Chapter 1

My wife, Charlotte Winters, was the girl next door who chased after me for ten years. Before we got married, she was sweet, cute, and totally adorable. But after the wedding, she became distant and cold.

My bro said I was being emotionally played and told me to hit her with the cold shoulder, so she'd finally show her true colors. Then I started acting distant, barely responding to her at all.

On the first day, I didn't eat the dinner she prepared for me. On the second day, she knocked on my bedroom door, but I ignored her. On the third day, Charlotte was sitting right there by my bed, holding a USB drive in her hand.

"You didn't talk to me at all today. It made me feel so uneasy." She leaned in, her warm breath brushing against my ear.

"I just checked your browsing history. Those babes you follow online have such amazing bodies," she added, her voice sweet but with a hint of danger.

"But baby... are their waists as soft as mine? Will their hearts beat only for you, just like mine does?"

Seeing that crazy, possessive look in her eyes, I was rooted to the spot. When I came to my senses, shoved her away.

"Charlotte! Are you spying on me?" I yelled, my voice cracking.

She chuckled lightly, acting like she hadn't even heard me. She slid the USB drive into my laptop, the screen lit up instantly.

Rows upon rows of browsing history crowded the display. Screenshots from my social media chats flashed across the screen, laying my secrets bare for all to see. Charlotte had specifically pulled out the voice messages I'd sent to Alex Young, venting about her.

[Michael: She's like a block of ice now. I can't take it anymore.]

[Alex: Bro, listen to me—just give her the silent treatment!

It was an inescapable web, trapping me with no way out. She tilted her head, her eyes pure and innocent, as if everything she'd done was perfectly reasonable.

"My sweetie, did you think I've been too cold lately, so you deliberately pulled this stunt just to get my attention?"

I opened my mouth, stunned, but not a single word came out. She actually spun my cold shoulder into some kind of desperate bid for her attention. Her logic made perfect sense to her, leaving me utterly speechless.

She leaned in, her slender, icy fingers tracing along my Adam's apple, sending a shiver down my spine.

Her voice was soft, almost flirtatious."I was wrong. I won't do it again, or do you want to try something new, whatever you want, I'll go along with it."

My mind was a total blank—all I could think about was running away.

"Charlotte, you're insane!" I yelled.

I struggled to break free from her hold, but she suddenly slammed her lips onto mine. The kiss was fueled by pure dominance and punishment, swallowing all my unspoken protests and anger.

*****

The next morning, I woke up with a splitting headache. I reached for my phone and typed in my password. I entered the password several times but it was incorrect each time. Frustrated, I fired up my laptop, but the password was wrong there too.

In the living room, Charlotte was humming as she set out breakfast, wearing my oversized white shirt. When she saw me, her eyes curved into a sweet smile. "Good morning, baby."

"What happened to my phone and laptop?" I asked, barely keeping my anger in check.

"Oh, I just changed the passwords," Charlotte replied.

"Why?"

"So you won't get all anxious and sneak around looking at others," she said, coming over and standing on her tiptoes to kiss my cheek. "From now on, I'll take care of them for you."

"Charlotte..." I couldn't hold back my anger anymore.

"You really do find me annoying, do you not want me anymore?" Her beautiful eyes suddenly were full with tears.

Her seamless switch to playing the victim left me totally disarmed, like punching a wall of water. Helplessness was all I had left, and the fear only grew stronger.

She wasn't trying to win my love—she was building a nest, weaving a prison out of control. How do I even tell her I can barely breathe?