EVE'S POV
The door to the basement was dragged open. Light filtered into the dark room, slowly, illuminating my surroundings. Blinking rapidly, I raised my head to see Tom's silhouette. He stood at the door. I couldn't see his face, but I could very well guess the look on it. It was the same look he had every time he let me out of the basement.
The look of annoyance.
I trembled, burying my face back in my arms. Pain. I felt it everywhere. It trickled in doses into my limbs, flashing whenever I moved, however small it was. I couldn't remember much of what happened after the party.
Perhaps that was because I chose not to remember. It was nothing new that Tom had beaten the crap out of me. I ought to be used to it by now. After so many years, I ought to be used to his slaps, and kicks and punches. I should be used to his tantrums.
Adam's POV"If that will be all, Ladies and Gentlemen," I said, rising to my feet. My eyes trailed over each head of the department's face and I felt rather satisfied by the smiles on their faces. "I will take your leave now."Their applause rang through the boardroom as I walked out of it with Lillian in tow. Her heels clicked against the ground faster, trying to match my pace as we made our way to the private elevator."That went quite well, didn't it?" I asked her as she swiped her card against the card reader and the elevator opened."Yeah I would say so," She replied, chuckling as we stepped in. "I wonder why you said that you'd take your leave now as if anyone had the right to stop you from leaving,""It's courtesy, Lillian. Courtesy," I explained, watching the door close and stifle the urge to
Eve's POVI didn't want his hands on me.Not after Golden.I had laid there, perfectly still in bed, allowing myself to think about the one person that made me feel better about myself.Adam.The look on his face when he had seen me at the ball that night. Gosh. He stared at me as if I were the only one in the room. As if all that existed in the world was just me and him and everything else be damned.How could I have resisted not going up to meet him that night? How could I remain in the ballroom, knowing that he was waiting for me? Knowing that he yearned for me.My body trembled as I recalled the rough, surprising way he had claimed my lips the minute I stepped through that door. As if he had been starved.
Adam's POV"Wife?"Had I heard wrong? I had to have fucking heard wrong. Tom Harrison did not just call Eve, my Eve, wife. Maybe I had imagined it.I glanced at Eve and I could swear the guilty look that marred her face was like a knife drove right through my chest."Is there a problem?" I dragged my eyes away from Eve to see Tom's face etched in a frown.Him! She was with him. Oh no, that wasn't the correct choice of words was it? She was married to him. Married! I had been fucking a married woman all along. My gut clenched and if I was a weak puny little kid, I perhaps would have thrown up."Mr Stone?" Tom called and I felt my bones rattle in anger.He was the one who had c
Eve's POVWhen I had seen Adam, I'd prayed for the earth to open up and swallow me. And like always, my prayers were unanswered. It had been so uncomfortable listening to Tom as he spoke to me while Golden glared daggers at me.The shock in his eyes when Tom had introduced me as his wife had been evident. To me at least. Tom, however, seemed oblivious as usual, he was rather focused on glaring at me as well.I knew it was a dumb idea to bring food for a man who didn't give a shit about me. He seemed quite annoyed with me. And that I was used to. What I wasn't used to was him calling me pet names. When he had called me honey, I could swear that my stomach dropped in fear.I had messed up. That was the only thing I could deduce from his hard gaze when he beckoned for me to come closer. I never should have left the house. The
Eve's POVI wiped my eyes with my sleeve, staring at the mirror before me. Bloodshot eyes stared back at me. I was exactly what I was before I met Adam.A shell of myself.I had to leave. If I stayed here any longer, they could finish their meeting and either Tom or Adam would see me eventually. I didn't want to deal with either of them.Not now. Not yet.So I walked out of the bathroom and found my way out of Harrison and co. And then I kept walking.New York streets teemed with people. Young, old, great, or small. Years ago in high school, my friends and I would talk about walking the streets of New York, holding cups of cappuccinos and sipping from them while laughing wildly at nothing.For us, New York was the dream. It was the goal. And I
TOM’S POVI glared at the door after Eve had closed it. What the hell had happened? One minute, I was right in the middle of convincing Mr Stone to invest in the casino and I could swear that I almost had him. He seemed interested. Okay, scratch that, he was interested. I had seen the gears in his mind rotating and rolling trying to figure out what to do and what not, but he was interested. He would not be considering it if my idea didn't have merit.And Eve just had to barge in.Oh, I was furious when she did. Shocked too. Some nerve she had, leaving the house under the stupid pretense of wanting to bring my lunch. Why had she left the house when the driver wasn’t around to drive her? I had asked him to take the car to the car wash that morning. She knew the rules. She could not go anywhere unless her driver was around.And what was the damned security guard looking at when she left? I had told him ex
Adam's POVHarrison must have said something in reply when I asked us to reschedule. I didn't hear him. I couldn't hear zilch over the loud thudding in my chest. I was confused. It felt like a fog had settled on my head making it feel heavy and off balance and there was nothing I could do about it.Eve.I walked out of Harrison's office quickly, a part of me desperately hoping that she would be around. She had to be waiting for her husband right? The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth but I still looked around the area when I stepped out of Tom's office.His secretary smiled up at me and rose to her feet, batting her lashes. "You're done, Mr Stone? I trust everything went as you expected?"Fuck no, it didn't, I wanted to tell her. The urge to laugh at how much of a dumbass I was was strong. I gave her a brisk no
Madeline's POV"Is it done?"I caressed the long spine of my wine glass with my fingers, waiting for the answer I had expected all day. The red liquid in my cup sloshed around slightly as I lifted it to my lips. I pressed my phone tighter against my ear with my other hand, hating the suspense yet loving it all the same."Yes. It is done" came a deep mischievous voice after what seemed like forever.A smirk played on my lips and I ended the call, tossing the phone on my table.Wonderful. Everything was wonderful!I tipped my glass up and took a long slow sip of my wine. A sigh of satisfaction slipped from my lips as I swallowed, savoring the taste."This has to be the best Merlot there is," I murmured, taking another sip.Everything was going according