Chapter 2

"Martin, I'll do anything you want. I just want to go to college there, please?" Sarah pleaded, her voice shaking with hope and desperation.

Martin's expression was icy and distant, completely unmoved by her hoarse cries.

He asked her, "Do you love me?"

"Yes," Sarah whispered, barely able to get the word out.

She dug her nails deep into her thigh, managing a desperate smile. "I love you. I only love you."

Same situation, same answer. Even with fear clawing at her chest, Sarah still managed to say, "But Martin, I really want to study abroad. I swear, all I want is to focus on school, nothing else, I promise."

Martin didn't respond. He just wrapped a strand of her hair around his finger, idly winding it around and around, cold and distant.

Sarah's whole body shook, forcing herself to keep it together. "Please, please wait for me..."

Martin echoed her words with a mocking smirk. "Wait for you?"

His lips curled into a chilling sneer, just as the anger flashed in his eyes. Suddenly, he yanked her hair hard. "Do you really think you're worthy of that?"

The sharp pain from her scalp made Sarah tremble all over, but she bit down hard, refusing to make a sound.

"Sarah, you've grown up. Now you know how to pull your little tricks when people are around to force me to give in," Martin said coldly.

He let out a cold, twisted laugh. "If I get married, you won't have a home anymore."

He leaned in close, his breath brushing against her ear. "Oh, you think you can stand on your own now? Not like when you were a kid, willing to do anything just to stay by my side.

"I gave you everything, and I can take it all away just as easily. You've got good grades. You wouldn't want to throw it all away, would you?"

Half because of the threat, half intimidation, Sarah's tears slipped down her cheeks, her voice empty as she choked out an apology. "I'm sorry, Martin. I won't go abroad. I'm sorry..."

"Since you've messed up, you have to take your punishment," Martin said coldly.

He wiped his hand with a handkerchief, as if she'd left something dirty on him. "You were three minutes late, so you'll be punished for three hours."

He smirked, "Sarah, that's not too much, is it?"

The weather had turned cold, icy rain lashing down with the wind, making everyone shiver uncontrollably.

Most people hurried past, shooting Sarah strange looks as they took in her disheveled state.

The hotel staff were whispering among themselves, and one of them came running over with an umbrella. Sarah looked up, her eyes blurred with tears, and saw Martin standing behind the glass window upstairs, watching her with that same cold, distant stare.

Or maybe he was watching the male waiter who was trying to give her the umbrella.

Sarah politely refused the umbrella.

The rain kept pouring down harder and harder, and Sarah could barely see Martin anymore. She no longer cared about the people passing by, some shooting her looks, like she'd finally lost it.

All she could picture was herself as a little kid, kneeling out in front of Martin's house on a freezing winter day, wearing next to nothing and sobbing, begging, "Martin, I barely eat. I'll do any chores. I'm always good, and I never cause trouble, I swear. Please, just let me stay with you."

After her stepfather and mom passed away one after the other, the big, empty house was left with just her and Martin.

At the funeral, gossip swirled in waves. Everyone was sure she'd wind up in the orphanage.

She couldn't accept that, not for a second.

So she snuck out over the orphanage wall, dragging her injured leg step by painful step, and finally collapsed at the doorstep.

Martin didn't even want her in his sight. He just had someone haul her away to clear the path.

Sarah braved the bone-chilling cold, begging there until she eventually blacked out. Snow piled up all over her, wrapping her in a ghostly white shroud as she curled up, every desperate breath spent calling for her mom over and over.

Just when she was sure she'd freeze to death, Martin finally showed up, looking down at her with that same cold, unforgiving glare and naked disgust in his eyes.

But even then, Sarah dragged her lips into a broken, twisted smile.

Sarah did it on purpose. Her mom was always beating her and screaming at her, and she couldn't stand her.

The only reason she called for her mom under those security cameras was so Martin would hear, since he'd never had a mom himself.

She was twelve that year, and Martin was fifteen.

Even if Martin had the worst temper and hated her guts, it was still a thousand times better than getting swallowed alive by that soul-crushing orphanage, better than spending day after day in misery with no way out.

All Sarah wanted was an escape and a chance to live. Even if life didn't go her way, anything was better than wasting away in that hellhole.

And she won.

Martin was a walking contradiction—moody, unpredictable, and demanding absolute obedience. He always had to be the center of everything. He was like a venomous snake lurking in the dark, yet always putting on a front of gentle manners when others were watching.

Everything he did depended on his mood, never on logic. That one moment of softness he'd shown years ago just made him despise Sarah even more.

From ignoring her at first to cruelly tormenting her later, Sarah always wore long sleeves and pants to hide the scars from all the beatings.

Back then, it was her mom, and then, it was Martin.

Only when she suffered did they seem satisfied.

But Sarah never regretted it. Instead, she pulled out every trick in the book to keep him happy.

He had the kind of money that could get her into the best schools.

And that was all she needed.

Time dragged by, the rain coming and going in waves. Sarah was shaking so hard that she could barely stand, her vision swimming and blacking out every few seconds.

"Sarah?" A man's voice came from behind, and suddenly an umbrella blocked out the rain overhead. Bradley Dawson was there, dressed in a crisp suit, probably fresh from some important event. He frowned as he took in her miserable state, genuinely confused. "What happened?"

Sarah knew exactly who he was.

This year, there were only two study-abroad spots at their college: Bradley and her.

There he was. Sarah breathed a sigh of relief.

That last flicker of strength vanished, her vision blurred, and she just toppled forward, totally powerless to stop herself.

She braced for the crash, but instead, Bradley's arms were suddenly around her, steady and warm.

When Sarah woke up again, she found herself in a hospital bed. The nurse was fussing over her, readying an IV. "How could a young girl be left out in the cold rain on a day like this?" she rambled on, sympathy in her voice. "She's already weak, and staying out like this could leave her sick for life."

While talking, the nurse rolled up Sarah's sleeve, only to suddenly gasp. "What the hell?"

Bradley was on the phone nearby. He glanced over, and his eyes went wide with shock. For a moment, he just stared at Sarah's calm, expressionless face, totally stunned.

But Sarah didn't seem bothered at all. She tugged her sleeve back down over the deep bruises, then gave him a heartfelt thanks. "Thanks for getting me to the hospital."

Bradley looked at her for a moment, concern flickering in his gaze. "Take care and get some rest. I'll check on you again in a bit."