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[This is just a preview of the book, the rest of the history its not in this platform]

I am aware that many would die to be in my position, in Vanessa Collins' position: married to the great millionaire Bill Allen, living surrounded by luxury and being a partner in a multi-million dollar company, but still, there is an emptiness in me that nothing can fill. Not even the greatest luxuries in the world can fill what I have lost and will never get back.

I released an intense sigh as I watched my husband come downstairs for breakfast.

 “Good morning, dear,” he greeted me, his voice so dry I almost burst into tears. “I'll be in later today, I have a lot of things to do at the office.”

I didn't respond I knew it was pointless. He would always do whatever he wanted, no matter if I disagreed. 

Soon, he finished his breakfast and left the house, without saying goodbye to me, as usual.

Since that tragedy six years ago, things changed forever in our marriage, nothing was the same. 

Memories came to my mind and like a movie they replayed themselves.

We had just left a fancy restaurant, when out of nowhere, a robber came out of an alley, pointing a gun at us.

“Give me the diamond necklace!”.

That diamond necklace valued at over three million dollars. That necklace he had given me when he married me.

I refused, that necklace meant a lot to me, but seeing how the thief insisted, I lost my calm, I panicked and before my husband could intervene, the thief approached me and snatched the diamond necklace, but I continued to struggle, so the thief to get me off him, pushed me hard.

My belly abruptly hit the floor. 

And it wouldn't have mattered if I hadn't been five months pregnant.

That day, just as the diamond necklace was torn from my neck and shattered, so was my soul, for from that day on, my marriage was dead.

My husband forever blamed me.

“You shouldn't have resisted, now our son is dead!” he reproached me for years, and still did. 

I had implored him for another child, but he had adamantly resisted.  He didn't want to make the same mistake with me, not again. He had told me I didn't deserve to carry his baby, besides, after that the doctor told me I might never be able to have children again.

I got up from my seat, I was on vacation, so all I could do was wait for the early morning and try once again to revive my marriage; but soon enough, the tables would turn and no one, least of all me saw it coming.

**

Dawn had fallen and expectantly, I looked at my husband as he entered the room.

 “I don't have time for this. I have situations to resolve at the company. Unlike you, I do work,” Bill said as he saw me wearing sensual lingerie.

My heart was offended. I looked so sexy that I had even taken pictures of myself, something I never did.

“As the vice president of the company, I'm entitled to a vacation” I replied, I was starting to get angry.

“You were doing nothing but hinting at my employees anyway, so I guess yes, you did need that vacation,” he spat, hatefully.

I furiously passed spit furiously, he loved to piss me off.

“Maybe I should just finish my vacation tomorrow and go back” I said, I wouldn't give him the pleasure of seeing me cooped up there, rotting in my loneliness.

“No,” he replied. “You're better off here, away from all those men.”

“At least those men would pay attention to me,” I mumbled, but he managed to hear me and violently held my hand.

“Don't you ever say anything like that again!”

“You're hurting me!”

“I told you a thousand times. Once you are the wife of a man like me, you will be forever.”

“A man like you? A heartless man?”

Suddenly, he pulled her close to my body and passionately kissed my lips.

I didn't follow the kiss, on the contrary, I broke the contact. 

He rejected me a moment ago, why did he want to kiss me now?

“A heartless millionaire, that's what I am. A heartless millionaire who has you as his possession. Mine forever, my dear. From this marriage you never get out.”

Finally, he let me go.

He couldn't have me, but he couldn't let me go either. That was the worst prison of all. Will I ever be free?

***

The next day, as promised, I had gone back to work. 

I raised my eyes when I heard one of my employees gently knock on the door.

It was Brandon. Handsome Brandon, my favorite employee.

“You can come in, Brandon.”

“I hope I'm not disturbing,” the man voiced. A blond-haired Caucasian, with those honey eyes that drew sighs.

 “Here are the papers I know you're looking for,” I handed him, causing him to smile.

“It's always more than a pleasure to have you back.”

In Brandon's eyes I could see the feelings that I failed to understand, or maybe I'm just going crazy and the lack of love is making me see things where there aren't any.

“The pleasure is all mine, Brandon.”

Brandon walked toward the exit.

“By the way, Brandon, watch out for that puddle of coffee the secretary dropped...”.

But it had been too late.

At that very instant, Brandon tripped and leaves fell on the coffee.

With concern, he put his hands to his head, and tried to pick up those important documents as quickly as possible.

But it was no use. The documents were already ruined.

Brandon was lucky that the papers fell in front of me and not in front of Bill, my husband, who was not at all merciful to our employees.

“I'm so sorry, I guess I'll have to look in my desk to see if I have a copy of the papers.”

“No, don't worry. I have pictures in my phone gallery,” I said, for some reason I had taken pictures of everything.

I handed my phone to Brandon, while I asked on the landline for someone to clean up the mess.

And it was while I was dialing the number that I remembered the pile of almost naked pictures I had taken of myself the night before.

I tried to rush over to him, but by the time I did, it was too late.

Brandon's eyes revealed it.

A blush spread across my cheeks.

My employee had seen me in my underwear.

“Brandon...I-I can explain.”

Brandon denied, a different light in his eyes.

“It's none of my business, ma'am,” he muttered, also blushing. 

And without another word, Brandon hurried out of the office.

From that moment on I knew that nothing would ever be the same in our lives.

***

The following days, everything had gone from bad to worse. I started to get tired of insisting, maybe it was time to end it all.

That thought as I walked home, I know Bill will make a fuss about me leaving without his permission, but I stopped caring, I was tired of begging Bill for his attention, last night's humiliating rejection had been the straw that broke the camel's back. 

As I opened the door to my house, I thought of Brandon. He had seen me nearly naked in pictures, but as long as he didn't say anything to Bill, everything would be okay, I guess. I don't even know how to feel about that. 

Once the door was open, I walked inside the house and heard some male mumbling. 

I soon realized it was my husband. 

I thought about asking him what he was doing there so early, but I preferred to avoid a sarcastic response, so I walked past him without asking him questions, but it wasn't me who had questions that night, it was my husband.

 “Where were you, woman?”

“Shopping.” 

“Not only did you go to work without my permission or approval, but you went shopping on your way out and come back at this hour, are you hiding something, Vanessa?”

“I'm not the one here who is clearly hiding something. I'm not the one who's always gone until three in the morning.” 

“That attitude, woman, watch it. Something tells me you were not just shopping.”

“Where else would I go? You've forbidden me to even have friends.”

 “You only have the nerve to talk to me like that when you cheat on me with someone else.”

 I chose silence, for some stupid reason, I couldn't stop thinking about Brandon, and arguing with my husband would only break my concentration even more.

“But I'm a godly man. You've been begging me all these days to make you mine, to give you one child, another. I think I want to answer your pleas today.”

I shook as a sudden fury grew in my chest.

“Bill Allen, I begged you for years to give me a son, to even touch me in bed, but today I realized how crazy I was. I don't want you to touch me” I looked at him with deep hatred. “I don't want you to touch me ever again in my life.”

“Vanessa Collins, watch the way you talk to your husband.”

“I'm not afraid of you, not anymore. And if you touch me, I will go to the press and accuse you as an abuser.”

That was the last thing I said, leaving my husband with the word in his mouth.

“You won't get rid of me easily, Vanessa,” I heard him mutter.

I gulped. That threat sent shivers down my spine.

**

 “Vanessa!”

Brandon's voice shook me, I had been avoiding him ever since he had seen me in my underwear. Plus I was really worried about my marriage. There really was no way out but divorce.

“Yes?”

I couldn't face him, I felt embarrassed.

“Don't tell me you're avoiding me because of the other day?”

I smiled shyly. 'You guessed it' I thought.

“Of course not, why would I avoid my best employee?”

Brandon offered me a huge smile, and it was when I least expected it that he enveloped me in a hug. 

His arms were warm and secure. His scent drove me crazy. I knew I had to break contact before something else happened.

“Glad to know that.”

As the hug ended, I found myself trembling. 

“I have to go,” I mumbled. I couldn't let myself be embarrassed. 

 “No, wait, Vanessa, please,” Brandon insisted.

“I'd like to talk to you, Brandon, but I really must...”

“There's something I want to show you, I know you'll love it.”

“Brandon...”

“Come on, boss.”

After this, Brandon took my hand. He held it tightly, and I could even say sensually.

 “Brandon, where are you taking me?”

“You'll see, I know you'll love it.”

And Brandon continued to take me to a part of the company I was barely familiar with. 

For some reason that was starting to scare me, Brandon was licking his lips as he walked beside me. He seemed excited about something. My mind began to misthink things.

“This is it,” Brandon muttered, “get in, come on.”

And when I opened the door to that office, fear caused a shocked scream to escape my lips.