Chapter 1
Soft moans, ragged breaths, and the sound of clothes sliding against skin jolted me awake.
"Keep your voice down, baby. If your wife catches us messing around, she'll totally lose it," the woman whispered.
Her worry was pointless. My husband had brought his lovers home more than once.
"Baby, who's tighter, me or your wife?" she teased.
"Obviously you. Mandy has been with so many guys. She can't even compare to you," he said.
Three years ago, he caught me in bed with his brother. Since then, everything changed.
After that, he started bringing women home every single night, just to rub it in my face and get his revenge.
Sometimes, he'd even shake me awake and order me to fix his lover's damp, tangled hair.
I was nothing more than a prop in his twisted games with other women.
The sound of skin slapping together became my twisted lullaby, while the sticky, wet noises turned into my worst nightmare.
I hugged the blanket tight, curling up into a ball as my tears soaked through the fabric.
The truth was I never cheated on him three years ago.
*****
Three years ago, Mandy woke up in bed with John Webb's younger brother, Matthew, both of them disheveled and barely dressed.
Matthew had calmly lit a cigarette, got up nonchalantly, and said, "She seduced me. John. She's so shameless."
From that moment on, Mandy's world shattered and she fell straight from heaven into hell.
It was three in the morning.
Mandy Colton, wearing nothing but a flimsy nightgown, was kicked out of the villa.
"Get lost. Just seeing your face makes me sick," John Webb said coldly.
He didn't even throw her a jacket. The villa door slammed shut behind her, locking her out.
John couldn't wait. He slammed the woman he'd brought home right up against the door.
Even with the thick door between them, Mandy could tell just how rough and unrestrained he was from how hard the door rattled.
Snow kept falling outside, and the freezing air cut right through her.
Mandy curled up by the door.
This was already the fifth time this month.
Every time John brought a woman home, he'd throw Mandy out and make her wait outside until he finished with them.
The sweet moans and the sound of skin slapping against skin, carried by the icy wind, pierced Mandy's ears.
She clutched her head, trying to shut out the noises that broke her heart.
She had no idea how long she'd been out there, but finally, the villa door swung open.
The blast of warmth from inside made her dizzy after being out in the cold so long.
If she'd stayed out there any longer, she would've turned into a human popsicle.
"John, I'm so exhausted," the woman cooed.
"I'll take you to bed," John replied.
John scooped the woman into his arms, and when he saw Mandy still huddled by the door, he kicked her aside.
"Why are you just sitting there?" John snapped.
Mandy lost her balance and went tumbling down the stairs.
Her limbs were so numb from the cold that she barely felt it when her head hit the ground. It took a long moment before the pain finally registered.
Inside, John looked utterly impatient.
"Get your ass in here. Go upstairs and make the bed," he snapped.
The stairs were covered in snow, and Mandy slipped and fell several times before she finally managed to get back inside.
Her ankle was twisted, and as she forced herself to hurry upstairs, her awkward, stumbling gait looked downright ridiculous.
The woman giggled, "This is all on you, John. If you hadn't kept me busy for three hours, Mandy wouldn't have been stuck freezing outside for so long."
When Mandy heard the familiar voice, she stopped dead in her tracks, spinning around in shock.
"Sienna?" Mandy blurted out, unable to believe her eyes.
Sienna Shaw threw her arms around John's neck and shot Mandy a playful wink. "Long time no see, Mandy."
Sienna was the student Mandy gave her all to back when she was teaching piano.
Back when Sienna's family couldn't afford to send her to school, Mandy paid her tuition. For five years, Mandy always saw her as a little sister.
Never in a million years did Mandy expect Sienna to end up as John's new mistress.
"Why?" Mandy's voice shook as she asked.
Her nails dug so hard into her palms behind her back it hurt. Her face was even whiter than before.
"Because she's the one who reminds me most of you in terms of her attitude and her piano skills. She's got the same vibe you had at eighteen," John sneered, looking down at Mandy like she was nothing. "And she's not tainted like you."
Those few words felt like a thousand knives stabbing into Mandy's heart from every direction.
Mandy bit down hard on her lower lip until blood flooded her mouth.
The metallic taste hit her tongue, her throat clenched so tight she couldn't make a sound.
He hated her.
He despised her, thought she was dirty.
Three years ago, John had walked in and found her in bed with his brother, Matthew.
Her hair was a mess, and she was barely wearing anything.
John and Matthew had gotten into a brawl, and John's eyes were wild and bloodshot as he glared at Mandy, on the verge of a complete breakdown.
"Mandy, did this bastard force you?" John asked.
"Me? Hell no. This slut snuck into my bed in the middle of the night. Figured I'd do her a favor and fuck her," Matthew said.
Matthew nodded at Mandy, taunting, "Go on, tell John yourself. Isn't that right?"
John, fighting back the agony, managed to ask Mandy, "Is it true?"
When Mandy nodded, John snapped.
He trashed the whole place, smashing everything in sight.
In the morning, John loomed over her, crunching broken glass under his feet, his eyes blazing with madness.
"Mandy, from now on, we're going to hell together," John said.
From that day forward, every ounce of love he'd ever had for her twisted into raw hatred.
Seeing the disgust in John's eyes, Mandy wanted to finally come clean.
She wanted to say it was all because Matthew threatened her, that she'd even stabbed herself just to prove she was innocent.
But Matthew's words kept echoing in her mind. "Go ahead, tell John. With how much he loves you, he'll probably beat me to death. Let's see if he gets away with murder.
"Even if he doesn't kill me, what has he got? Dad's in jail for gambling, Mom offed herself after cheating, and now he's got a rapist for a brother. Tsk. The Webb family's stocks will crash for sure, and who knows. Maybe John will never be able to hold his head high again.
"I can't wait to see it. I just can't stand how John has everything, and even has a woman who loves him so much. No matter how it ends, I'm looking forward to it."
Matthew was the illegitimate son who could never show his face in public. All he ever dreamed about was ruining John's life.