to see Liam hovering over me. “Hi, Cassie,” he whispers. “Lukas is worried about you.” I glance at the clock. It hasn’t been an hour since I’ve fallen asleep. My body feels so heavy. I shift my attention to him as he removes his clothes. Right, he’s here to use my body again. I wonder how much he plans to pay again. Then he climbs on the bed and pins me underneath him. “However, Lukas doesn’t know that another man is causing this to you. You heard about it, right? Tom is finally marrying Heidi?” I look away as he takes hold of my wrists. “Every time I see you in pain because of another man. Do you know what I think of?” he asks. “Jealousy, Cassie. Every time I see you pained because of another man, I want to take you repeatedly until you realize that you are mine.” He leans down, and I flinch as he bites my neck. “I am trying to forget about you. But instead of getting bored with you, I am falling deeper and deeper with you every
"Cassie! You almost gave me a heart attack!" It is my mother who scrutinizes me from head to foot. "Look at you. You've become thin!" "You're exaggerating, mom," I say as I respond to her hug. "I told you. Take a vacation in the province for a while. It will lift your spirits up." I grin at her. "Soon, mom," I say. Besides, there's only a little over a year before my contract with Liam ends. "I heard you are pregnant. You'll be more healthy in the province, I assure you." "I'm good here." "Where is your husband, anyway?" "At work." "And Lukas?" "School." "See that? If you are in the province, you will always be with someone!" Soon, I have no other choice but to be in the province. When I don’t answer, she groans and says, "When I heard you were in the hospital, I was so anxious! I thought that maybe the same thing happened to you as your Aunt Ynez!" Aunt Ynez is my independent, beautiful aunt who died alone in her house. They found her rotting corpse five days after her dea
Lukas clicks the last button on his laptop and turns to me with a triumphant smile. “I did it! I finished the application forms!” he exclaims, his eyes shining with excitement. I meet his gaze, my lips turning up a little. “You sure did.” “Thank you, Cassie!” he says, grinning. “I think we need to celebrate!” “I don’t think you should thank me already. And also, you just finished the application form. You haven’t passed it, much less taken the exam.” Lukas’ mouth splits into a grin. “Small steps should be celebrated, right? You are the one who taught me that.” I roll my eyes. “Don’t make me regret I ever teach you.” Besides, even if my meals are scheduled and balanced. Even if I am forced to exercise, I still feel so heavy. I don’t want to do anything except stay at home, stare at nothing, or sleep. “I haven’t been in a local amusement park with my father,” Lukas starts, ignoring my rejection. “I think it will be a great way to take our minds off everything. Besides, my exam wi